Story by Logan Jackson
Photo courtesy of Catie Tejeda
On her official tour of the University of Missouri, Catie Tejeda was a sponge, absorbing every detail of her trek across campus. While she was impressed with everything that was being shared, when she walked across the quad, she knew she was going to be a Tiger.
“I know it sounds super cliché, but Mizzou really did feel like home when I saw the Columns,” Tejeda said. “Something about them just drew me in. I toured other schools but none of them matched up to Mizzou.”
Tejeda’s decision proved to be a solid one. She will graduate with a health science degree, minors in biological sciences and psychological sciences, and the Honors Certificate. Tejeda will also serve as the student speaker during the Honors College commencement ceremony.
“It was such an honor to be chosen as the commencement speaker for the Honors ceremony,” Tejeda said. “Having the opportunity to speak in front of my peers and everyone who has supported me over the years is a huge blessing. It could have been any Honors student, honestly, so it’s humbling to be chosen. I’m a very sentimental person, so this means a lot to me.”
Tejeda, who is from Kansas City, Missouri, was involved in the Honors College in a variety of ways. She earned Honors credit through General and Departmental Honors courses, as well an Honors Tutorial. Tejeda also earned credit through a study abroad experience. She traveled to Cyprus with the help of the Gilman Scholarship.
Outside of her studies, Tejeda served as an Honors Ambassador, where she showcased the incredible opportunities offered through the college to prospective students.
“I love the Honors newsletter that goes out to students every week,” Tejeda said. “I saw a call for joining the Honors Ambassador program and thought it sounded super interesting. I remembered going to a Mizzou Honors Night event in Kansas City when I was in high school, and I thought it would be exciting to share how great the Honors College is with prospective students.”
Tejeda was involved in numerous clubs and organizations throughout campus, too. She served in two leadership roles with the Tri Beta Biological Honors Society; the vice president of socials and the assistant vice president. She was active in the Chi Omega sorority as well.
“What I love so much about Mizzou is that you’re free to pursue your interests, even if have several of them,” Tejeda said. “Everyone is so encouraging and supportive of helping you along your academic journey.”
Her work experiences tied in perfectly with her health science degree. Tejeda has been a patient care technician with Boone Hospital, an orthopedic healthcare assistant with the Missouri Orthopedic Institute, and a registered behavior technician with the Family First Center for Autism and Child Development in Liberty, Missouri.
Tejeda was also part of Mizzou Global Medical Training, an international humanitarian organization that provides free medical and dental care to communities in Central America. She was able to study abroad in the Dominican Republic through the program.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something related to medicine and healthcare,” Tejeda said. “From a young age, I’ve always felt like I have this certain quality of empathy and that eventually drove me toward the field. My grandma also had a lot of health issues when I was growing up, so I saw her health journey up close.”
While there are multiple healthcare-related paths of study at Mizzou, Tejeda said she chose health science because of its holistic approach to health.
“There is so much to healthcare,” Tejeda said. “I really appreciate how the health science degree program puts an emphasis on each part and allows students to have in-depth conversations on a variety of topics.”
After graduation, Tejeda will continue her work with Boone Hospital to gain more experience as well as patient care hours. She plans to then apply to physician assistant schools.
“I’m someone who loves experiential learning,” Tejeda said. “The way that physician assistant school is designed would give me more of that experiential aspect of healthcare. I learn so much better in that setting, and I think a career as a physician assistant would be really rewarding.”