SEMO grads excited for life after commencement

On Saturday, 702 students graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in two commencement ceremonies at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Among those graduates were three candidates whose time at Southeast gave them tools to enter the workforce and take on life after graduation.

Hannah Seyer, Bachelor of Science in technology management

Hannah Seyer

Seyer said she fell in love with the processes involved in technology as a high school student on her high school’s robotics team.

“Ever since then, I knew I wanted to go into something with tech,” Seyer, a Chaffee, Missouri, resident, said, adding she also loved leadership roles and the management aspect.

An internship with TG Missouri led to a deeper, more hands-on understanding of the field she’d studied, Seyer added.

Her degree involves four emphases, Seyer said: manufacturing engineering technology, industrial management, business management and technical communications.

Seyer credits that customizability, her adviser and support system with the knowledge base she can now apply to future employment.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without the system and support I found at Southeast, and my family, obviously,” Seyer said — S&W Cabinets in Chaffee is her family’s business.

“I connected with the college and found professors who are rooting for me and really care,” Seyer said.

Jonathan Mungle, Bachelor of Science in business administration

Jonathan Mungle

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jonathan Mungle said his time at Southeast was about more than just the curriculum. Connecting with the right people helped land him the work he wants to pursue.

Mungle said he’s a numbers-oriented person, and while he could have learned the equations anywhere, “I needed multiple perspectives on the process. Southeast gave me the tools I needed to pursue a career in this field.”

Mungle’s home is in Cape Girardeau, he said, and during his time serving with the Marines, he had several friends in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He’d visit on his time off, and those friendships and sense of community drew him to Southeast.

That, he said, and Southeast is a great school.

“It’s very affordable, the teachers are excellent — willing to talk to you,” he said.

What really gave him an advantage, he said, was the industry connections he made by working with Dan Presson, Career Services director at Southeast.

“If I could give any advice to a current student, it would be this: Pursue internships and industry connections,” Mungle said. “That’s the biggest preparation aside from curriculum.”

Presson connected him with the right people, Mungle said.

“You can have a 4.0 GPA, but employers will care so much more about your ability to problem-solve,” Mungle said.

Marlee Russell, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature

Marlee Russell

For Marlee Russell, her time studying at Southeast allowed her to pursue multiple passions: studying law, building research skills and Disney.

Russell will spend the first part of 2020 wearing a costume and working a ride at one of the Disney theme parks, she said — not as a performing character, but as a crew member at a place where she has fond childhood memories.

She’ll also attend law school at the University of Mississippi, or Ole Miss, next fall, she said.

Russell said she was inspired to study English literature after her initial plan of majoring in business didn’t pan out. She had an elective that semester, she said — a literature course with professor Chris Rieger, director of the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast.

Ole Miss has a substantial Faulkner collection, too, Russell said.

Russell said most of her coursework in literature studies revolves around reading heavy material, forming an argument and using support from either the text itself or outside sources to argue her case.

“It prepared me greatly for law school,” she said.

Russell also works for Career Services, she said, helping students prepare resumes.

“That helps me build and format mine,” she said.

As for the appeal Disney holds for her, Russell said generally speaking, Disney is about magic — real magic. Walt Disney didn’t want a carnival feel at the park, she said. He wanted magic.

When asked about standout films, Russell pointed to the Pixar films — specifically “Frozen 2.”

That film is research-heavy, Russell said, from costume details to accurate portrayals of people in the film.

And, she said, while working at the theme park, she’ll need to be able to solve problems quickly, just as she’ll need to react quickly while arguing cases in court.

Southeast has helped her build the soft skills she’ll need to succeed as a lawyer, Russell added.