Grace O’Keefe, a mechanical engineering technology student, was named Missouri State Women’s Soccer Team MVP for the 2022-23 season. Her MVP nomination was due in part to her stellar performance in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, which the team won. She has also made a name for herself through dedication and hard work. “I am deeply grateful for this recognition and the opportunity to have contributed to our team’s success,” O’Keefe said. She credits Missouri State for valuing her athletic and academic pursuits. “They welcomed my ambition,” O’Keefe said. “Other universities discouraged me from pursuing mechanical engineering technology alongside soccer, but MSU gave me the flexibility to excel in both areas.” O’Keefe’s professors schedule around her games and provide her with extra materials while she’s on the road. “The attention to detail, real world examples and hands-on experience provided by the program is unmatched,” she said. “I feel exceptionally prepared for my work outside of school.” O’Keefe interned with JE Dunn Construction’s engineering department in summer 2022 and hopes to work as an engineer in either the construction industry or for a Kansas City-based engineering firm.

Designing her legacy

Women’s soccer team captain Kylie Jackson had a gut feeling about Missouri State. She wanted a school where she felt at home and offered a solid interior design program. Immediately, she found her technology and construction management professors to be understanding and supportive of her challenging athletics schedule. “My instructors, Nancy Asay, Marciann Patton and Laura Derrick have supported me from the day I stepped on campus,” Jackson said. “I could not have asked for better mentors, teachers and cheerleaders.” During the 2022-23 school year, her coaches approached her about rendering designs to renovate the women’s soccer locker room. She jumped at the opportunity to create a space for future recruits to visit and for the team to relax. Jackson designed three options with realistic 3D renderings. The renovations she proposed will be completed this fall. Jackson graduated in May 2023 with plans to pursue a career in interior design. “I hope to leave a small legacy behind through the locker room,” Jackson said. “I hope it will help transform the program even further.