Wakefield Senior Studies Local Real Estate for Capstone Project
Story by Kaitlin Hill
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, Wakefield students crossed the stage, accepted their diplomas, and looked to a future of college, careers, and — perhaps most immediately — summer break. However, before graduation, each was asked to complete a yearlong Capstone project relating to one of their interests.
For Madelyn Locke of The Plains, her Capstone project was a deep dive into local real estate, beautifully laid out in a glossy, 23-page magazine highlighting the properties, hunts, and history of Middleburg and Upperville.
“First I wrote 18 pages on the history of Middleburg, the history of Upperville, and the properties that I wanted to research. That’s what I did the first six months of the year. And the last three-ish months, I’ve been working on my magazine, doing pictures, all that,” Locke shares.
Her interest in real estate started early and has endured. “The reason why I chose this topic is [because of] my grandparents. Because they have been into real estate since I was a child, I’ve always taken an interest as well.” She continues, “Last summer, I worked with Laura Farrell as an intern for a little bit. And I got to see all the properties in Middleburg that she was selling.”
Like many in the area, her love of horses influenced her, too. “I ride horses myself, so I like to see the farms and the properties in Middleburg. And my trainer, she’s in the Warrenton Fox Hunt. I went hunting once with them, and I wanted to look into how foxhunts brought people here and built up the real estate market.”
Her Capstone magazine covers a little bit of everything regarding local real estate. Her article “The Kennedys & National Attention” details the first families’ properties in the area and, interestingly, the financial breakdown of their time in Hunt County, including references to conversations with the lessors of Glen Ora.
Locke, who will attend the University of Virginia in the fall, shares, “I’m going to apply to the McIntire School of Commerce after my first year. From there, I want to do the real estate track with a finance concentration.”
She adds, “I’m going to be on the riding team, too.” ML
Published in the June 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.