Madison Kirker is eager to earn her stripes

TILTON — When Madison Kirker was 5 years old, she heard that elderly people were having trouble buying the medicine they needed, so she took it upon herself to begin a nonprofit called Maddy’s Meds to help solve the problem.

Now the Laconia girl is in her senior year at Tilton School and still making plans to help, only this time she wants to help her country through military service.

Rep. Chris Pappas and Sen. Maggie Hassan nominated her to attend a service academy.

Actually, Kirker is keeping her options open. She has received nominations for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Kirker is student body president at the Tilton School, where she is a varsity athlete in soccer, basketball and softball. At the same time, she also excels in advanced placement politics and government, statistics and English literature and composition. Advanced chemistry and pre-calculus round out her senior schedule.

She’s looking forward to a May 23 graduation.

“I am so excited to graduate, but it’s pretty painful to leave close friends behind,” Kirker said. “Leaving will be difficult, but at the same time, I’m excited for a new start in life.”

A nomination to a service academy means she is in a competitive position and will be considered for admission.

Kirker got her first taste of the military through her father, Allan Kirker, who was in the Air National Guard at Pease Air Force Base.

“I remember watching my father shine his boots,” she said. “I remember fully loving everything about it and wanting to read about it.

“I’ve always enjoyed staying fit and just the basic concepts. My father was really big on honor, commitment and being tactful – morals that you can hone in on and own as your character.”

Her grandfather and uncle were also in the military. Her brother-in-law is a graduate of the Naval Academy.

“It’s really important to serve my country,” she said. “I feel strongly about that.

“The military provides this unity for the country. I love the idea of putting everything aside to protect and stand for every single citizen of the United States.”

Allan and Wendy Kirker found out early that their daughter liked to serve others.

When Madison was in first grade, the couple began noticing that money left lying around the house was disappearing. They discovered their little girl’s toy cash register was stuffed with coins and bills.

She told her parents she was saving for the elderly so that they could buy medicine.

Thus began Maddy’s Meds, a nonprofit charitable organization. With her mother’s help, she organized bake sales and other fundraising events. She worked with a local pharmacy and purchased gift card to help older residents defray prescription costs. Rite Aide and Lakes Region United Way got involved.

“She’s always been a go-getter,” said Allan Kirker. “She excels at everything she does. She goes after things 100 percent.

“Even when she was in day care, she knew all the parents before we did. She wanted to start a band with some of the kids in her daycare class, so she sent maps home with the kids, so they could have band practice. She wanted to be a leader and wanted to be immersed in the community and everything that goes on.”

In a question and answer on her school’s Facebook page, she said she enjoys “rapping, reading, writing poetry, and practicing computer programming. My favorite book is ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ I also like blasting Straight Outta Compton and Eminem's Curtain Call album in the car with my grandfather on the way to Tilton.”

She has some time before she knows what her specialty or career will be, but she has some ideas.

“I’m really interested in the cyber side of things,” she said. “There are some indications that the next war could be in the cyber field. It’s the next frontier. Being able to shut down a grid for example, could cause a lot of problems.

“My other interest is in political science. Those are two very different fields, but those are the two things that interest me.

“Ultimately, wherever the military needs me I’m going to go and will do it with 100 percent passion. I just want to serve my country.”