Madeja Sims was born and raised in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. She is a first-generation graduate in her family and graduated debt-free. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Taylor University in 2021. She is studying for her master’s degree in Special Education and Teaching. Also, she is a Special Education Specialist in the Noble Schools network on the West Side of Chicago.

Madeja was actively involved in the By The Hand Club For Kids program, where she was influenced by her mentor, Donnita Travis. Madeja mentioned how college was constantly introduced to her at a young age, especially in this program. “By The Hand talked about faith first, but they also talked about us dreaming as young kids. They told us the steps to take and helped us create visions. I went to a Noble Network high school, and it was college-driven. I was exposed to college a lot, even after I graduated from grammar school, and it was like, this is the route you should go,” said Sims.

Madeja learned about the ActSix program at Pursue Scholars through By The Hand. “It was new in Chicago, and I was doubting the process. I applied the night before it was due. I started sharing my heart in the essay we had to write. The next day, they told me I was accepted into the next phase, and I went through. I made it and got the scholarship and was the only one in my class who got a full ride, which was a blessing to me and my family,” said Sims. 

When arriving at Taylor University, Madeja mentioned how the experience was different than what she expected. “It was different because I didn’t have any parents or anything with me, and it was a different setting that I was not expecting. Growing up in the inner-city, you get introduced to HBCUs  and the importance of sororities/fraternities, so in my mind, that’s what I was excited about, but it was the complete opposite, and we felt like the minorities on campus, so I was pretty nervous. The way to make me comfortable is connecting with one person, so I started connecting to the workers and student workers,” said Sims. 

Although Madeja learned a way to adapt to her school environment, she was also encouraged by her support system around her. “Pursue Scholars checked in on us so much with phone calls and workshops on campus that helped build our relationship as students within our Cadre. By The Hand was also a part of my [support system] because I had times where I wanted to go home and the only way I got to campus was because of By The Hand. Also, in my faith journey with Donnita, we would talk weekly every Saturday to check in mentally, spiritually, and academically. She would remind me about those small goals, but we always ended with a prayer or how my life was with Christ,” said Sims. 

After graduating, Madeja thought she wanted to work in the nonprofit sector but quickly felt that wasn’t her calling from God. “I worked at three different nonprofits within six months, everything kept shutting down, and I had negative thoughts working in that area. I was not listening when God told me no, and that wasn’t the way to go. I applied to Noble twice and got denied twice, but the third time, they called me back to come, and this is where I  needed to be,” said Sims. 

Madeja's passion for teaching comes from that natural feeling she gets when she is in a school environment. “I work at a high school and it makes me feel good that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. With me growing up in Englewood and the students growing up on the West Side, we have similarities, and being able to understand them if the teacher doesn't and speaking up for them when the teacher can’t hear them...all those things feel natural,” said Sims.

Ten years from now, Madeja mentioned that she is still determining where she is headed, but she does have a goal to take on more leadership roles in education. "One thing someone told me that helped me is even if you can't save all the kids, at least it's one child, so just noticing how much of an impact you can have not for the whole world but just for one person is very powerful, and it will have them go further than they think they can go," said Sims.