Happy Thanksgiving!

by Sajah Alkharabsheh

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Although not everybody celebrates the traditional Thanksgiving, it’s always good to remember to be thankful for what we have. I myself am very thankful. Being able to grow so much as a person and a student this year has been a wonderful achievement.

This week is also the beginning of a break that many students long for across the nation. After months of hard work, it's wonderful when we get to lay back and relax (or at least not worry about school every minute). Some students are going out of town while others are working or even binge watching Friends. Other students might also be studying ahead of time for finals.  

This is a great time of year for family and friends to gather. The time when everyone sits around a big table with the most scrumptious food that leaves us in a state commonly known as a "food coma". For this one week in November, our families will reunite to spend a day together whilst also being thankful for everything we have in life. After dinner, we all sit around reminiscing on old memories and making plans for the future. 
Be sure to stay safe over this coming week because many people love and care about you. Enjoy your time with your loved ones and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!!

Coming to UMSL: A Story of an International UMSL Ambassador

By Prachi Talwar

Being a thousand miles away from home, a place which shaped my soul inside out has been the most challenging part of my journey at University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL). This is best understood by my fellow international students. My journey from India to the United States as a student has been a rollercoaster ride that has made me into a more adventurous and responsible person.

Being an international student brings new challenges every day. From language to culture, everything requires my utmost attention. I still remember my first day of college, where I had to find my way around campus as well as having to attend orientation. Like most international students I socialized with students with whom I share the same origins. But as time passed I was able to befriend a group of students who were a mix of locals and other international students from other countries.

Since starting school here I have been participating in school organizations and leadership programs. UMSL Ambassadors is one of them. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet many student leaders with rich backgrounds and ambitions. However, the Ambassadors program helps people meet with more than just students. It opens the door to networking with professors, the chancellor and others in the campus community.

Through my experience with the program and UMSL, my approach towards life has come to be more diversified and unique. The monthly meetings and the icebreakers that are played at the beginning of each meeting has helped ease the transition to the new American lifestyle. We were lead into projects which promoted team work.

UMSL has a diversified range of cultures and cultural events and being able to share a part of each other’s culture and traditions not only bonded us more to each other but also broadened our perspective of the world around us.

As months passed by, my anxiety of being away from home had started to wash away with the flow of time. The constant support of our professors in every aspect of my day to day life is always a stress buster in my struggle as an international student.

Over the first year of my college experience, connecting with people from all around the world has not only shaped my conduct but also made me a better student and person. The UMSL Ambassador program has taught me to be an independent and a hardworking learner. It has shaped my instincts while providing me an insight into my potential and aspirations, unlocking my capabilities to socialize and learn something from everything I experience. Further, helping me to grow with focus and zeal. Over the time I have spent at the university overcoming all my personal barriers, it is my heartfelt gratitude now quoting “My UMSL, My Home”.

Why Choose UMSL?

By Michaela Browne

What type of people choose UMSL? Motivated people choose UMSL. Diverse people choose UMSL. Successful people choose UMSL. Ambitious people choose UMSL. Most of all, people with dreams choose UMSL.

I chose UMSL because it is a high-quality education at an affordable cost. The professors at UMSL care about their students and I enjoy learning from such wonderful educators. I personally have chosen to commute, and I am very impressed with the selection of class offerings, as well as the variety in time selections. However, whether you choose to live on or off campus, you cannot go wrong with UMSL’s campus, course assortment, and welcoming community. The campus also provides a variety of organizations, which provides a plethora of ways to connect. There is literally something for everyone.

This year I have the opportunity to be a part of UMSL Ambassador program. I love being an ambassador because I get to represent something that I am very passionate about: UMSL and what it represents. Diversity, fairness, education and so much more. As an UMSL ambassador, I have been able to meet people of diverse backgrounds that have similar interests in making their dreams a reality. The volunteer events are not only fun, but allow opportunities to meet a variety of people, as well as providing opportunities for networking.

My advice for all of my fellow students is to strive for what drives you. I am so thankful that I am at a college that gives me so many opportunities to work towards my dreams. “If you can dream it, you can do it” Walt Disney. Life is too short to not work hard for what you want. UMSL provides the stage to make your dreams a reality. That’s why I chose UMSL.

Diversity Matters

By Liliana De La Garza

One of the amazing parts of being an UMSL Ambassador is the diversity we share as an entity.

As a non-traditional student born in Mexico, my first day walking onto campus brought on a flurry of questions: Why am I here? Will I feel out of place? Am I making the right choice for myself? Am I too old to be here? Are there other students who look like me?

It took a matter of only days on campus to realize that diversity and inclusion are something that UMSL encourages, and appreciates throughout the student demographic. This notion was more clearly defined by the amazing group of individuals that comes together as the UMSL Ambassadors.

We have people of all creeds, backgrounds, races, majors, minors, height, etc. For myself, I find a sense of harmony knowing that I am not the only person in our group who was born elsewhere, or didn’t go to college right after high school, or who looks different. We come together to share, learn, and grow in our educational goals and interpersonal goals. To learn from one another and make sense of this grueling, tedious, worthwhile, and often frustrating adventure that is our college experience.

We represent and honor our school through the participation as ambassadors, but also in how we carry ourselves. We were selected because of our diverse experiences, and distinct stories. For someone with a not so traditional story that is something that I feel grateful to be a member of. So as we proudly wear our vests and guide guests at important events, I hope we can all appreciate the beauty that is our group of wonderfully, talented, unique, and ambitious group of ambassadors.