Google Search

That’s how Missouri State grad student, Daezia Smith, stumbled upon Missouri State University.

Smith grew up outside of Nashville, Tennessee in the Antioch area and then later relocated to Murfreesboro where she attended high school. Like many high school students, she was faced with the decision of where to go to college.

After looking into schools such as; Columbia, George Mason University, Brown and Virginia University, she noticed they all had something in common, the cost. “I was that kid who wanted to be like ‘I want to go to Columbia University,’ and then I was like my God that tuition,’” Smith said.

Smith then turned to Google. She began searching by state and degree, which at the time was mass media. Smith laughed when she recalled one of the main reasons she chose Missouri, the weather.

“I wanted an area that had like real snow, with good easy to find seasons… and I was wrong when I got here, I was fooled. I’m upset about that, it’s worse than Tennessee, as of right now.”

Even though the Missouri weather had her fooled, the public affairs mission statement did not.

“What I like most about Missouri State as an institution is the public affairs mission. I feel like that’s one you can take with you throughout your entire life and that we all should be founded upon as a community altogether.”

Making her Missouri Statement

Smith started studying mass media when she came to college, but after taking introduction to global studies she soon found herself changing her major.

“I really loved it. I wanted to get involved with something that had an international impact, you could learn about other cultures and that really fit, so I changed my major to that and it’s been the same ever since.”

Smith enjoys global studies so much that she decided to get her masters in the field and is now in her first semester of grad school at MSU.

Feels like home

Besides her major and the public affairs mission, Smith says it’s the people she enjoys most.

“I had that feeling of home pretty often. I would say I felt that way every time like when I was involved with organizations on campus. Doing things like that, helping make campus improvement projects and just you know laughing with my friends and whatnot,” Smith said.

Smith wants other students to be able to experience that same sense of feeling she has of Missouri State being her home. Her number one goal for the future of Missouri State is for it to become more diverse and integrate diversity throughout the community.

She also hopes to see more diversity during homecoming.

“I would love to see like more smaller organizations involved in it and like having a chance to participate, because we have so many great students here that we don’t even know about and their groups and what not. So seeing them more involved in it and being a part of the Missouri State culture with homecoming would be great.”

Smith thoroughly enjoys and loves Missouri State Homecoming because of the activities during the week and it’s also another way to get involved. “There’s just something to do every day, it’s really cool. And actually seeing our stadium full for once is really awesome,” Smith said.

Smith says that Missouri State was definitely a good choice.