Take a moment to get to know Asa Norwick, Orientation Assistant for New Student Orientation and Family Programs.

Tell us about yourself. I am from Mountain Home Arkansas. I am a junior majoring in Human Resource Management. In my free time I enjoy hiking, hanging out with friends, and being lazy with my cat.

You were a SOAR leader this past Why did you apply to be a SOAR Leader and what did you learn from the experience? I applied to be a soar leader because I was looking for new ways to get involved on campus while also pushing myself to continue to learn. From being a SOAR leader, I learned a lot about how to manage groups, work in a professional situation with staff of Missouri State, and how to effectively communicate in big groups.

What are you involved with on campus? I am a section leader for the Pride of Missouri State Marching band. I’m a part of the color guard, spun on National Avenue Winter Guard my freshman year, and debuted with the new world class Pride of Missouri State Winter Guard my sophomore year.

What is your favorite tradition at Missouri State? Why? My favorite tradition on Missouri State campus is homecoming. I love seeing the community come together and celebrate. People from all over come to campus to experience homecoming, and it truly is special to see.

You applied and were hired to be a member of the Pro Staff for the New Student Orientation and Family Programs staff. You are a new Orientation Assistant. Why did you apply to be on the Pro Staff, and what do you hope to gain from this experience? I applied to be on pro staff because I really enjoyed my experience as a SOAR leader and want to help the future SOAR leaders the same way my amazing pro staff had helped me. I hope to make amazing connections with the team this summer and further my leadership skills.

Share a fun fact about yourself. Caden Minnis (our office Graduate Assistant) and I have the same middle name but don’t tell anyone.

What is a piece of advice you have for our new students on campus? Talk to everyone!!! Especially during the first couple of weeks of class, this is a great way to make new friends.

What is a piece of advice you have for the family members of our students? Stay positive about the college experience. Students are going through a lot of change when they first show up to campus, but one thing that really helped me get through was my parents reminding me that they support me and are here to help.

You are a member of the Pride band. How do you balance being a member of the Pride Band, your classwork, and being involved on campus? What have you gained from being a member of the band? Being in Pride Band is a great experience and was a major part of how I made friends when I first got to campus. Balancing this with course work wasn’t easy at first but learning how to manage time helped a lot.

We in the guard hold ourselves accountable to be students first, performers second. We host study sessions as a guard, making us more connected on and off the field.

From Pride Band I have learned so much. I have learned personal discipline on when to study and when to practice. I have also learned how to lead by example, and what a good leader looks like on and off the field.