How did your college experience impact your career choices and opportunities?

My name is Brad Bodenhausen and I’m the Vice President for Community and Global Partnerships here at Missouri State.  If you told me 40 years ago (when I was starting high school) what I would be doing today – I would have been surprised to learn what my future held.  Life, of course, is not predictable and it doesn’t follow a pre-written script.  But there are certain decisions we make along the way that can have a critical impact on our options and opportunities for the future.  For me, choosing to go to college after high school was one of those life-defining decisions.  I’m glad you’ve made that choice too.

[Read more…] about Brad Bodenhausen, Division of Community and Global Partnerships

Can you share your background as a first-generation college student? What motivated you to pursue higher education?

My dad always wanted his kids to go to college as it wasn’t something available to him. He was from a farming family, drafted into the Vietnam War, and a blue-collar worker for many years after. While he was a natural athlete, his kids were more into academics and arts. Dad didn’t care what we studied as long as we went to college. Mom was great at finding scholarship opportunities for me to apply for and had me enroll in dual credit courses to save money and avoid some student debt.

[Read more…] about Rowena Stone, Secretary to the Board of Governors

I am the first person in my family who has not only earned a bachelor’s degree, but also a master’s degree. My childhood dream was to ‘make it big’ in life and because of that, my mother encouraged me to pursue a four-year degree.

[Read more…] about Sean Barnhill, College of Business

I always knew I wanted to attend college. Whether or not I was going, was never a question, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy road.

[Read more…] about Natalie McNish, Office of Internal Audit and Risk Management

My name is Mike Foster and I am a first generation college student. I grew up in the Panhandle of Florida to a family who had lived in and around that area for about 200 years (literally). I was a decent student in high school, but not remarkable, and had no real intentions of ever going to college. My one distinction is that I had a decent singing voice. While I did often enough get letters from universities inviting me to visit their schools and/or attend their music programs, I never thought I was good enough. Thankfully, a friend of mine from my high school quite literally dragged me to audition for the show choir at the local community college. [Read more…] about Mike Foster, Theatre and Dance Department