Dr. Madsen teaching Key to Change students during his masterclass
Last Tuesday at our Renton location, Key to Change’s new Inspiring Possibilities series continued. Renowned guest David Madsen, PhD and Professor Emeritus from Seattle University, taught the first of three writing workshops designed to prepare our students for their college admissions process.
As a self-described philologist, or lover of words, Dr. Madsen worked with students to strengthen their understanding of the core principles of writing compelling college admission essays. He emphasized the importance of correct spelling, clarity, conciseness, choosing topics students genuinely know, and reading widely for grammar and stylistic inspiration. He also stressed that having a thoughtful editor who spends a significant amount of time with drafts is invaluable.
Dr. Madsen recently retired after thirty-eight years of teaching at Seattle University. Born and raised in Everett, he attended Saint Edward’s Seminary in high school, earned a BA in Classics at Seattle University, and his PhD in Classics at the University of Washington. During his years at Seattle University he taught courses in the humanities, ancient and medieval history, Latin, and world literature. He also served nine years as the director of the University’s Honors Program and twenty-five years as moderator for the University’s Naef Scholars Program. Since both programs required application essays, he gained extensive experience evaluating student writing.
In alignment with our commitment to college and career readiness, these workshops focus on building strong writing skills, which Dr. Madsen highlighted as the single most important key to success in college. For the upcoming sessions on October 24 and December 12, he encouraged students to begin drafting early so they could dive deeper into the editing process together. While these workshops build upon each other, new students are welcome to join at any time.
