Happy October!

This month we want to recognize Keith Sharp! Keith is the Custodial Equipment Repairman and Specialist, and has worked in various positions for MSU for 37 years. Keith will be retiring this month, and we want to thank him for his many years of service and devotion to student success at Residence Life. We hope you enjoy your well earned retirement!

We also want to shout out our facilities team and everyone in Residence Life who dressed up in costume for Halloween! Our Custodial and Maintenance teams dress up every year, and the residents always love seeing them in their costumes. Everyone looks so good!

This month we received a lot of bragging about the wonderful work our hall staff are doing. Natalia is the Assistant Hall director of Wells House for 10 months. When asked about her favorite part of working at Missouri State, she stated, “I really like that everything that we do is built upon a really deep network of support and care. Everyone is working toward the same goal: serving students and helping to improve the university.” One of the residents within her building went on to say, “She has such an amazing personality. She is always willing to help RAs and residents in any way she can. She is Wells’ biggest cheerleader, and really encourages those around her to be the best they can be in all aspect of life!” Thank you Natalia for all the wonderful work you do! 

Our Desk Assistants have gone above and beyond in their work this month. Our Desk Assistants work the front desks of our residence halls on campus. Desk Assistants are responsible for greeting residents and guests as they walk in the building, handling phone calls, and serving as a resource for our residents. Two Desk Assistants we would like to highlight are Athena Kuczynski and Anna Thomason. Anna Thomason is a junior majoring in actuarial mathematics and statistics. Anna lived on campus for two years and is currently a Desk Assistant in Heitz. Anna is involved in Gamma Iota Sigma, our risk management and insurance society as well as Salt Company. Anna stated that her favorite part of working on campus is “being a welcoming face for residents and helping them feel comfortable in their living space.” We want to brag on Anna for her amazing work with taking initiative and establishing positive interactions when she works the front desk. It was said that, “she takes initiative in all her work, making every effort to establish positive interactions with all residents, staff, and guests entering the building. At multiple occasions, I have seen Anna update publicity in the lobby or email residents when they forget to lock their mailboxes. She is intentional in her interactions, mirroring the spirit of neighboring by starting meaningful conversations with people walking by or visiting the desk. Anna’s attention to detail is a positive addition to the Heitz desk meeting.” Thank you Anna for being a wonderful Desk Assistant!  

Athena Kuczynski is a freshman majoring in Nursing. This is Athena’s first year living on campus; she both lives and works in Hammons House. Aside from being a Desk Assistant, Athena is also a part of Kappa Kappa Psi, a music fraternity we have here on campus. It was shared that, “Athena, is so kind! I appreciated that when she had extra brownies to share, she was so neighborly and shared them with folks in our main housing office! She’s a great desk assistant and makes our community shine because she’s in it.” When asked what made her decide to share her brownies with the housing office she stated, “I had lots of extra brownies and I always love to share joy in food versions when I can, I bake a lot of sweet treats at home and give to people to try.” Thank you Athena for everything you do!