Madison Yates’ positivity, resiliency helped her push through difficulties to graduation

ZANESVILLE − Madison Yates, 19, was scared when she first stepped onto the Zanesville campus of Mid-East Career and Technology Centers.

“It was huge and scary, and I thought ‘I’m never going to fit in,’” said the senior who will graduate May 21 from the Restaurant and Food Service Operations program. “But I’ve become friends with so many amazing people, I’ve learned so many amazing things.”

Yates had to overcome a great deal to get to this point.

“I was in foster care for three years before I came here,” she said.

And after coming to Mid-East with a friend, the friend decided to go back to regular high school. “I could have gone, too, but I didn’t,” she said. “I wanted to stay.”

That fortitude to stay put and fight through is what helped Yates move forward.

“When she first came, you could tell she had that reservation and unsureness of herself,” said Jalena Lasko, senior instructor of the restaurant operations program. “Her trials and tribulations were really heavy in her life, and we were able to show her that we were here for her and willing to support her in anything inside or outside of Mid-East.

“Our main goal is for students to be safe, happy, and healthy. I think she really connected to us when she saw that; when saw she was supported and cared for.”

It helped Yates find success on her terms and get herself to graduation.

“I’ve been in National Honor Society for a year,” said Yates. “I help out a lot with NHS, volunteering, and the STARS program. We go around and do different activities to show kids what we do. It’s been amazing.”

Lasko agreed.

“Being able to achieve those things just made her that much stronger of a person inside and outside of the classroom,” said Lasko. “Madison is a great team player and someone we can rely on.”

Yates said it couldn’t have happened without the supportive atmosphere of Mid-East giving her the structure and relationships she needed to find her way.

“The teachers all help me. They know what I’m going through and struggling with. They help me keep up with school,” said Yates. “And there’s a lot of kids here you can just talk to them, and they understand what you’re going through. It makes you feel a lot better.”

And now Yates feels confident in her future, which includes going to Tiffin University for business management, then opening a restaurant in the area someday.

“The dream is to open a family-owned restaurant,” she said, adding meatloaf (with breadcrumbs) would be her most famous dish. “I’ve always loved cooking since I was a little kid.”

Yates said cooking is something she and her dad have done together.

“I always knew I had a passion for cooking,” said Yates. “I think it’s the experimenting with different things, trying new things all the time. Before I started cooking, I would draw, or write, but cooking it helps me reach people more, because it shows what I can do. And people seem to enjoy it.”

Yates loves the people.

“I’ve always enjoyed front of the house because it gives me an opportunity to meet (new people). And that makes me happy,” said Yates. “I like the experience of talking and being with people.”

The Mid-East restaurant program is the only one on campus that runs a daily operation, said Lasko of the licensed restaurant on campus called the 400. It opens every October and runs through the last week of April.

“Our program is a very tight knit group,” said Lasko, who runs the program with Sam Gianettino and Amber Kynnersley. “(The students) work well as a team and Madison’s skills are such that we can always count on her. She pushes through every single day. She’s one of those students that when it gets hard or tiring she still continues to go and encourage those around her. She stands out in her own unique way.

“Madison is a student who when life got tough, she got tougher. And because of that, she’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Indeed. And that strength is the bedrock of Yates’ advice to others.

“Try new things,” she said. “You never know what’s going to happen, but it could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You may be scared, you may hate it, it may be strange, but if you put passion into it and just try, you can learn to love it, or maybe you hate it, but you have to push to reach the finish line. You have to push through and just try.”

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Madison Yates won’t let fear or adversity stop her