By Sophia Bolin and Morgan McGurk
Missouri Scholars Academy, founded in 1985, is a three week program dedicated to providing a unique learning community to Missouri’s best and brightest soon-to-be juniors. This year, there are 329 scholars attending the academy, along with countless staff and faculty members. In every class, a high school teacher, a college professor, or a grad student leads a course centered to one area of interest for the scholars. An RA, or residence assistant, is someone who has completed at least their first year of college, works well with high schoolers, fosters a community of acceptance, and can provide advice to their scholars. Most RA’s and staff members have been scholars here themselves. So what is it that brings them back to MSA?
For some, the belief is that MSA fosters an environment that you can’t get anywhere else. Sara Venier says that this is her third year being an RA, after being a scholar in 2014.
“The staff is different every year, the scholars are different every year, and I love the opportunity to meet so many unique people,” Venier says. Most scholars come to the academy knowing about three or four kids from their area. The exception is Metro High School, with eighteen scholars who qualified from the St Louis school. Still -with 329 scholars, 18 majors, and 19 minors- there’s countless combinations of the new interactions scholars and faculty will have over the course of three weeks. Activities such as Playfair, street dances, and Cor:PSD allow scholars to both have fun and gain trust in each other. No matter where we come from or where we place our identities, the community at MSA allows for genuine acceptance.
Staff member Steve Senger greatly appreciates this welcoming atmosphere. “[My favorite thing] about MSA is a chance for people to connect that maybe haven’t had an opportunity to connect to other people,” Senger says. He attended MSA as a scholar and currently teaches a math based major, along with a design minor.
Senger also shares, “MSA really made me a happy person and I feel pretty convicted to share that with other people.” The opportunities he had as a scholar motivated him to pursue his career, live joyfully, and come back to the academy and connect with more students than he reaches in his career as a math professor at Missouri State.
Grace Sullentrup, a former scholar and current residence assistant, studies at Missouri State. Spending numerous summers at MSA’s campus at Mizzou, Sullentrup states, “The community at MSA that I hope to foster and I hope is fostered here is one of growth and along with that, safety.” She loves this aspect of MSA, that it gives students a chance to leap outside of their comfort zones. Sullentrup understands the importance of keeping this environment safe for every person who calls MSA home.
MSA is without a doubt a one-of-a-kind opportunity for everyone involved. Every year, new scholars become part of the family and fall in love with the experience. Every person in this community matters, and together, scholars and faculty create lifetime memories with those across the state. Wherever they go in life, they can look back on what they learned at MSA and create accepting, motivating environments across the globe. MSA forever!
Sara Venier (left) Steve Senger Grace Sullentrup (right middle)
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