Story by Logan Jackson
The first piece of college recruitment material that Elise Milburn received came courtesy of the University of Missouri. While Milburn wasn’t shocked to see those types of materials as a high school student, she was a bit surprised to see something from a university in Missouri.
“My family didn’t know anything about Mizzou,” said Milburn, who is from Texas. “We definitely joked about it at first, as I never imagined myself going somewhere I had never heard of before and that was fairly far away, but I did end up taking a closer look at what Mizzou had to offer.”
The day that the Mizzou application was due, Milburn received a final mailer, this time from the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. That information sold her on officially applying to be a Tiger.
“I remember my dad checking the mail and bringing in this information packet from Kinder,” Milburn said. “I finished my application later that night after making the decision that I wanted to pursue a degree outside of Texas. I had liked what I learned about Mizzou, and the Kinder Institute was exactly what I was looking for.”
Milburn has made the most out of her time at Mizzou. She will graduate with two degrees – constitutional democracy and history – as well as three minors – Latin American studies, political science and Spanish. Milburn completed the Honors Certificate, earning more than 40 hours of Honors credit. She was also a Mizzou ’39 Award recipient, which honors 39 outstanding seniors each year.
“I was really fortunate because there always were several Honors course options for what I was studying,” Milburn said. “I loved those classes, too, as they were usually a bit smaller and, a lot of times, were more discussion based. That’s the type of learning environment that I thrive in, so it was super special.
“One of my favorite things about the Honors College was the opportunity build a meaningful rapport with the professors. The conversations we had in class were incredible, and I enjoyed the chance to discuss their interests.”
Along with numerous degrees, Milburn participated in undergraduate research and a couple different study abroad opportunities. Her research was primarily tied to the ASH Scholars Program, which features research teams focused on arts, social sciences and humanities. She was part of two Kinder Institute teams –Santa Fe Trail and Public History. Her study abroad experiences were also tied to offers through Kinder, one at University College London and another at the University of Oxford.
Milburn’s connection to the Kinder Institute has even led to a job, where she helps promote everything the program offers.
“Kinder has really been my home at Mizzou,” Milburn said. “Coming from another state, there was a bit of a learning curve, and I was so thankful for the individuals in Kinder who helped me through that. It’s just been an amazing experience overall.”
When Milburn first arrived at Mizzou, she was interested in eventually pursuing a law degree. Through her course work, research and study abroad experiences, she actually switched her focus to history, specifically on colonial Latin American history.
“History isn’t completely out of left field for me – my dad teaches high school history, and I’ve been to every battlefield along the East Coast that he could get me to,” Milburn said. “I never expected that history would be my thing, too, but I’m really happy I made the change.”
Milburn’s next stop on her academic journey will be at The Pennsylvania State University, where she will jump straight into a Ph.D. history program.
“There is an incredible group of Latin American history professors at Penn State, so I’m excited to begin my work with them,” Milburn said. “My time at Mizzou, especially a couple specific projects, really solidified for me that I wanted to pursue graduate school. I’ve had so much support from the faculty here, and I’m ready to see what the future holds.”