“I think there are some people that never learn how to fail, and I don’t want to be one of those people.”
For Madilyn Lee, failure has never been the end of the road — it’s been the fuel that pushed her toward something greater.
Her time at UND has been defined by action, resilience and a commitment to making a difference.
Now, as she prepares for law school, she carries with her the belief that leadership isn’t about avoiding failure, but rather embracing it, learning from it and using it to open new doors — for herself and those around her.
Growing up in the area, Madilyn set her sights on leaving for a big university after high school.
“I didn’t want to come to UND initially. I was very against it in high school,” she admitted. “I had friends going to big schools, and I wanted to be like them.”
Her time at UND has been defined by action, resilience and a commitment to making a difference.
But when the time came to choose, the affordable tuition and the scholarships she received became the deciding factor — leading her to a university that would ultimately shape her in ways she never expected.
I think there are some people that never learn how to fail, and I don’t want to be one of those people.
It may have been a financial factor that got her on campus, but the opportunities she embraced once on campus transformed her perspective. Her freshman year, Madilyn wasted no time getting involved. “I showed up to probably 50 club meetings,” she recalled.
“I was going to try everything. And I would show up and everyone was immediately so welcoming — that was incredible to me.”
Madilyn wasted no time getting involved freshman year. She showed up to almost 50 club meetings.
While at UND, Madilyn realized that leadership wasn’t just about being in charge — it was about making space for others.
After facing defeat in a student government election, Madilyn decided to channel her energy into causes she felt were underrepresented on campus. Recognizing a need for more peer-to-peer conversations around mental health, she and her childhood friend, Mataya Anderson, co-founded the Smile Society — a student organization that promotes mental health awareness, resources and support for all UND students.
“Our goal is to just host chill events where students can come and just relax, make a new friend, and talk about life. It’s so hard to be a student, anywhere you go,” she said. “I wanted to have a place where people can come and just sit down and say ‘it’s hard’ and not be judged for it.”
With leadership roles in multiple campus organizations, Madilyn became an advocate for other students, working to ensure their voices were heard and their needs addressed. She took this role seriously, using her platform to push for initiatives that would benefit the student body.
Recognizing a need for more peer-to-peer conversations around mental health, she and her childhood friend, Mataya Anderson, co-founded the Smile Society.
Her involvement in projects like the High Plains Fair Housing Initiative allowed her to research and advocate for Native American housing rights, while her selection as North Dakota’s representative at the Henry Clay Center’s College Student Congress strengthened her ability to engage in bipartisan policy discussion.
“People count on me. And they don’t just count on me today, they count on me tomorrow, and they’ll count on me three years from now, even when I’m gone,” she said.
“Because my attitude and commitment affect the future of these organizations. That’s always been my driving force, even if I’m having a bad day, the work I do matters.”
I think that caring about people is the most human thing you can do.
Through these experiences, Madilyn realized that leadership wasn’t just about being in charge — it was about making space for others. Whether she was connecting students with resources, fighting for equitable policies or simply being a supportive presence, she has made it her mission to leave UND a better place than she found it.
“I think that caring about people is the most human thing you can do,” she said. “Caring about someone for their humanity is the basis of all our existence.”
With leadership roles in multiple campus organizations, Madilyn became an advocate for other students, working to ensure their voices were heard and their needs addressed.