There’s no place like home: Bulloch County native builds future locally
Madison Buford was born and raised just a stone’s throw away from Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus. As she watched the University and the city grow, she knew exactly where she wanted to go to college.
“You can feel Georgia Southern wherever you go in Statesboro,” Buford said. “It’s a huge part of the community, and the community loves and appreciates all the things it’s done in our town. Growing up here, you can really see the impact it’s brought. Anywhere you go in town, the community is just like, ‘Yes! We love Georgia Southern.’ Seeing that showed me this was where I wanted to be.”
When Buford arrived at Georgia Southern, she fell in love with her community in a new way and thrived in her marketing program.
“I changed my major multiple times, but once I started in the Parker College of Business, things just made sense and everything started to flow,” Buford said. “What we were learning was practical, and I felt like I could really apply it. I loved the marketing program completely.”
Stepping into a full-time marketing role after completing her undergraduate degree didn’t fit her expectations. She realized that what she loved most about marketing, the openness and creativity, was also what made it challenging for her as a professional.
“I missed the structure that higher education has,” Buford said. “In marketing, you’re always trying to figure out what the new trend is, and it is just very gray. Every part of the job was stressful because it’s a field that changes so rapidly and constantly. I always felt like I didn’t know what I was doing because what worked yesterday often isn’t the same as what will work tomorrow. I wanted more structure.”
Thinking back on her time at Georgia Southern, Buford realized it wasn’t just the degree program that she loved, it was the community.
“While working on my marketing degree, I got to work under Gene Sherry and America Minc at the RAC,” Buford said. “When you think about wanting to develop the student completely, they are the two people who immediately come to mind for embodying that. They made even small tasks much more than they were so that we would understand work ethic, responsibility, character and our impact on each other. It wasn’t just a job — it was a community.”
The whole-person growth mindset is what Buford wanted again. She became determined to get back to the community that built her and give back in her own way.
“I realized that there are full-time positions available at Georgia Southern and that I could build a career in the community I loved, so I applied for everything,” Buford said. “I landed in the registrar’s office, and I am so thankful I did because I enjoy it so much.”
She immediately clicked with her new role, enjoying the fact that there was a process for everything.
“We deal with policy and procedure, so everything is very black and white,” Buford said. “That consistency and organization was perfect for me.”
Buford knew that she wanted to continue to build a future at Georgia Southern, so in 2024, supported by the University System of Georgia’s Tuition Assistance Program, she decided to become a Georgia Southern student once again by pursuing her master’s degree in higher education administration.
“My day-to-day work keeps me involved with many areas of the University, but you don’t always understand why or what the bigger context of that work is,” Burford said. “Going through this program helped me understand all the little pieces and how they play a role in the overall institutional function.”
The structural understanding and practical experience Buford gained through her master’s program prepared her to better support Georgia Southern students and the community as a whole.
“This program helped me see my role and my power to impact the student experience,” Buford said. “It pulled everything together into one cohesive University story.”
This December, Buford will once again walk the stage at commencement, this time as a Double Eagle.
“It felt overwhelming at times,” Buford said. “But I am excited to be a Double Eagle. Now I get to reflect and take it all in.”