During a family tree project in fifth grade, Emalee Flatness discovered her great-great-great grandfather was a Union soldier in the Civil War. His story inspired her to write a song. In 2019, that song, alongside five others, won the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge. A musical theater native Flatness, a freshman history major at … [Read more...] about Student wins national contest with original song
During an advance graphics course in her final semester at Missouri State University, Rachel Backs received a unique assignment. Her class was challenged to create designs for the Be a Bear T-shirt contest. Now, Backs is one of three finalists in the contest. “I’m stoked to be up against some of my classmates,” Backs said. “They are amazing designers and people.” A Bear … [Read more...] about Rachel Backs: Bringing together the Bears of today and tomorrow
Olina Einarsdottir started with a sketch book, a pencil and photos of bears from Google. She drew lines that varied in thickness that could represent the movement of the bear’s fur. A few small adjustments later, she had what she wanted: A design in which little parts make a whole. But it took another person’s perspective to discover what turned out to be a beautiful … [Read more...] about Olina Einarsdottir: Leaving her fingerprint on Missouri State
Jessi Donahoo submitted a design for a class project. After creating pages on pages of digital sketches, her professor looked at her and asked, “Why don’t you just hand draw it?” Now, her simple and bold hand-drawn design is a top three finalist in the 2020 Be A Bear T-shirt contest. The winner of the contest will have their design on the Be a Bear T-shirt and sold at the … [Read more...] about Jessi Donahoo: Dynamite comes in small packages
Amanda Glover grew up on a 400-acre cattle ranch in Mountain Grove, Missouri. The experience was not a positive one. “I disliked it,” said Glover, a Missouri State University student majoring in natural resources and minoring in agronomy. “I asked myself, ‘Why would anybody want to work this hard?’” After high school, she moved away from her family ranch, studying and working … [Read more...] about A passion for using and protecting natural resources