May 01, 2020

High school seniors today are making one of the most significant choices of their lives: It’s Decision Day.

Although somewhat symbolic—seniors can still select colleges through August—May 1 has become the official date soon-to-be high school graduates declare their college plans. In the past, schools nationwide have celebrated with assemblies or special programming.

Decision Day may look a little different this year because of COVID-19, but that’s not stopping students across the country from proudly declaring they choose Mizzou Engineering.

“Out of all the other choices I had, it’s Mizzou hands down,” said Nathaniel Brown, who will be majoring in civil engineering. “I’ve talked to admissions and the engineering department, and everyone is helping me envision the future. I want to be at this school.”

Meet a few members of Mizzou Engineering’s Class of 2024. They’re resilient. They’re determined. And they can’t wait to get started.

Want to share your reasons for choosing Mizzou? Use #IChooseMizzou and tag us @MizzouEngineer on Twitter and Instagram or @MizzouEngineering on Facebook.

BEN MOSS

Ben Moss already understands the power of engineering.

“Engineering as a whole affects the world every day,” he said. “That’s what I want to do. I want to change the world.”

And he knows that happens one life at a time. A couple of years ago, Ben helped create a prosthetic hand for a child as part of an engineering summer camp.

“On the last day, the child saw what we did, the final product, and the joy and happiness in his smile stood out for me,” Ben said. “It’s one thing I want to continue on in my career—to see happiness in the people I affect with my products.”

He decided at that point to major in biomedical engineering.

“Environmental engineering was the first thing I really wanted to until I found out about biomedical and how it effects people in their day to day life,” he said.

At Libertyville High School, Ben has been involved in National Honor Society, the Spanish Club, an anti-bullying club and the ping pong club. He also played volleyball and basketball.

Ben chose Mizzou because he liked the activities and opportunities available in and around the community. He’s excited about getting involved in clubs and intramural sports, as well as attending sporting events.

Mostly, though, he’s looking forward to classes.

“Chemistry, physics, anything related to science and math,” he said. “That’s my strong suit, that’s why I’m going into engineering. Anything related to engineering, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Jasmine Bronson

JASMINE BRONSON

Jasmine Bronson took a programming class in eighth grade and has been fascinated with technology ever since.

She now plans to earn a dual B.S. in Computer Science and Information Technology.

“I was looking through the course catalog and saw all of the things I can take, and I got really excited,” she said. “I’m excited to expand on my knowledge. I want to see where it takes me.”

Jasmine has been exploring college throughout high school. She attended an engineering camp at Mizzou, and this past summer, she was accepted to and participated in a three-week program at Carnegie Mellon University around the topic of artificial intelligence.

At Staley High School in North Kansas City, Jasmine has been involved in soccer, the Future Business Leaders of America and Girls Who Code.

She chose Mizzou in January. Jasmine lived in Columbia as a child and her mother is an alumna.

“And when I saw they had an IT and computer science degree option,” she said, “that sealed it.”

ELIANA EUBANKS

Eliana Eubanks

Eliana Eubanks is choosing Mizzou Engineering this Decision Day after taking a biomedical technology class at Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina.

“As I started looking into Mizzou, I noticed it had biomedical engineering,” she said. “I looked into the classes that were offered and the different careers you can get and where you can go post-grad, and it seemed like such a cool major. And also the different research opportunities, especially at Mizzou, were abundant. That’s what really drove me to it.”

In high school, Eliana was involved in the Make-A-Wish Club and ran cross country and track. Her school graduated its seniors early during the COVID-19 situation, giving her more time to focus on the future.

“Mizzou has been able to help me connect with the campus, which helped me make my decision in the middle of this pandemic craziness,” she said. “I love the feeling I got on campus. Despite it being so far away, it’s a place I can really make a home away from home.”

She’s also eager to begin her biomedical engineering studies and is excited about academic opportunities.

“I love the idea of doing research,” she said.

Eliana’s father, Bill Eubanks, earned an electrical engineering and computer science degree from MU in the mid-1990s.

