Protective. Persevering. Plenty busy.

With a goal of figuring out how and why people think the way they do, Madisyn Caddy wouldn’t be surprised to find the above key phrases in her personality profile.

And her next step would likely be to keep growing those traits.

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Caddy graduates from Moffat County High School this weekend, capping off a packed high school career.

Throughout the past four years, the MCHS senior has been part of groups like Dog Pack, Key Club, the swim team, and teaching dance at Studio V, to name a few.

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But, it’s a different activity that’s had the biggest recent impact on her, working as an intern with Craig Police Department for the past year.

Most of her tasks involved paperwork with the records department’s Jennifer Holmlund and Terrianne Wheeler, though there was much more to it than first glance as she absorbed case details and learned more about the people who pass through the court system.

“She is incredibly curious and asks a million questions, and really wants to know the answers, she isn’t just asking for the sake of asking,” said Wheeler, records supervisor for the department. “Invariably our answers just produced more questions from her.”

Caddy also conferred with evidence technicians, observed the jail processes, and went on ride-alongs with officers.

“My internship has been the most glorious experience I’ve ever done,” she said. “It was so helpful, and when I left everybody gave me a card that said how excited they were for my future and how I should stop in there again sometimes, and it really made me feel like I was part of that family. It was a lot of opportunities there.”

The point of the internship was to get her first step into the law enforcement world.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t really watch ‘Spongebob’ or things like that,” she said. “I wanted to watch ‘NCIS’ with my parents. I really wanted to know how all that really works.”

More specifically, she wants to analyze the minds of criminals, and she’s only gotten more in-depth since her younger days.

“I took a lot of psychology classes at the college here, and I love the idea of knowing how the brain works,” she said.

Caddy’s plans are to attend University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for a degree in psychology and criminal justice. After that, she intends to enlist at the police academy and eventually work toward being an FBI criminal profiler.

Though the career is an elite one, her motivation is to be able to help curb violent crimes.

“If someone’s hurting someone, I’m always the one who’s going to step in and help,” she said. “Knowing people hurt others really badly, I want to make sure they don’t get away with that.”

While she’s looking forward to another level of education, her time in school started out roughly as she struggled in elementary classes.

“I absolutely hated grade school because I didn’t understand why I couldn’t read sometimes,” she said.

Caddy compared herself to classmates and felt miserable back then. However, leading up to middle school, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.

And while that didn’t immediately solve every problem, she learned how to approach reading differently and better communicate her issues with teachers.

“Once I was diagnosed, I was able to get the tools and really advocate for myself,” she said.

In addition to improving academically, she got more interested in dance until she started high school.

“I had two hip surgeries my freshman year, and so I had to quit dancing, but that allowed me to do swimming,” she said. “It was very healthy for my hip.”

Though she enjoyed aquatic exercise, that too had to stop as she required more surgery her senior year.

“The recovery was very hard and traumatic and took all year, so it was pretty hard for me,” she said.

Still, she’s found ways to pursue her passions in different ways, such as teaching dance to younger students. Also, she’s grown interested in training therapy dogs.

“I got my dog after my first surgeries and I wanted him to be able to help others, like kids with disabilities,” she said.

Though Caddy has gone after many different avenues, Wheeler believes that’s indicative of a girl who’s got many talents.

“She is excited to learn and really wants to know everything,” Wheeler said. “I believe she will make a fine addition to law enforcement in her future, no matter which area she ends up going into.”

As Caddy prepares for the adult world, there’s little hesitation about moving on after graduation.

“I know a lot of my friends are sad about it, but that’s never crossed my mind,” she said. “I’m ready and I’m excited, and I’m moving on. I’m so ready to finish all my goals.”