E-mail Dusty
Geographic area of responsibility: Southeast Missouri and Memphis, Tenn.
Hometown: Lebanon, Mo.
Degree and graduation year: business administration ’08, emphasis area: management
Why did you come to Mizzou?
My sister went to MU and was always a huge Tiger fan so I had no choice but to be exposed to it. Once I started researching colleges for myself, I found MU actually offered everything I was looking for: from a wide variety of extracurricular activities, to an education that really means something, to plenty of options to occupy me when I needed to relax.
After I finally visited campus during a football game day, I realized the campus that looked so big was actually a small world where everyone is a Tiger.
When I attended Mizzou, my favorite class was / I was involved in:
My favorite class was Intro to Culinary Arts. I remember meeting to discuss the lab once a week and then actually spending our lab cooking all types of different food. It was an awesome opportunity to actually directly apply what we learned in the classroom to what we were doing in lab and have that immediate result. It also didn’t hurt that we got to eat whatever we prepared.
I’m one of those people that like to immerse myself in a lot of different experiences. So when it came to getting involved, I did a little bit of everything just to see what it was like.
I first got involved in a group called the Alumni Association Student Board which allowed me to build strong relationships with alumni and work on those professional skills while promoting the strong traditions that Mizzou has to offer. From there I became a Summer Welcome Leader with our new student orientation program, an ambassador for the College of Business, a member of several departments within our student government and Greek Life and a marketing intern for Mizzou Athletics.
With each involvement, I gained new friendships and new outlooks on my own skills and abilities, which helped me both in the classroom and professionally outside of it. Looking back, I think that my involvements were the most valuable part of my college experience because they helped me become the person I am today.
What question are you asked most often?
How do I get a scholarship? Answer: Make sure you have fun in high school, but take your work seriously because it’s preparing you to receive some of those scholarships. It’s never too early to start preparing for your future! Study for the ACT and take it more than once while still keeping your class rank up, and lastly, apply early! It never hurts to be the first one with your application on somebody’s desk.
What question do you wish students would ask?
What’s the most important thing you learned in college? Answer: Getting involved is the best thing you could do. Not only will you be able to learn more about yourself, your skills and abilities, but you will also meet some amazing people and build relationships you will have for the rest of your life. Also, don’t be afraid to sit in front of class, speak up and meet your professor. That will help you more than you think it ever could.
What compelled you to stay and work at Mizzou after graduation?
Early on I decided to fully immerse myself in everything that is Mizzou, and it has given back to me everything I love today. I had a great experience as an undergrad that I want prospective Tigers to be able to experience. I really enjoy my job because I get direct contact with college-bound students and can encourage them to take advantage of what the world, especially Mizzou, has to offer. It’s also pretty awesome to go to work every day with a bunch of people that share the same enthusiasm you do about MU. It has been said often, but it really is always a great time to be a Tiger. | 
