Samantha Tintner’s interest in modern and classical languages started when she took her first Spanish class at age 11. Her interest turned to fascination when she went on a study abroad trip to Costa Rica two years later. By the time Tintner began her studies at Missouri State she already had seven years of education in Spanish and wanted to continue. She ended up taking on a double major in Spanish and Mandarin-Chinese, which would become her third language.
Tintner was drawn to Missouri State after speaking to Dr. Jason Jolley on her first campus visit and learning about the Spanish program and Chinese study abroad program. That experience and her eligibility for scholarships and financial assistance led her to choosing Missouri State over a college in her home state of Illinois.
During her time on campus, Tintner was involved in fraternity and sorority life, Spanish National Honors Society, and rock climbing. She mentioned that some of her favorite memories are of rock climbing at the Foster Recreation Center, where she spent most of her free time in her first two years at Missouri State. Tintner also enjoyed study trips abroad to Ecuador and China where she met some of her best friends and felt a huge amount of personal and educational growth. Her graduation in spring 2019 was a big milestone for Tintner’s life and one of her favorite memories from college because she was surrounded by her friends, family and professors.
“Going to Missouri State was one of the best decisions of my life. I’m so proud of being a Bear.” —Samantha Tintner
After graduating, Tintner decided to continue studying Chinese at the Shanghai International Studies University and took intensive courses in the fall of 2019. Due to COVID-19 she was unable to finish her studies and had to return home to Chicago, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in Chinese from DePaul University. Tintner’s current short term goal is to return to China. After she receives her master’s degree she hopes to work for an organization to help Chinese natives assimilate to life in the US and Americans assimilate to life in China. Tintner said the most valuable thing she learned during college is that “it’s okay to ask for help when you need to and it’s also okay to step back and take a moment to breathe.” She is very grateful for the opportunities she had and relationships she made during her time at Missouri State.