From Philly to Centre: Track star Madjo Doumbia taking new experiences in stride

Getting a top-notch education was important to Madjo Doumbia, class of 2025, and her family. So much so that she rode public transportation more than an hour each day to attend a magnet high school in her native Philadelphia.

But when the Posse Foundation offered her a chance to attend Centre College, it was almost more than a doting father could take.

“My mom was the most excited for the opportunity,” Doumbia said. “Now my dad? Oh my God. It took a lot of convincing to get him on board with Posse because he realized how far the schools were from home.”

It’s a natural reaction — his eldest daughter would have to move hours from home to take advantage of a unique opportunity to learn and grow as a Posse Scholar.

“It took a lot out of him to actually let me do it,” Doumbia said. “Even throughout the whole interview process, he hoped I got it, of course, but at the same time he was really scared.”

So in the fall of 2021, Madjo and her family set foot on Centre’s campus for the first time as she moved into the residence halls.

“We didn’t have time to come beforehand, so literally we all came here for the first time when we drove down. That was a scary time. I had never seen anything like it. But I’m glad everything worked out.”

And things have worked out for Doumbia. She’s flourished in and out of the classroom. A French major, she spent a semester abroad in Strasbourg, France, and will intern this summer at a Washington, D.C. children’s hospital.  

A track star, she has excelled Centre, winning the 200-meter dash during the Southern Athletic Association championship meet in May while breaking her own school record in the event. She also took gold in the 400 and set a new school record as part of the winning 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams.

“I love the 200,” she said. “I’ve always loved the 200. And I’m finally getting in my groove. Recently I’ve been able to run a national-qualifying time. For three years I’ve been waiting for this moment.

“And I love my teammates. The relays are doing so well. We’re excelling. It’s been really good.”

Teammates are important to Doumbia. Her teammates on the track team and in the Posse Scholars program helped her overcome the homesickness that came with moving from Philly to Centre. It’s particularly true with classmate, teammate and fellow Posse Scholar Janea Bottinelli, of Dallas, Texas.

“Never in a million years did I think I would end up being in Kentucky,” Doumbia said. “I just love that I’m able to be in Posse and on the track with Janae. I remember the start of our freshman year, we didn’t know any other people, but we had each other.”

As she prepares for her senior year, Doumbia has her sights set high, both on the track and for life after Centre. Her goal is to one day open a pharmaceutical business in Mali, the African nation her parents emigrated from in the 1990s.

But first that senior year and spreading the word about how taking big leaps — applying for the Posse Program, leaving Pennsylvania for Kentucky, studying abroad in Europe — can lead to big rewards.

“I was a little skeptical about studying abroad at first,” she said. “I thought I would be so homesick, and it was going to be so bad.

“But I had a great time. And I tell everybody I recommend studying abroad. Come to Centre. You’ve got to study abroad. Seriously!”

This article was first published in the Summer edition of Centrepiece.