Madeline Nelson enjoys spending her free time watching “Friends” on Netflix, doing make-up and taking her dogs Dexter and Denali for car rides. Her parents are Preston and Chris Nelson and she has two siblings: Adam and Kate.

When Nelson was younger she wanted to be a horse trainer because she has loved horses for as long as she can remember. “Yes, I’m the girl in school that’s obsessed with horses and I am 100% okay with that,” Nelson said. She still hopes to work with horses one day but not until she is older and is able to do it on the side of her regular job.

Nelson plans to attend the University of Iowa to major in accounting. “I decided I wanted to continue my education there because I’ve been an Iowa fan all my life,” said Nelson. She chose accounting because she enjoys dealing with numbers and it is a well-paying job.  

Taking American History with Trace Petersen is one of Nelson’s favorite high school memories because “he makes everybody laugh.” Nelson said history is not her favorite subject, but Petersen always found a way to make it interesting. “He makes it his mission to make sure you’re having a good day. If you aren’t in a good mood when you walk into his class, you’re almost guaranteed to be in one when the bell rings,” Nelson said.

Putting together the 2017 Javelin is one of Nelson’s biggest accomplishments throughout her high school career. “I love how the theme is carried throughout the whole book and each page has an aspect of gold on it,” Nelson said. She is extremely proud of how it turned out. Being involved with the yearbook taught Nelson many leadership skills that she said she will “take away and use in my profession in the future.”