Born August 16^th 1958 to an Italian mother and French Canadian father Madonna was one of eight children.  The singer lost her mother to cancer when she was only five years old, making her childhood very difficult. Despite her later career Madonna grew up in an extremely religious household “There were always priests and nuns in my house growing up” she recalls. During her high school years Madonna was best known for her high GPA and rebellious behavior. She would spend her recesses performing cartwheels and would pull up her skirt in class so all the boys could see her underwear. Upon graduation Madonna was offered a dance scholarship for the University of Michigan but quickly dropped out and moved herself to New York, and the rest is history…