In Her Own Words: Missouri Scholars Academy Experience Leads to Lifelong Memories, Expanded Horizons for Lafayette Student

Emma Hagen, a rising Lafayette High junior, was one of 12 Rockwood students to attend this year's Missouri Scholars Academy, which was held June 8-28 on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia. Founded in 1985, the MSA is a three-week residential program for 330 of Missouri’s academically gifted students who are ready to begin their junior year of high school. The program gives students the opportunity to interact with peers from around the state and embark on an educational and social experience administered by carefully selected faculty and staff and with a specially designed curriculum of interdisciplinary courses and a variety of stimulating extracurricular activities.

Here are some of Hagen's reflections from her MSA experience.

By Emma Hagen, Lafayette student 

Missouri Scholars Academy is an opportunity for rising junior scholars across the state of Missouri to come together for three weeks in June, this year to be a part of the 40th MSA. Students are nominated to apply by their schools, then complete an application process that includes two short essays and teacher recommendations. If selected, the scholars then rank their choices for courses they will take throughout their time at the academy.

During a typical day at the academy, scholars will spend three hours in their major (or main) class, one hour in their minor class and one hour in COR (a social and emotional development class). My major class was “School of Thought: Redesigning Education & Exploring Giftedness,” and my minor class was “Wake Me Up: Exploring Ways to Help Others with Service and Creativity.” In my major class, we learned about the education system and gifted programs in Missouri, and in our last week at MSA we created a school system of our own with the knowledge we had gained. In my minor, we learned about community service and working for the causes we are passionate about, and in the last week we identified and solved a problem we saw within MSA.

In the afternoon, scholars had the option to participate in activities from a wide range of topics. Some activities I participated in include: learning how to resolve conflict, Ugandan-style bead making, a talk about food insecurity, letter writing for patients at St. Jude’s Hospital, visiting the Miller Family Simulation Center at Mizzou (a high-fidelity simulation suite for Mizzou nursing students), serving at a food bank and touring a milk processing plant. In the evening, all scholars were required to attend programs given by unique guest speakers. Some of my favorite programs were Kevin Wanzer (a motivational comedian), Linda Godwin (an astronaut), Ibiyinka Alao (an artist), the Midwest Innocence Project (a nonprofit organization that represents people wrongfully convicted), Kunama Mtendaji (a storyteller), Erika Michalski (an inspirational speaker), Mark Scharenbroich (a motivational speaker and author) and Rachel Miller (a Holocaust survivor).

The limitless afternoon and evening programs, along with our major and minor classes, let all scholars “learn for the sake of learning.” There was absolutely no stress to pick a certain activity or study and retain all the information, which allowed me to explore many different topics for whatever reason they interested me. Going to many different activities also allowed me to meet new people every single day and make new and meaningful connections and friendships that made the three weeks some of the most memorable and special moments of my summer. MSA also held a Teacher Appreciation Day in which each scholar could invite a teacher to join them for a day at the academy. (Lafayette band director Brad) Balog joined me for the day, and we attended an afternoon talk, an evening presentation and a dessert reception together.

MSA was more than an academic experience; it was also an opportunity for me to connect with people with common interests and varying experiences. At the beginning of the academy, I felt like one person in a sea of 300, but by the end I was sad to leave the family I had spent the past three weeks with. Together, we sang and danced on Lowry Mall, shared our talents in Geology Auditorium, walked around the Quad and went to countless coffee shops around Columbia. I laughed more times than I could count, cried when we had to leave each other and smiled at people who just a few short weeks before I had never even met. At MSA, I was able to be myself and meet some of the kindest people I know, and by the end, I felt as if we had known each other our whole lives. I am beyond grateful I was able to participate in this life-changing experience. Every person I met this summer made MSA 2025 something I will always remember and look back on with joy. Boomba Hey!