CHATTANOOGA, TN -- Meet Madison Cothern, whose journey from Collegiate High student to accomplished graduate is a testament to personal determination and educational excellence. 

Cothern's journey from a dual-enrollment student to a master's degree candidate highlights the power of personalized education at Chattanooga State Community College. Overcoming challenges with determination, Madison's impact now extends far beyond the College as she inspires others to pursue their educational goals while continuing to reach toward her own. 

Academic Success from the Start 

Cothern first came to Chattanooga State Community College as a Collegiate High student in hopes of completing an associate degree while still in high school, a goal she achieved at only 17 years old.  

While studying at ChattState, Cothern excelled with the help of student support services such as a captioner, an accommodation provided by the college to assist her in classes because of her hearing loss.  

Madison found academic success at the College, being named to the Spring 2020 Dean’s List and becoming a member of both the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the Global Scholars Honors Program, now titled the ChattState Honors Program. 

Cothern said in addition to saving money with a Dual Enrollment Grant and Collegiate High Scholarship, starting college-level learning early helped set up her for success in higher education. 

“When you're 14, you're like a little sponge, able to absorb so much just from the people around you,” Cothern said. “It was like being an incubator of highly motivated people. I have seen so many of my classmates go on to do amazing things.” 

Cothern has a passion for teaching and mentorship, which drives both her education and career goals. In 2020, she told the College she frequently volunteered as an English tutor, dance instructor, and anti-bullying advocate. She also received a Kids Who Show Courage award and the 2020 Black Girls Roar award. 

Hoping to inspire young people, she also penned and published a children’s book titled “Beautiful, Brown, and Bionic,” which chronicles lessons she learned as an African American deaf ballerina. 

A Bachelor’s and Beyond 

Most recently, at only 20 years old, Cothern graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education: history. 

While at UTC, she was a member of the Alpha Scholastic Honor Society and a recipient of a ThinkAchieve Graduate Award, which recognized her extracurricular efforts on campus: serving on the Freshman Senate and working as a peer writing consultant in the UTC Writing and Communication Center. 

Wasting no time, Cothern started work on a master’s degree from The University of Memphis only two days after graduating from UTC. She will specialize in Global Intellectual History and is choosing to write her thesis on meritocracy and its correlation to marginalized groups. 

Cothern, who experiences hearing loss and attends classes with the help of a captioner, said ChattState helped her access disability services and financial aid, ultimately leveling the playing field and making higher education accessible to her. 

“It takes a village and, I would not be where I am today without that village," she said. "Without that support—without those barriers being removed to your education—you cannot always achieve these great things. Some ask, ‘Why can't you just pull yourself up by the bootstraps?’ What if I have no boots?” 

Dreams Give Way to Directions 

Cothern said because ChattState helped her build a firm educational foundation, she now has several options when it comes to the remainder of her educational career. Depending on financial aid and grant options, she will either pursue international fellowships followed by a doctorate degree, or she will attend law school.  

She ultimately aims to work in nonprofit education, a variation of a dream she has had since she was young: “I think every little girl wants to be a teacher.” 

“What really led me down this path to education was that I had a few teachers along the way who were amazing,” she said. “They showed me that education is a powerful tool to so many different people. My experience speaks to the power of education and what it can do when someone pours that into you.”