I’m being completely honest when I say Missouri State was not my first choice for college. It was nowhere close.  

Being raised in a small town in Illinois, I wanted for so long to get out of the Midwest and explore a different area of the country while attending school.  

Out-of-state tuition is extremely expensive. After accepting this harsh reality, I was crushed, along with my future plans. I found myself completely lost on what to do next and where I would end up.  

I wanted to be different and go where no one else goes—experience my own journey and create my own path.  

Things were looking up 

I ended up enrolling at Missouri State. I dreaded leaving home and moving to a place I did not want to be. 

I showed up to Springfield on move in day knowing only two friends whom I had met at SOAR Orientation a month earlier. I was also assigned a random roommate in one of the oldest residence halls on campus. I wondered how my situation could get any worse.  

However, after the first night hanging out with my new roommate and my two new friends, my mindset changed. I thought to myself, “Hey, this may not be so bad.”  

Luckily, I found my people and no longer regretted my decision to attend Missouri State. My new friends and I had the best times together and never wanted to leave Springfield.  

Finding my passion  

Everything seemed great until I ran into the issue of what I was going to major in.  

I’m not a big school person. I don’t like math, science, blood or anything like that. I didn’t really have a passion that I knew I wanted to pursue as a career.  

I realized that you don’t have  to have a passion—and you may not even know what is yet.  

I knew I liked movies, social media, design, creating, etc. This led me to taking some media and communication classes, which I really enjoyed. I found that I fit in well with my classmates who were majoring in communications.  

At the end of my sophomore year, I declared my major in communications with a minor in mass media. Now, I am a social media intern for Missouri State. I can confidently say I have found my passion! 

A happy ending  

As cliché as it sounds, I think I was meant to be here at Missouri State. This became clear to me when I met some of my best friends within the first week of classes and when career opportunities began to arise.  

It took me a while to get out of my negative ‘I hate this place’ way of thinking. You’d be surprised how simply trying new things and venturing out can change your life.  

I’ve come to learn that a good college experience isn’t determined by the location or size of the school. Instead, it’s determined by the people and environment you surround yourself with.  

Even though I have encountered numerous obstacles throughout the past two school years, I still believe that life is never easy, you learn as you go, and it will always turn out to be okay.  

I’m proud to be making my Missouri Statement. Bear Up!