“My dad loved his experience at Mizzou so much, his license plate says Mizzou-Rah,” she said. “I inherited the car, and I get a lot of questions about it in North Carolina. I used to say ‘It’s my dad’s old school.’ But now I get to say it’s my school.”

NATHANIEL BROWN

Nathaniel Brown

Nathaniel Brown’s dad played a role in his college decision. His father served in the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion, better known as the Navy Seabees.

“He would talk about construction, and I really wanted to follow in his footsteps and get into that part of the Navy, going the officer route,” Nathaniel said. “That’s where I got my interest in civil engineering. I also saw the career outlook for civil engineering when I get out of the military.”

Nathaniel lives outside of San Antonio and sees neighborhoods, schools and communities being built up around him. Similar growth is happening all over the country, he said, so there will always be a need for civil engineers.

Nathaniel participated in Junior ROTC in high school and will continue ROTC at Mizzou. He’s also volunteered for food banks, park clean-up efforts and the Veterans Income Tax Assistance Program.

“I really do like helping people,” the Medina Valley High School senior said.

Having been in a military family that moved a lot, Nathaniel said he liked the idea of going to college in a new area. He added Mizzou to his list of options because his mom lives in Missouri, and said the choice was clear when he submitted his application.

“Once I applied, the process has gone so much smoother than other universities I was looking at,” he said. “Mizzou has helped me so much, it’s just been amazing.”

BRANDON TITTER

Brandon Titter

Brandon Titter has known for a long time that he wanted to become an engineer.

“I became interested in electrical engineering through an engineering class I took at my high school,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to be an engineer, but the class, along with my interest in computers and electronics, helped me decide that electrical engineering was right for me.”

At Washington High School outside of St. Louis, Brandon played football all four years and basketball his freshman year. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was named a National Merit Finalist earlier this year.

“I chose Mizzou once I saw the campus,” he said.  “The newly renovated engineering building was the main feature that appealed to me.”

BRADLY HAGG

Bradly Hagg

Bradly Hagg also knew at a young age what he wanted to be when he grew up.

“Ever since fourth grade, I’ve wanted to be an engineer,” he said. “My grandfather is an electrical engineer, so that’s what got me interested. As soon as I started taking math and science classes, I realized this is something I really want to do.”

Bradly opted to enroll in Mizzou Engineering’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department long before Decision Day after he visited a couple of campuses.

“Once I went on college tours, I realized Mizzou was the fit for me,” he said.

At Platte County High School, Bradly played trombone in the band, participated in archery and was a member of both the National Honor Society and a music honor society.

While he’s not sure what to expect in college, Bradly says he’s most excited about the coursework.

“I was looking at the list of classes and it looks like some fun stuff,” he said. “Mostly math.”

ELAINA VOGEL

Elaina Vogel

Elaina Vogel hadn’t planned on coming to MU—it seemed like everyone from her suburban St. Louis high school was choosing Mizzou.

But she quickly realized there’s a reason it’s a top college choice this Decision Day.

“I visited, and I loved the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s a big school, but I still felt like the people care about my education and will support me throughout my time there. I visited other schools after that, but I just didn’t have the same feeling.”

Elaina gravitated toward math and science classes throughout high school. Her father is also an engineer.

“He likes Mizzou because a lot of people he works with came from Mizzou Engineering,” she said. “He knows Mizzou has a good program.”

Elaina is leading toward chemical engineering but hasn’t ruled out biomedical or industrial engineering. She believes the choice will become clear once she starts taking classes.

At Rockwood Summit High School, Elaina played volleyball all four years and was involved in the National Honor Society. She’s looking forward to meeting new people and exploring new opportunities.

“I’m just really excited for college and for Mizzou,” she said. “Being home all the time is making me even more excited.”

WELCOME TO MIZZOU ENGINEERING

Decision Day 2020 may be a little different this year, but Mizzou Engineering is proud of those who have decided to go after their dreams. Welcome, new Tigers. Welcome, future engineers. Welcome, world changers.

Tell us why you chose Mizzou Engineering this Decision Day! Use #IChooseMizzou and tag @MizzouEngineer on Twitter and Instagram and @MizzouEngineering on Facebook.