Speaker Spotlight

Madelyn Pieronek loves puzzles and hopes these clues help you piece together a little about her! 

She is a Manhattan Beach native who firmly believes that Uncle Bill’s has the best breakfast in town. She is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame majoring in chemical engineering. GO IRISH! She has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of all kinds, and therefore is a formidable trivia opponent. She loves pushups. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 2023. Her proudest moment occurred as captain of her high school Academic Decathlon team when she was able to help teammates write and present compelling speeches on topics they were passionate about. She enjoys playing volleyball and has played every position with the exception of libero…something about being too tall? 

Madelyn was raised on a healthy diet of Elton John, the Beatles and Broadway musicals. She fell in love with crosswords, created one herself, and submitted it to the New York Times. They responded with the politest rejection she’d ever received in her life. Her favorite television show, West Wing, along with her experience as Attorney General during the 80th session of the American Legion Auxiliary California Girls State, has inspired her to attend law school and work in the public sector as a force for good in government. 

Giving a TED Talk means fulfilling one of Madelyn’s biggest dreams. Her talk is based on her award-winning Academic Decathlon speech, in which she shared her personal journey with an ADHD diagnosis and how it inspired her to be the role model she wishes she had as a child. She looks to highlight the seldom discussed nuances of ADHD symptoms, and validate every woman who thought they were just a little bit different growing up.