Madison Haddock grew up surrounded by animals that nobody wanted. Strays that wandered into the yard, dogs found hit by cars on the side of the road, a pig her neighbors abandoned. Her family would take them in, get them fixed up, and give them a life. That habit of caring for animals in need is now shaping a future career.
After three years at Beaufort County Community College, Haddock graduated this May with an Associate in Science and has her sights set on North Carolina State University, where she plans to study zoology with a focus on exotic animal rehabilitation. It is a path she arrived at after a gap year and some trial and error with a major.
From Business to Biology
When she first started at the college, she attempted business administration “because it was something that would work pretty much anywhere. It looked good, sounded good. But it just wasn’t me.”
The moment of clarity came during a group project in a business class. “I understand the necessities of it,” she said, “but I’ll leave it to the people who get it.”
She found a path that worked better for her through an Associate in Science transfer degree as a stepping stone to a zoology degree.
A Lifelong Connection With Animals
“There’s just always been a connection with any animal I meet,” she said. She started riding horses in middle school, and the Norfolk Zoo, where she grew up going, planted the earliest seeds of a career. “Just seeing the way that they take care of the animals there, how invested they are, how willing they are to share their knowledge,” she said. “They just truly care about them so much.”
That connection has never been limited to any one kind of animal. A pot-bellied pig her neighbors abandoned has been with the family for three years now.
The Dog That Changed Everything
One dog pushed her thinking in a new direction. His name was Braxton. Her family found him in a ditch on the side of the road, badly injured from a car accident. They took him to the vet, kept him, and watched over years as the trauma rewired his behavior around other dogs.
“Seeing how that rewired his brain chemistry really just made me want to learn more about how their brains work,” she said, “and want to be able to care for them in the in-between stage.”
“I want to just be the in-between person,” she said. “In between either going to the vet or going back to the wild. Rehabilitation, physical therapy, all that. That’s what I want to do.”
Bigger Goals: Conservation and Africa
Haddock sees habitat conservation as an essential part of wildlife rehabilitation and restoration. She wants to work in Africa with safari animals and has a particular affection for giraffes. In the shorter term, she is looking at opportunities to work in national parks this summer to get her foot in the door before returning to school in the fall.
Choosing a Fresh Start at BCCC
When she returned to college, Haddock chose BCCC deliberately, turning down a closer college to find a different environment. “I didn’t want to be surrounded by people I knew,” she said. “I wanted to change a pace.” Coming to BCCC gave her space to meet people from different age groups and different parts of life.
She also took her time intentionally, taking three years instead of two. “I don’t like feeling pressured with my schoolwork,” she said. “I wanted to be able to take time to actually learn what I’m digesting. I’ve had a lot happen in the past three years that have just made it feel, in a way, exhausting. I kind of need a mental break to be able to fully immerse myself.”
Support Along the Way
She credits the college’s faculty and staff with helping her maintain that balance. “All of my teachers have been very there for me, in one way or the other,” she said. “They all kind of reach out a hand if necessary, so that’s always been nice to know that somebody’s there if I need it.”
Her pathway to zoology was not something she planned. Like so many strays before, it wandered into her life. And once it did, she nurtured it and never let it go.
Wolfpack Connect guarantees admission to NC State University to students who earn an associate’s degree from Beaufort County Community College and hold a 3.0 grade point average (GPA). Learn more at: