Liberty Co. High School senior earns over $5 million in scholarships for college

LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A Liberty County High School senior has earned over $5 million in scholarships for college breaking a record in the county.

On the surface Madison Langley is like many other 12th graders she plays sports, she’s active in the community and can’t wait to start her freshman year of college.

“I’m very excited to be going to school to pursue my career in physical therapy,” Senior Madison Langley said.

Yet when it comes to her race to higher education she has literally been breaking records. Madison’s been awarded more than 5 million dollars in scholarships and accepted into more than 130 schools, the most a student has ever received in Liberty County.

But she says she couldn’t have done it without her parents and what they call the “war board.”

“I wanted to do the dry erase board but that wasn’t going to help me to manage everything. So, we used excel spreadsheet, color-coded,” Mother Melissa Langley said.

Keeping track of every single scholarship dollar and every single college acceptance. But Langley says the journey has come with its challenges.

“My mom, in August, so at the beginning of the school year, she had a Kidney transplant and I was home alone for a month,” Madison says.

While her dad, Sgt. Delando Langley, is currently deployed in Poland.

“Him being gone the middle of my senior year, it took a toll on our family a little bit.”

But she says he hasn’t missed a beat.

Still encouraging and supporting her every step of the way.

“We have like a running bet of how much money I’ll get once it’s all said and done. I think we agreed on 6 million.”

Using moments like these, to teach Madison the power of resilience.

“Anything that’s worth having, never comes free. It always comes with hard work and sacrifice. And that’s one of the things that her dad and I try to exemplify every day.”

Using that hard work to give back to her high school where she’s created a family and a village where this journey began.

“I think I needed her just as much as she needed me. She has just been such a blessing to all of us here at Liberty county high school,” Media Specialist Debbie Parker said.