Story and photo by Logan Jackson
When Macy Czech began making college visits, she printed out a map of the United States to mark where she had been and where she wanted to explore. Her list covered numerous universities in the Midwest, including the University of Missouri.
“I didn’t know a lot about Mizzou; I think we had driven by it on a family vacation,” said Czech, who is from Springfield, Nebraska. “But I knew I wanted to stop there when I was making my college visits. My visit to Columbia was fantastic. I have a life-threatening food allergy, and the campus chef spent so much time with my mom and me, discussing all the safety procedures they take. I also met with a physics advisor who was so kind and was willing to share all kinds of advice. It was an amazing trip overall.”
Czech said Mizzou also appealed to her educational interests. She wanted to find a university where she could pursue mathematics, physics and film studies.
“Mizzou had something to offer for even my most niche interests,” Czech said.
While Mizzou checked all of Czech’s boxes, the scholarship offerings put the university over the top. Czech was specifically interested in the Stamps Scholarship. Mizzou has partnered with the Stamps Scholars Program since 2017 to offer this premier scholarship to more than 50 Tigers. Mizzou Stamps Scholars receive a four-year, full cost of attendance scholarship, plus an additional $16,000 enrichment fund to be used during the student’s four years to enhance their studies and academic pursuits. Stamps Scholars are enrolled in the Honors College for all four years, working toward the completion of the Honors Certificate.
Around 20 semifinalists are invited each February to the Stamps interview weekend where they learn more about the Mizzou campus, meet current Stamps Scholars and interview for the scholarship.
“I hadn’t done a major interview like that before,” Czech said. “The weekend brought out some jitters, but I remember telling my mom that even if I didn’t get the scholarship, I wanted to attend Mizzou. It was a really great experience.”
Czech is one of seven Stamps Scholars who will begin their collegiate journeys at Mizzou this fall.
“I was actually home from school due to a snow day when I found out I was going to be a Stamps Scholar,” Czech said. “My mom actually came into my room and said she had a message from Dean (Catherine) Rymph. For whatever reason, my phone never rang – and I still have no record that she called. I immediately called back and was ecstatic when I found out I was receiving the scholarship. I was running down the hallways in my pajamas celebrating.”
Czech’s interest in math began while she was in high school. A precalculus class proved to be a welcome challenge and led Czech to take a calculus class the following year.
“I knew I wanted to keep going with math after that precalculus class,” Czech said. “I loved being able to take something so complex and break it down into a simple solution. That interest then led me to physics, because I want to be able to apply math to real-life scenarios and situations, especially tied to astronomy. I’ve loved space since I was a toddler. I’m excited to explore all my interests at Mizzou.”
Czech is also ready to apply her math skills to research. All Stamps Scholars conduct research while at Mizzou, and Czech said she’s excited to jump into something new.
“I really think research is going to be a perfect fit with my studies,” Czech said. “When I was in elementary school, I would take the dice from Yahtzee and roll to see, statistically, how many times it would take me to get a Yahtzee. I think I’ve wanted to conduct math research for quite a while, and I’m excited to see where I can go with that work.”