Published on Aug. 12, 2024
Growing up in a family of Iowa State University graduates, Sydney Rohrberg was looking for an opportunity to forge her own path. With an interest in journalism, Rohrberg eventually found her way to the University of Missouri.
“I was looking for an opportunity to branch out a little bit,” said Rohrberg, who is from Glenwood, Iowa. “I wanted to go out of state, and as I was doing my research – especially related to journalism – Mizzou kept coming up. It felt like MU was going to be a great fit, and after I toured, I fell in love with everything that was being offered.”
A big part of Rohrberg’s research was centered on scholarships, which led her to the Stamps Scholarship. The Stamps interview weekend sold her even more on Mizzou being a great fit for her interests.
“Everyone I met and talked with was so nice and welcoming,” Rohrberg said. “Even if I didn’t receive the scholarship, I realized MU was the type of place I wanted to attend. My parents also joined me during the interview weekend, and they really understood why I was so excited about Mizzou. They had been supportive of my decision to further my education at MU, and that weekend completely sold them.”
While the interview weekend was exciting for Rohrberg, getting the call that she was going to be a Stamps Scholar was life changing.
“I was at school in a back classroom with no service,” Rohrberg said. “When I left the classroom, I realized I had a voicemail. After listening, I was definitely freaking out and was very excited. I couldn’t wait to tell my family and friends.”
Rohrberg will be a journalism major at Mizzou. She said she is thrilled to be able to learn from the MU School of Journalism faculty.
“It’s going to be really amazing to sit in a classroom with such incredible educators,” Rohrberg said. “They’re so good at what they do. This is a tough field and knowing that there is a support system in place with so much experience, it makes me feel super comfortable about the path I’m taking.”
Rohrberg’s interest in journalism stems from her love of writing.
“I’ve always loved writing, whether it be fiction, poetry, essay writing or informative papers,” Rohrberg said. “When friends needed an edit or an idea, they would usually come to me. In high school I also started to develop a passion for international and global affairs. One of my classes dove into how the United States interacts with other countries and how the media covers those interactions. I found it so interesting. I’m ready to learn more about topics of that nature, and I know Mizzou is going to provide me with so much knowledge on some many different subjects.”
As a Stamps Scholar, Rohrberg will be able to conduct journalism research, too. While she hasn’t done research before, she said she is ready for the challenge.
“I went to a relatively small school; we didn’t have a journalism program or anything like that,” Rohrberg said. “It’s wild to think about the number of opportunities that I’m going to have through the Stamps Scholarship. It’s going to help me grow and gain vital experience that will help me as I continue my education.”