It’s good to be back. My name is Hayden Ferguson, and this is my second semester on the Citizen Social Squad at Missouri State. I am graduating in May, so I want nothing more than to make the most out of this year.

The Past Few Months

Our few months of quarantine were super strange, but I learned a lot of lessons. First, I learned it is, in fact, possible to watch all seven seasons of “Parks and Recreation” in just a few weeks’ time. I also found out that you can live off a diet strictly of microwaveable foods (shout out to Jimmy Dean).

More importantly, I realized just how humongous of a role Missouri State plays in my daily life.

I missed seeing everybody in class, meeting people at the PSU for lunch and messing around at the rec. It really is true that you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. Having some things taken away, however, makes you incredibly grateful for what’s left.

Things may be a little different this semester, but we still have a lot of simple things we can enjoy.

Not Everything has Changed

You’re still going to see videos of President Smart, BearWear Friday isn’t going anywhere, and yes, the fountain is on. The best part of Missouri State is that we are a tightly knit community. We may have to be a little farther apart than usual, but that community will not go away.

This is what I want our social media content to reflect this semester. Missouri State is more than just a campus or a bunch of events. The students, alumni, faculty and staff are what make MSU the place that it is. I hope to share that message with you this semester, and I can’t wait to interact with all of you along the way.