Students become alumni as they graduate from Missouri Western

By Jazmine Knight

It’s the day these college students have been waiting for over the past few years. It’s graduation day.

Missouri Western celebrated their commencement ceremony for spring 2024 graduates. Hosted in the fieldhouse of Looney Complex, Missouri Western held two ceremonies on May 4. The first at 11 a.m. was dedicated to the college of science and health, while the 3 p.m. ceremony was dedicated to the division of college affairs, the college of business and professional studies and the college of liberal arts.

President of the university, Elizabeth Kennedy, led the commencement and introduced the keynote speaker, Natalie Hawn.

Hawn, president and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, delivered a powerful speech about how being a Missouri Western graduate has shaped her life and taught her excellence.

Following, student speakers spoke about their experience at Missouri Western and how it has molded them into the people that they are today. The student speaker for the 11 a.m. commencement was Ms. Macioespirito Jin Firsching, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry/molecular biology major.

The student speaker for 3 p.m. speaker was Mr. Ethan Ryan Lowe, early childhood education major.

The spring 2024 graduating class consisted of 375 students. 316 undergraduate degrees and 59 graduate degrees. Graduates hailed from 24 states including Missouri and ten foreign countries.

Graduate, Mackenzie Herrman, is a nursing major from Kansas City. She is going on to work at Liberty Hospital in Liberty, MO.

Herrman says it feels great to be done.

“It feels great. It was a lot of work, a lot of dedication, but definitely glad to be done having more freedom and be able to do what I work for,” said Herrman.

For Herrman this is her second degree from Missouri Western. She says the hardest part was making the time to come back.

“And the dedication to study those late nights and maybe missing out on events with family and friends,” she said.

When asked “why Missouri Western,” she says that overall you feel welcomed and get a good education.

“Proximity to home. I’d say another is that it’s cost effective. I liked it enough the first time that I came back a second time,” Herrman said.

“There’s great faculty, great administration people all around on campus.”

She says it feels like a home because it’s not too big and not too small which makes it less intimidating.

On her new journey, Herman is most excited to go back home closer to the Kansas City area around her family.

“I’m excited to go home and also to be a nurse. I truly do love it and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”