I would like to say thank you for your contributions to Missouri State University. I in particular have benefitted from gifts made to the Missouri State Athletics department. They are greatly appreciated by our department as a whole, and by the individual student-athletes. I am from Springfield and have had the opportunity to grow up around Missouri State Athletics. I have always wanted to be a Bear and, upon graduation from Kickapoo High School, felt tremendously blessed to have the opportunity to earn an education while playing soccer for Coach Leamy and Missouri State University.

Being a student-athlete at Missouri State has provided me with many life lessons. It has taught me time management, hard work, dedication, and leadership, but most importantly it has provided me with the platform to positively impact the lives of others. Our athletic department is very committed to community involvement and provides us, as student-athletes, with so many opportunities to be quality role models. We have spent time volunteering with Boys and Girls Club, Ozark’s Food Harvest, “Just Read” program, and helped raise money for the Sertoma 3 Club and Ozark’s Honor Flight. These have been such fulfilling experiences and I do believe that as collegiate athletes, we have a duty to give back to the community.

Upon graduation in May, I will be entering medical school at the University of Kansas. I would say that the number one differentiating factor between other applicants and myself, while applying to medical school, was that I was a college athlete. Not only because the decision committee knew the time constraints involved with being a student-athlete, but because of the person that college athletics has shaped me to be. I believe that I have become a more caring person, a harder worker, and more of a team player during my time as a Bear. I believe these attributes will correlate well to my future success in life and as a physician.

Your contributions to Missouri State Athletics truly do affect the personal lives’ of people. The athletic department is committed to much more than pursuing championships, which we pursue with one hundred percent effort, it is committed to developing people. We are so blessed to compete in sports we love while earning an education and developing life skills. Thank you for your immeasurable role in our development as student-athletes and as people.

Sincerely,

Heath Melugin