Learn What You LOVE
Jordi Stack, Junior
Journalism
St. Louis, Missouri
“It’s OK to just have fun and to let loose and take a break from all the other things I have going on.”
LOVES MizzouThon
Since she was a freshman, Jordi Stack has participated in MizzouThon, a dance marathon fundraiser that supports pediatric patients and their families. This year she helped recruit 100 sorority sisters.
Raven Smith, Freshman
Athletic Training
Chicago
“If you can help somebody, that’s the greatest thing.”
LOVES Chicago
Before she came to Mizzou, Raven Smith founded Straight From the Go, an organization aimed at reducing gun violence in Chicago.
Cassandra Gal, Senior
Vocal Performance
Jefferson City, Missouri
“The solo aria is so poignant, I often find myself crying in rehearsal.”
LOVES Opera
Cassandra Gal played the role of Emily in Show-Me Opera’s performance of an operatic version of the popular Thorton Wilder play Our Town.
Maria Kalaitzandonakes, Senior
Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Journalism
Columbia, Missouri
“Throughout all of my essays and interviews, I was 100 percent myself. I am a weirdo, and I embrace that.”
LOVES Feeding the World
Maria Kalaitzandonakes was nervous when she started the Truman Scholarship selection process — until she decided to keep it real. It worked. The scholarship will fund her master’s degree in agriculture economics at Cornell.
Loren Howard, Senior
Special Education and Theater Performance
Home Town
“I had never seen him get so elated in class before. It was amazing to see how excited he became about learning.”
LOVES Teaching
Loren Howard had a breakthrough when student-teaching at a Columbia public school. She realized she could use theater as a teaching tool to reach kids with learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder.
Morgan Lieberman, Senior
Journalism
Calabasas, California
“I was so excited to be on stage with these famous filmmakers.”
LOVES the True/False Film Fest
Morgan Lieberman and her classmate Steve Gieseke won the Gimme Truth game show with their film Steve’s Lego during the True/False Film Fest, a massive international documentary festival that takes over Columbia every March.