Education Dragon Stories

MSUM alumna Elise Parsley ’11 (art) started college ready to learn–from scratch. While many students choose to major in areas of pre-existing fortes, Parsley decided to study art. She’d never even taken a drawing class.

While many of us find it hard to apply the DIY Pinterest creations to real life, Heather (Donarski) Moore ’11 (graphic design) started a small business based on this concept.

When MSUM alumna Rachel Neumiller ’15 (advertising) started her business, she knew it would not be a journey she would take alone. Neumiller’s sister, Lacey Heid, was right beside her taking co-ownership.

Dragon Pride. It runs deep among our alumni and students. For many regional families, an MSUM education is a family tradition.

Every step of Sarah Coumbe-Guida’s ’97 (special education) life journey has been a leap of faith. It’s no wonder one climactic element at her family’s Character Challenge Course in Park Rapids, Minn., is titled just that—Leap of Faith.

Although their reasons for returning vary, the alumni who “come home” recognize the potential of the community and take pride in the home of their alma mater.

While speaking with Dr. James “Jim” Nagel ’62 (English and physical education), you begin to notice a striking resemblance to “The Most Interesting Man in the World.”

Times have long passed since gladiatorial fighting in the Roman Coliseum drew a crowd, yet modern-day fighting is just as profound a spectator sport in many social spheres around the world.

Bob Bowlsby ’75 (health and physical education) is defined by Midwestern roots—humility, a robust work ethic, and truthfulness.

Ken Jaeger, an ’83 community health graduate and 2014 distinguished alumnus, was inspired to help the poor at a young age. His mother, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, took Jaeger over the border to Juarez, Mexico, where poverty was rampant.