Meet Lily DeSpain, a transfer student from Springdale, AR!

Lily transferred to Missouri State University from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Lily is pursuing the Cell & Molecular Biology program at Missouri State University.

When asked why Lily chose to transfer to Missouri State University, Lily said, “I was serving in the military and realized I wanted to pursue medical school. I entered the transfer portal and Missouri State’s coaches reached out. Their passion for Missouri State’s culture was strong enough to reach me through the phone, so I knew I had to come here to experience it for myself!”

Lily says the most challenging part of transferring to Missouri State was leaving behind the people and forged relationships at the United States Naval Academy, “but the teammates and coaching staff at Missouri State were so welcoming, which made it much easier”. Lily says that this welcoming environment, along with Missouri State’s traditions (such as Bear Wear Friday), have been the most enjoyable part of the transfer process.

Lily’s advice for a new transfer student is to reach out to other people. Lily specifically recommends reaching out to your fellow classmates because, “they’ll be friendly and welcoming and will start up a conversation with you. It can be easy to feel like you’re not a part of campus as a transfer student, but your classmates can help you build those relationships you’re looking for.”

Lily would like to use this opportunity to give a shout out to the people who helped the most with Lily’s transfer process, including Lily’s coaches and teammates at Missouri State. Lily would like to give a special shout out to Dr. Amanda Brodeur in the Biomedical Sciences Department for being so supportive and welcoming as Lily transferred into the department. Lily would also like to give a special shoutout to Dr. Tara Benson in the Office of Student Engagement for all the work she does to support transfer students and students all across campus.