How you do one thing is how you do everything.
That phrase’s origins are unclear. It has been attributed to Zen Buddhism, to Martha Beck, and more generally, to “author unknown.” It seems we might also attribute that phrase to Madison Wescott (JD MBA ’23), as those are the words she lives by. Put another way, habits and patterns repeat themselves, and we should put consistent effort into showing integrity, responsibility, and reliability.
After graduating in 2018 with a major in political science, Madison took a gap year to apply to law schools. She obtained her first job as a claims adjuster at American Family Insurance and enjoyed it so much that she wondered how to combine her interest in insurance and law. During this time, she also had a night job as a bartender at Smitty’s Pub on the UW-Madison campus. Coincidentally, there was an insurance conference in that same building, and she connected with the director of the Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) MBA program, Joan Schmit, who explained how to obtain a JD and MBA simultaneously. Madison stated, “And it only added one year to my law degree, so why not?!”
Because students in the JD MBA program are enrolled for four years, Madison had three summer internships. The first was after her first year of law school in a legal compliance role at American Family Insurance where she did legal research on regulations affecting the life insurance company. The second was after her first year of RMI education, in an enterprise risk management role, also at American Family. For her third internship, Madison knew she wanted to try something outside of insurance, so she applied to several banks across the country. She stood out among more than 1,000 applicants and obtained a Corporate Risk Development Program Associate position at Wells Fargo, where she did credit research for their Small Business CRE group.
Not surprisingly, Wells Fargo offered her a full-time position, yet being true to her methodical and thoughtful self, Madison examined other opportunities before agreeing to sign on to their Corporate Risk Development Program. In that role, she spent two 6-month rotations in credit risk, where she worked on portfolio surveillance, economic research, and exposure analysis in rotation 1. In contrast, in rotation 2, she focused on research related to risk measurement programs such as geography, industry, and relationship concentrations, single counterparty credit limits, and risk appetite. In addition, she worked on issue management and procedure writing, and helped facilitate a 5-month audit. After the two rotations, she accepted a job on the same team she was rotating with and is now a Credit Risk Specialist.
She enjoys the variety that each day brings. Madison describes it like this: “I have been successful in my roles and have quickly received increased responsibility because I am constantly showing up prepared. People remember when you’re paying attention, taking notes, and asking thoughtful questions.”
Was Madison’s gap year job as a claims adjuster just a filler job? Was her bartending connection with the RMI MBA director a coincidence? She found the Wells Fargo internship during a Google search—was that a whim? No, no, and no. How Madison does one thing is how she does everything: with intention, preparation, and excellence. That mindset will keep leading her to great success.