Her professional accomplishments
“My proudest professional moment was being named a 2023-2024 Citizen Scholar. I don’t take this nomination lightly and I am so honored to have achieved the highest recognition a student can receive at MSU. Specifically, sharing this award with my parents and my sister over dinner with President Cliff Smart, the Board of Governors and my advisor is a feeling of pride that I will not forget.”
Why did Sarah choose her program?
“Master of Science in Agriculture, I have been a student in the College of Agriculture for almost six years. I chose this program to continue my education with the college I enjoy and have learned from for all my academic career.”
Favorite class/professor
“One of my favorite professors is Dr. Ben Onyango. I’ve taken several courses with Dr. Onyango, and he has pushed me to be a better professional, but has also been a friend.”
Overcoming challenges
“My most challenging aspect of grad school has been the quantity of work to turn in and the quality of detail it should be at. Pairing both makes this a challenging experience, but very rewarding upon completion of projects.”
Memorable experiences at Missouri State
“One of my most memorable moments as a grad student was through a class I took in the communications department. The central purpose of the course was to explain and explore what diversity and equitable representation looks like in the workplace. My professor used an arts-based pedagogy for the class, and I learned so much from taking the course. My classmates were very diverse, and it was refreshing to have so many opinions and experiences when talking about sensitive topics like diversity.”
MSU community supports students
“I would say the MSU community has supported me specifically through being themselves. Springfield always hosts events, festivals and different community workshops that I love going to. Just in having this fun, soulful community, I have been able to stay out of my shell when it could be so easy to exclude myself and keep my head down. Springfield makes it easy to be involved and enjoy life when school can be stressful, overwhelming and challenging at times.”
Her graduate education is preparing her for her future
“This degree has prepared me for my career goals in terms of time management, networking skills, professionalism, workload and even work life balance. I have been able to hone in on some of these skills and really become proficient in some areas I was lacking after my undergraduate degree. Grad school has prepared me for the good, bad, ugly and best of the workforce!”
Advice for upcoming #GradBears
“The advice I would give to fellow grad students is to be sure you have support systems. To survive and thrive you will need support within your program from advisors, professors and fellow students. Outside of this you will need friends and family too. Grad school is a community effort in my experience, and you need a full circle or corner of people to hold you tight through this opportunity.”
Follow her on social media
LinkedIn: Sarah McCord