Post by Fort Hays State University

Heart of a Tiger By President Tisa Mason When Madison “Maddie” Stoumbaugh walked across the stage at Fort Hays State University in May 2026, she carried more than a nursing degree. She carried years of hard work, heartbreak, and hope. She also carried the lessons she learned from a university community that stood beside her every step of the way. For Maddie, college was never a straight path. In 2020, she started school at the University of Northern Colorado. Her first year was difficult. After that, life changed quickly. She took two years away from school, gave birth to her daughter Ryleigh, and worked in agriculture in Colorado. Maddie chose FHSU because it was affordable and offered support for students with children. She and Ryleigh lived in Wooster Place for a year and a half, building a home while Maddie worked to rebuild her dream of earning a degree. Balancing school and motherhood was not easy. Nursing classes brought long hours, studying, and demanding clinical work. But Maddie found creative ways to include her daughter in the journey. Maddie made Ryleigh her study partner. While learning nursing skills, she practiced head-to-toe assessments on her daughter. She used coloring books, toy stethoscopes, and bedtime study sessions to keep Ryleigh involved. While Maddie is currently working as a labor and delivery nurse in Great Bend, she plans to return to Fort Hays State next year to finish a second degree in agricultural business. With less than a year of coursework left, she is already looking ahead to a future that blends both of her passions: caring for people and building a life in agriculture. “If I didn’t have the opportunity to go to Fort Hays State, I don’t know if I would have been able to finish college,” she said. “The support I’ve had from everybody at Fort Hays State — my sorority members, my professors - everybody offered me support when I needed it.” Read more about Maddie's story: https://hubs.ly/Q04lYl7S0