A few select students each year are chosen as Missouri Scholars Academy members. As scholars, they have the opportunity to spend 3 weeks at Mizzou in the summer to learn and live as a college student. This year’s selected students were Evie Swiss, Adia Kuzemka-Randle, and Sierra Kieffer.
“The biggest thing I took away was that there are people just like me; it might not be in my own community, but there are. They’re here, and they’re around Missouri. And once you kind of get past that fear of people not liking you, you’re getting along with yourself. And you kind of just go on that basis of what you like or what you get in common, you honestly can grow great friendships and community in those places,” junior Sierra Kieffer said.
There were many different major & minor options available to enroll in at MSA. Kieffer majored in Reel Wars: World Wars in Film and Memory and minored in Selves of Society (sociology). These classes helped Kieffer to find like-minded people.
“It opened my eyes a little more to my surroundings and places I can go, or activities I can do, and how to actually build community,” Kieffer said.
This three-week experience has been said by many individuals to “change lives”, it was more than just a summer program.
“I kind of just learned how to manage on my own. I really got to be more independent and be okay on my own,” junior Adia Kuzemka-Randle said.
Nearing the end of their stay at Mizzou, there was a candlelighting ceremony. Many students noted this as their favorite memory. This ceremony marked the end of an experience, but just the beginning of the connections gained.
“It was the day before the end of the Academy because it was a month-long thing. So we did a little closing ceremony where you got to basically say bye to everyone, because it’s people from all over the state. So you’re saying bye to all your friends and seeing each other for the last time,” Kuzemka-Randle said.
This program extends to students from all over the state. Lifelong friendships were built, as many students still keep in touch, months later.
“I think that I grew as a person through the connections I was able to make. During my time there, I got to talk to and meet many people. Not only did I meet people my own age, but also people like the United Nations Art Ambassador, poets, and even a Holocaust survivor. Through these connections, I have been able to learn and gain new perspectives I’ll never forget,” junior Evie Swiss said.
To be selected for this program, there’s a whole process to endure. First, the administrators meet with the top 10% of the sophomore class and inform them of this opportunity, giving them the chance to apply. The application then has to be processed through the school, and after that, they choose three people from LSHS. Lastly, those three apply to MSA directly.
“The biggest thing I took away from MSA is the importance of community. Human connections are so important to exist and to better our world. During MSA, I was able to make friendships with all kinds of people and form my own community,” Swiss said.
