When most people think of a family business, they picture a restaurant or a dry cleaner, not a dinosaur skeleton factory. But that’s exactly what Highland counselor Lisa Madsen spent her adolescence working in.
Her father was the first Utah state paleontologist and, while working at the University of Utah, he began finding ways to make molds of dinosaur bones and set his family to work assembling them into skeletons for display in museums.
“It was really fun, but I think I was always missing interactions with young people,” Madsen said.
Born and raised in Utah, Lisa Madsen spent her high school years seeking out people who made her laugh more than she sought academic achievement. She became more serious during her time at the University of Utah, where she earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in educational psychology.
Madsen says that finding her passion didn’t come easily, she had to look for it when she realized she was missing something working with her family. Even though it’s hard to leave behind the coolest family business in the world, Madsen began pursuing a career in psychology.
She had always had a passion for working with kids and found her interest in Psychology through high school classes. She encourages all her students to keep on the look out for their callings where they least expect it.
“When you hit something that speaks to you, you will know it,” Madsen said.
Beyond the school day, Madsen leads a tranquil life with her family and hobbies. She’s been with her husband, who works as a fire fighter, for around 20 years after they met through family friends. Through him she has two step kids along with her daughter, who is currently earning a law degree from the university of Utah. Madsen says her daughter is the light of her life.
“She’s amazing, I love her so much,” Madsen said.
A former runner and avid enjoyer of nature, Madsen does her best incorporate movement into her everyday life. She goes on long walks and tries to get out into the world on hikes as much as possible.
“My husband and I go on road trips and hike every chance we get,” Madsen said.
Along with her body, Madsen keeps her mind active through her love of literature. With some of her favorite books being The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. She visits the library at least two times a week and says that if she hadn’t found counseling she probably would have ended up as a librarian.
“I would be just sitting in a library all day, surrounded by the books,” Madsen said.
The only thing that stopped her was the lack of opportunity to interact with and help young people. Madsen says that the reasons she loves her job, beyond the summers off, is how it allows her to connect with students and create impact.
“I so value being able to do this work,” Madsen said. “I don’t even call it work; I just call it a meaningful way to spend my day.”
Even as she ponders retirement the counselor has a hard time a hard time thinking of how she would spend her days outside of helping highland students. She says she hopes every student can find something that fulfills them as she has, even if finding that passion is a journey that takes years and forces you to leave behind dinosaurs!
“To be being paid for something you would be doing whether be doing whether you got paid or not,” Madsen said, “that’s my dream for every kid.”
