450 students earned diplomas this spring from Missouri Western
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Photo by Eric Keith / St. Joseph News-Press
Brooke Blair, right, couldn’t contain her smile as she began the march toward her diploma Saturday afternoon at Missouri Western State University.
Joining more than 175 other students, Brooke Blair appeared anything but nervous as the first of two Missouri Western State University graduation ceremonies was about to begin Saturday.
Anxiously awaiting the festivities, her friends joked about her accomplishments yet they are nothing to laugh at. A biology-health science major, she wore the golden stole of an honor student with a 3.97 GPA.
Her family sat in the front row, however, it wasn’t the only ceremony they would witness Saturday.
Ms. Blair’s father, a criminal justice major, would receive his diploma during the afternoon ceremony. He too graduated with honors.
Ms. Blair jokes about her family’s ties to St. Joseph schools.
“My dad graduates at 3 p.m., my sister will graduate in December and my mom is an alumna,” said Ms. Blair.
A graduate of Central High School, Ms. Blair will continue to stay close to home. Hired by Boehringer-Ingelheim as a microbiologist doing environmental monitoring she, unlike some of her fellow classmates, has a handle on her future plans.
“I knew a couple of years ago that this is what I wanted to do. I was originally going into medicine and found out it made me sick,” Ms. Blair said with a laugh.
A total of 450 students earned diplomas from the university this spring. Missouri Western President Dr. James Scanlon acted as the commencement speaker.
“This is an emotional moment for me but really for the students,” Dr. Scanlon said in regard to his upcoming retirement. “Today is a very happy day for the graduates and me.”
Dr. Scanlon became Missouri Western’s third president in March 2001. His final day will be June 30.
Ms. Blair sat patiently throughout Dr. Scanlon’s speech. He spoke of the accomplishments of the university, as well as the students.
His final words of advice for Ms. Blair and her peers: “Be real.”
“Be real in your career and your life in order to find true happiness,” Dr. Scanlon said.
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Dr. Scanlon is Missouri Western's fourth president, not its third. His predecessors were Dr. Milburn Blanton, Dr. Marvin Looney and Dr. Janet Gorman Murphy (who later married Dr. James McCarthy).
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