Anna Merkel – October & November 2017

October was such a busy month for me! With clubs, events, and meetings all on top of school work, my days have been full (but still fun!). The biggest events to happen this month were Homecoming and Halloween, but I had some spectacular opportunities other than those as well.

Although Homecoming was near the end of October, I found that the hype was infectious all throughout the month. My first college homecoming was a great experience, and even though I’ve never been the biggest sports fan, so was the game! I also motivated myself to run the Homecoming 5K, a really great experience and something I never thought I would be able to do!

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The day before the Homecoming game, my fellow scholars and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Andrew and Peggy Cherng, alumni who were in town for Homecoming. The Cherngs are donors to the Honors College here at Mizzou, and are also the owners of the fabulous Panda Express. It was an honor to get to meet with them and listen to what they had to say.

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I have also continued my involvement in the Discovery Fellows undergraduate research program and many of the organizations I belong to. In the past few months, my connections in the Discovery Fellows program have helped me improve my knowledge of programming, and I find it is something I truly enjoy. Through the AIAA and SEDS, two aerospace engineering clubs on campus, I have submitted my design for a model rocket, and the other club members and I are preparing to build and launch our rockets next semester!

Halloween was a great way to end such a fun month. I spent time perfecting my costume and had a blast attending the party in Mark Twain. I genuinely love living in the honors dorm with the rest of my friends!

Anna Merkel in Halloween costume

Lastly, on the first day of November I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Kansas City and speak at An Evening With Mizzou Honors. I loved the chance to speak to prospective students and hopefully share my excitement about Mizzou and the honors college with them! This experience has inspired me to become an Honors Ambassador in the future! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester holds

– Anna Merkel, Stamps Scholar Class of 2021