For two students from McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS), their financial burdens are now a little lighter thanks to the 2024 MarooNation Springfield student scholarships.
Riley Laub and Carlos Abrams received their scholarships at the MarooNation Ball Springfield on Oct. 8 at the Old Glass Place
Laub is in the first year of the physician assistant studies (PA) graduate program and Abrams is a junior majoring in psychology and minoring in human resource management at Missouri State University.
Deserving recipients
From Republic, Missouri, Laub completed her undergraduate degree at University of Missouri. She returned to Springfield to pursue the PA program at Missouri State.
“I chose the PA program here because Springfield is home. Once I toured the program and met the faculty, I realized what a supportive environment I would be in,” Laub said.
She added that her favorite part about Missouri State is the close relationships she has formed.
While she is keeping an open mind, Laub’s dream job is to work in a Level 1 trauma center.
“I love the fast pace and the unpredictability that environment brings. Just thinking about it excites me,” she said.
Born in Springfield, Abrams moved to Kansas City around the age of 5. He returned to Springfield during his freshman year of high school.
When he toured Missouri State, he felt drawn to the campus.
“When I took a tour here, something about Missouri State felt different than any other campus I’d toured before. I looked around and I realized I could call it home,” Abrams said.
His favorite thing about Missouri State is the opportunities for involvement. He is a research lab assistant for one of the university’s retention teams.
“We’re tasked with improving retention, especially among freshmen. One of the main factors we keep coming across is that involvement is key to everything,” Abrams said. “When people feel like a place is home and they’re emotionally attached to something, they’re a lot more likely to care about it and I think that’s true with the students at Missouri State.”
He is also a Theta Chi Fraternity member and former executive, Order of Omega Honor Society president, Society for Human Resource Management president, Student Government Association Chief Wyrick commissioner and Student Mobilization member.
As part of the talent and strategic operations team at Forvis Mazars in Springfield, Abrams is gaining valuable work experience.
“After graduation, I want to be an industrial and organizational psychologist and what I’m doing now is extremely relevant,” he said.
Giving changes students’ lives
The generosity of alumni, friends and community members opens doors and creates opportunities for Missouri State students like Laub and Abrams to chase their goals and ambitions.
For the first time ever, more than $4 million dollars in privately funded MSU Foundation scholarships have been awarded to students this academic year.
“It can sometimes be a thankless job to donate funds to students you may never get to see or meet. But behind the scenes in our lives as people who receive these donations and scholarships, it helps a lot,” Abrams said. It takes a lot of stress off to not have the financial burden constantly. So, I just want to say thank you.”
While she completes PA school, Laub is living with her dad to save money.
“I won’t be able to work for a while and thinking about the debt I already have from undergrad, it’s very stressful,” she said. “But I’ve gotten this awesome scholarship, which relieves a lot of stress. It allows me to focus on my bigger priorities right now.”
To find out more about how you can empower students’ dreams and shape their futures, visit the MSU Foundation website.
