Staff profile: Academic Support Assistant Madison Rushing

By Abigail Botsford

Before Madison Rushing could even walk, her family would dress her in garnet and gold, including a mini-Florida State University cheerleader’s outfit, and they would root for FSU football.

Because of her childhood experiences, she always had a feeling that she would end up at FSU one way or another. Still, even though she grew up in Tallahassee, Rushing was not sure she wanted to attend FSU for college just because she is from the area.

“I definitely struggled at one point,” Rushing recalls, when talking about where she would go after high school. “But then I did more research, and FSU is actually just a really great school.”

Now an FSU alumna, Rushing recently began her role as the Department of English’s academic support assistant, creating even stronger ties to the FSU community. She graduated from FSU in May 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences.

Hannah Beth Ragland is the English department's senior academic program specialist. She says that Rushing's previous academic and professional experiences prepared her well for the academic support assistant position.

"Building a schedule involves working carefully with a number of different stakeholders, and requires patience, quick-thinking, and creative problem-solving," Ragland says. "Madison's coursework at FSU, and her work experiences, have allowed her to cultivate those skills — which are now serving her well in supporting our department."

As an undergraduate student, Rushing quickly realized that teaching was not for her after taking classes through the FSU-Teach program. Previous experience working in daycare led her to try out courses in the Human Development and Family Sciences major, and she loved it.

“The major was fantastic, one that I stumbled into more than specifically saying, ‘I'm going to do this,’” Rushing says. “I did that with a minor in sociology, and with those two combined, I feel like I just have a greater understanding of how people think and why they think the way that they think.”

Following her graduation, Rushing enrolled in the Disney College Program located in Orlando, Florida. After realizing how much she enjoyed the experience, she extended her program by an extra four months, until May 2025, as the program was initially from August 2024 to January.

“But then ultimately, I missed Tallahassee,” Rushing recalls. “I missed my friends and family. I did want to come back.”

She returned to Tallahassee and began her role with the English department in July 2025, marking her first full-time, professional role post-graduation.

“Madison was able to take skills that she had acquired in previous roles and clearly articulate how they were transferable into this new role during the interview process,” says Johanna Petty, business manager for the Department of English.

Responsibilities of an academic support assistant include scheduling classes for all courses in the English department, assisting with advising, and even troubleshooting classroom issues. As she was learning her role in July 2025, scheduling problems for the fall semester emerged for her and her co-workers.

“I honestly think that as frustrating as it was in the moment, I think the situation allowed me to learn more about the systems in place,” she says. “So luckily, we were able to get everything figured out. But I think that experience also opened my eyes to if I'm not careful on the front end, this could happen again.”

Ragland explains that building the course schedule for each academic semester is more complicated than people might realize, which can create conflicts in a system with many moving parts.

"When problems came up with the fall 2025 schedule, Madison was able to leap into action, and worked carefully with department leadership to identify and resolve a number of issues," Ragland adds. "This situation not only proved her skills but also allowed her to become familiar with every aspect of the job in a short amount of time. We are so lucky to have Madison here to help make the English department work behind the scenes."

Rushing describes scheduling as a large puzzle, but instead of little puzzle pieces, the information is names, dates, and times.

“These are people that I'm kind of in charge of,” Rushing explains. “So, trying to make sure that I do the best by them and do the best we can for the department.”

As she’s adjusted to her role and effectively handled issues, Rushing has solidified her interest in advising.

Madison actively works with both Hannah Beth and Dr. Barry Faulk, the associate chair of curriculum, to ensure all aspects of scheduling classes is completed. Her high level of attention to detail and ability to think outside of the box has been vital to the success in her new role. We are very fortunate to have her on our team.

— Johanna Petty, English department business manager

“That was one of the pieces of the job description that drew me in, seeing that I would have that opportunity,” she says. “It's just been a matter of getting me in there, which hopefully will happen soon.”

Petty says Rushing is excelling as the department’s academic support assistant.

“She actively works with both Hannah Beth and Dr. Barry Faulk, the associate chair of curriculum, to ensure all aspects of scheduling classes is completed,” she says. “Her high level of attention to detail and ability to think outside of the box has been vital to the success in her new role. We are very fortunate to have her on our team.”

Since navigating that situation at the beginning, Rushing has learned even more about the English department. She recalls only ever taking the required ENC2135 course through the department, and before working in her role, she was unaware how course schedules were created.

For example, Rushing has learned that there are two sides to the department: the College Composition Program (CCP) side, which includes the required courses for all majors, and the major-related side.

“My job is a lot of spreadsheets and being super organized,” Rushing says. “And I feel like having that math background really helped with that side of the job.”

Rushing is excited to gain more understanding about the English majors and the faculty members.

“In the future, I’m intending to at least take a couple of electives, to see what they're like, just to see how it works,” she says. “So, I'm very excited for that.”

She also plans to eventually go back to school for an advanced degree.

“I would love to either be a professor one day, or I would love to be a librarian one day,” Rushing says. “I could see myself doing either of those. I would plan on staying in Tallahassee, whether that's through the Leon County Library System or through FSU ideally.”

Outside of work, Rushing enjoys visiting local parks such as Tom Brown Park, and she loves reading books and listening to true crime podcasts. She realizes that Tallahassee is a great place to be, and as a life-long resident, she knows a lot about her hometown.

Now, she is looking forward to learning more about FSU and the English department.

Abigail Botsford is a major in English-Editing, Writing, and Media, with a minor in communication.

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