A feeling of uncertainty gnawed at Jonathan Madison in 2012
during a pivotal time in his life. He thought he should go to college, but he
wasn’t sure what he wanted.
Enrolling at Salt Lake Community College changed all of that.
It was while meeting a general education requirement that he had an epiphany,
for which he credits former SLCC anthropology instructor Jennifer Campbell.
“Thanks to an amazing professor and course, I fell in love instantly with the
field of anthropology,” he says. “Anthropology, specifically archaeology, united
my love of history with science and real-world applications.”
Jonathan Madison
Jonathan, 27, graduated from SLCC in 2014 with an associate’s
degree in general studies and the momentum he needed to continue his
post-secondary education. Next up – the University of Utah. “My AA from SLCC
allowed me to insert seamlessly into the U of U system,” he says. “The quality
of my anthropology course at SLCC helped me feel ahead of many of the other
students in the department.” Energized, he completed a double major in anthropology
and history at the U of U, despite being discouraged by some not to pursue a
degree in history “…because it had no real-world application.”
Jonathan, who lately has called Washington D.C. his home, set
his sights even higher and was accepted to the Latin American and Hemispheric
Studies Program at George Washington University’s prestigious Elliott School of
International Affairs, where he earned his master’s degree. Now he wanted
nothing less than a PhD and began applying to multiple institutions.
“Eventually, I found out that I had been accepted to the number-one ranked
history program in the world at the University of Oxford. I was shocked and
humbled all at once,” he recalls.
Jonathan has dubbed the time he will spend in England as his
“crowning achievement for a long academic career.” That first step of enrolling
at SLCC and taking that one anthropology class was the critical catalyst he
needed. “I would not have been able to get into Oxford for my doctorate if I
had not started out with the excellent education at SLCC,” he says. “I truly
believe that SLCC is vastly superior to many other two-year institutions in the
way it prepares you for future success. I am about to begin living my dream,
and it all started with my experience at Salt Lake Community College.”