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For the third year in a row, LaFayette High School has had a 100 percent graduation rate. That being said, senior Madison Turner worked hard to be one of the top students in her class. 

Before graduation earlier this month, Turner was recognized as placing third in the top three of her graduating class. 

A Five Points native, Turner has had many great teachers at Five Points Elementary and LaFayette High. 

“They actually want to teach. They want to make sure that you understand. They don’t just move on without you understanding,” Turner said of the Five Points teachers.

At LaFayette High, she said they take a more personal approach and students can come to them one-on-one to go over lessons. 

Turner has been on the school’s Color Guard team since 10th grade. This year, that hard work paid off when she became the team’s captain. 

As an ambassador for the OnMed Clinic and for LaFayette Main Street, Turner also gets involved in many community events, such as the frequent downtown Food Truck Festival. 

“I love to meet new people and help people, so it’s something that I like to do,” she said

While studying at LaFayette High, Turner gained skills that she will continue to use in the next chapter. One lesson she learned was how to be an advocate for herself. 

“I’m the type of person I don’t like to speak up for myself. So I have really learned through high school to speak up for myself,” she said.

The ups and downs of high school never got Turner down. When she became the captain of Lafayette High’s Color Guard, there were some who sought to tear her down.

“They wanted to control what I did for my team, what was going on on my team. And so I just had to just let it roll off my back,” Turner said. 

With high school graduation over, Turner is looking ahead to attending Alabama A&M University and studying in Medical Social Work with a minor in Fashion Design. She said she hopes to be a support in the medical field for those in need. She also plans to start a clothing line, designing her own styles. 

As for support, she said that her parents and grandparents have always been there to keep her going. Turner’s advice for younger students is to keep pushing no matter what:

“Your friends, they’re going to come and go, but you can’t just let that tear you down. Just

always keep pushing through it. Don’t let it break you,” Turner said.