Maddie West’s journey from Gonzaga Prep to New York City reflects the confidence, curiosity, and courage nurtured through her Jesuit education — a foundation that continues to shape how she leads, creates, and lives her “tarea de vida.”
When Maddie West ’17 looks back on her time at Gonzaga Prep, she doesn’t point to one defining moment. Instead, she describes a steady unfolding of confidence, curiosity, and courage.
“I felt empowered to be a young woman at Gonzaga Prep,” she says. “In my experience, I never felt that I had different or fewer opportunities because I was a woman.”
That confidence — cultivated on the volleyball court, the tennis court, in Ancilla, and through Class Council — would eventually carry her across the country to Boston College, and later to New York City, where she now runs her own fashion brand: Sloppy Seconds.
Thinking bigger
Maddie says there wasn’t one lightning-bolt realization that Prep was shaping her future. Instead, it was the exposure — to big ideas, ambitious peers, and mentors who challenged her to think beyond what was immediately in front of her. “Prep opened my eyes to different careers, paths, and experiences beyond my immediate environment,” she explains. “Being surrounded by driven peers and mentors challenged me to set and achieve goals that maybe felt out of reach.” One phrase in particular stuck with her. Señora Traynor often reminded her students of their “tarea de vida” — their life homework. Travel. Learn new things. Experience new places, people, and cultures.
Maddie took that assignment seriously.
After graduating from Prep in 2017, she attended Boston College, where the academic rigor of her high school years paid off. “Prep’s academics allowed me to place into advanced courses and transition smoothly to challenging college classes,” she says. But just as important were the Jesuit values instilled in her — service, compassion, and care for the whole person.
Those values now shape how she leads.
Building “Sloppy Seconds”
Today, Maddie is the founder of Sloppy Seconds, an upcycled and reworked clothing brand based in New York City. The brand specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces created from vintage and discarded garments — vintage military liner jackets reimagined with modern detailing, reconstructed shirts, and thoughtfully redesigned staples that turn “secondhand” into statement pieces.
At its core, Sloppy Seconds is about transformation — taking what might otherwise be overlooked and giving it new life. In an industry often criticized for waste and overproduction, Maddie’s work sits at the intersection of sustainability and style. Each piece is intentionally reworked, meaning no two items are exactly alike. The imperfections are part of the point.
It’s hard not to see a parallel between her brand’s philosophy and her own journey: growth isn’t always linear, and beauty often comes from reinvention.
Finding her people
While Maddie felt empowered at Prep, her journey wasn’t without challenge. “My freshman and sophomore years were definitely challenging socially,” she admits. “I had great friends, but navigating new friendships and discovering what you value in those friendships was a lesson I didn’t fully learn until my senior year.”
By then, she says, she had found her people — friendships that have endured well beyond graduation. Those same relationships have carried her through difficult seasons of life.
Only one challenge stands out as uniquely “high school”: dress code debates. Otherwise, she says, being part of a coeducational environment felt natural — integral even.
“I can’t imagine what my life would look like if Prep hadn’t gone coed,” she reflects. “I feel proud to have been part of that legacy.”
Advice for the today's Bullpups
If Maddie could speak directly to the young women at Prep today, her advice would be simple and heartfelt:
- Comparison is the thief of joy — focus on you.
- You don’t have to have everything figured out right now. It’s okay to feel uncertain.
- You are capable of anything you want to do — don’t doubt yourself. She still carries with her Prep’s mission of caring for the whole person. “I strongly believe in treating people with compassion and respect, regardless of someone’s struggles, strengths, or identity,” she says.
In many ways, Maddie is still doing her “tarea de vida.” She left Spokane, explored new cities, built something of her own, and continues to learn as she goes. Through Sloppy Seconds, she’s proving that second chances — whether in clothing or in life — can become something entirely original.
And like so many women shaped by Gonzaga Prep’s coeducational legacy, she’s thinking bigger than she ever imagined.