Madelyn Tice has a head for business, but her heart pulled her to the outdoors.

So, she decided to solve the problem. What else would you expect from a valedictorian who earned her degree in just three years? On June 6, 2024, she will begin her career as a human resources coordinator with Aramark Destinations in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park.

“I did research and realized that I could do something that I love in connection with a national park, and I just kind of ran with it,” she explains.

Her goal required some planning, and she began building the blueprint more than a year ago, searching for HR internships with organizations connected to national parks. She hit the jackpot as a summer 2023 intern with the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation in Medora, North Dakota.

The foundation supports Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which attracts thousands of summer tourists to Medora (population 112). Tice worked there from May 9 until August 17.

“It was an amazing summer,” she recalls. “I got to meet people from all over the world, and the experience grew my passion for HR and the outdoors. My duties included onboarding and offboarding, scheduling trips to movies and festivals, and helping a team organize the annual musical that tells the story of the town.”

She admits that her internship made her an attractive candidate for the Bryce Canyon job.

Her fascination with the outdoors began years ago when her family of baseball fans decided to add to its bucket list the goal of visiting every MLB park (they have only six to go).

“One summer, we went to Seattle, drove south and hit six ballparks. Along the way, we saw Redwood National Forest and other national parks, too. I thought it was cool.”

To graduate in three years, Tice completed 12 college credits in high school and then took 18 credits per semester at Neumann in addition to a winter class or two.

She is also the catcher for the softball team and a peer tutor, helping other students succeed in business courses such as marketing, business statistics, accounting, and management. In April, she was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society that recognizes students who have excelled in the classroom and athletic competition.

She grew up in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, only 12 miles from Penn State but didn’t want to go to college so close to home.

“I was recruited by the softball coach and was familiar with the area from traveling to softball tournaments,” she says. “Neumann is close enough to home, but I’m still on my own, making new friends and experiences.”

She was surprised at the April 22 athletic banquet when her name was announced as valedictorian.

“I was caught off guard and definitely shocked. But when I told my mom, she was really excited.”

Tice will deliver the valedictory address for the Class of 2024 during the undergraduate graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 18.