Published on Sept. 18, 2024
Growing up in St. Louis, Jacob Hicks said the University of Missouri was always on his radar as a great option to continue his education. When Hicks made an official campus visit, Mizzou went from being an option to the primary option.
“There were definitely some other schools that I looked at,” Hicks said. “MU was the first place I visited that wowed me with all the research opportunities and fun classes. They also actually had the major I was interested in – plant sciences. Mizzou just felt welcoming overall.”
Hicks has been caring for and working with plants since he was 13 years old. He said it was vital for him to be able to continue that study in college.
“I honestly don’t know where the passion for plants came from – it’s just who I am,” said Hicks, who began his freshman year at MU this fall. “I’ve been caring for house plants for quite a while now. We’ve been talking a lot in one of my classes about the different types of intelligence, and one that was mentioned was naturalistic intelligence, which is where your brain is kind of hardwired toward living and growing things. I think that’s how I just am. I love it.”
Along with caring for his own plants, Hicks received more hands-on learning experiences this past summer working in a research laboratory. He took on a variety of tasks and is looking forward to continuing that type of work at Mizzou.
“Getting involved in research is definitely the trajectory I would like to take,” Hicks said. “I really connected with my work this summer; working in the laboratory setting was very fulfilling. It also made me realize about the incredible opportunities outside of the lab, such as field work. Discovering new things is just so cool. Working on projects that help people, expand the literature, expand academia and expand our knowledge is really incredible to me.”
Hicks will be able to pursue research at MU with the help of the Brazeal Scholarship. Brazeal Scholars receive at least $15,000 per year, renewable for a total of four years. They also receive an additional $6,000 to cover the costs associated with an MU study abroad program.
The scholarship was created in 2004 by Jim and Cathy Brazeal in order to attract and retain the best young scholars to the MU campus. As a Brazeal Scholar, Hicks joins an incredible cohort of premier scholars within the Honors College.
“I have not met Jim and Cathy Brazeal in person yet, but I already have such a deep appreciation for them,” Hicks said. “During my first week at Mizzou, they sent me an email that truly made me emotional with the way they welcomed me. It made me feel so appreciative. I’m very blessed to have been given this opportunity, and I’m so excited for all the doors that this scholarship will open for me.”