University of Missouri-St. Louis

Education opens doors. For University of Missouri–St. Louis student Kiersten Kelleher, those open doors have taken her further from home than she expected.

With two study abroad experiences already under her belt and one more planned, Kelleher has turned her love for globetrotting into an international educational experience that sets her apart from her peers. A 2024 expedition to Bremen, Germany, ignited her enthusiasm for studying abroad.

“I love traveling and going out of the country, but I never thought I could do it in school,” Kelleher said. “Through study abroad, I was in Bremen for about a month.

Scholarships help unlock world of learning opportunities for business student Kiersten Kelleher - UMSL Daily Kelleher has spent time in Bremen and Aschaffenburg, Germany, and has plans for another study abroad program in Ecuador while pursuing her MBA.

Most college graduates likely would agree that their degrees have helped advance their careers. But when Bill Dickens, Certified Financial Planner™, credits the University of Missouri–St. Louis with giving him a 10-year head start, he has the proof to back it up.

Dickens was ready to take the CFP® exam immediately after graduating with a BSBA in finance from UMSL’s Ed G. Smith College of Business in 2003, thanks to a rigorous curriculum approved by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. At the time, UMSL was one of few schools in the nation to offer a specialized undergraduate education for aspiring CFP® professionals.

“I was sitting alongside peers in that financial planner exam who were in many cases 10 or 15 years my senior,” Dickens recalled. “They did not have a similar undergraduate educational experience, and that required them to continue their education to be able to be qualified to sit for the exam.”

Alum Bill Dickens laid foundation for career success at UMSL and remains committed to giving back - UMSL Daily Dickens earned his BSBA at UMSL in 2003 and is a certified financial planner and partner with the Moneta Group.

Nick Ballenger had settled on his chosen career long before arriving at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

“I always knew I wanted to do something with animals or nature or both,” said Ballenger, whose passion was stoked during regular visits to the Saint Louis Zoo with his family growing up.

The recent biology graduate also attended camps at the zoo each summer and later became a volunteer there during his teenage years.

His love of animals was just as evident at home, where he kept every manner of pet – dog, fish, hamsters, birds, a tortoise.

Opportunity Scholar Nick Ballenger starting vet school after completing bachelor’s degree in biology - UMSL Daily Ballenger will begin studying at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine this fall.

Martin Kardos came to the University of Missouri–St. Louis from his native Slovakia after being recruited to play for the Tritons by former Tennis Coach Rick Gyllenborg. After earning his BSBA in international business in 2003, he stayed on as an assistant coach while completing his MBA in management in 2005. Kardos began his career with CSI Leasing, whose worldwide headquarters are in St. Louis.

After nine years in the United States – where he built lasting friendships but missed his family, friends and Bratislava’s beloved neighborhood bakeries – he returned home when CSI expanded into central and eastern Europe. He now serves as managing director in the region and enjoys living in a capital city that keeps nature close by. He offers these recommendations for visitors. –Erica Falgout

Explore Bratislava with two-time UMSL alum Martin Kardos - UMSL Daily Kardos works as managing director for central and eastern Europe at CSI Leasing.

Scott D. Peterson still has vivid memories from more than two decades ago of the summer days he’d spend at baseball and softball diamonds around central Maine as he coached three of his kids’ teams.

Peterson, now an associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the First Gentleman to his wife, Chancellor Kristin Sobolik, lived in Orono, Maine, while both were faculty members at the University of Maine. Peterson came to look forward to the ritual of those games while doing his best to navigate some of the politics that come with being a parent-coach of a community youth sports team.

Scott D. Peterson’s book, ‘A Month of Game Days,’ wins Twin Bill Prize for Best Baseball Fiction - UMSL Daily Peterson captures stories about baseball-obsessed father and coach Lou Mallett and his family. The book was inspired by some of Peterson's own experiences coaching youth baseball in central Maine.

Throughout her childhood, Brittany Henry would faithfully tune into Cartoon Network’s Toonami – a block of Japanese anime programming – on Saturday nights with her brothers.

At the time, Henry didn’t imagine watching “Cowboy Bebop” or playing Japanese video games would lead to living and studying abroad in Japan. She didn’t even think it would lead to taking Japanese courses at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

“In high school, I took French classes,” Henry said. “I really enjoyed French. I really liked learning another language, and I was convinced I was actually going to get a French minor. But, always in the back of my head, I would see that UMSL offered Japanese courses. I thought, ‘What if I try that?’”

Alum Brittany Henry pursuing master’s abroad at the University of Tokyo - UMSL Daily Henry, who majored in biology and minored in Japanese, is working toward a graduate degree in health science in the prestigious Moi Lab.

Eye on UMSL: Bend, but don’t break

Engineering students put their designs to the test during their "Elementary Engineering Design" course at the end of the spring semester.

Students in the “Elementary Engineering Design” course at the University of Missouri–St. Louis School of Engineering watch as their white S-Hook design is tested by a load recorder and cable under tension during a class on May 8. Students were given two hours of 3D printing time using PLA materials to create the S-Hooks they designed. The S-Hooks held loads up to 250 pounds before breaking during the test.

From blueprint to reality. 🚧✨

The future home of UMSL's Design and Innovation Studio is taking shape inside Stadler Hall.

See the vision alongside the progress as construction continues on this exciting new space, set to open in Fall 2026.

Jim Lally learned about the science of business as an undergraduate at Saint Louis University, but he fell in love with the art of business while earning his MBA at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

“The science of business is a finite skill, but then there’s the art of collaboration, leadership and communications that is an infinite skill,” Lally says. “I got to see both of those sides come together in the UMSL grad program.”

Lally’s career launched before he finished his MBA. During the summer before his final year, an UMSL job fair helped him connect with Commerce Bank. He was accepted into the bank’s training program and immediately realized he had found his niche.

At Enterprise Bank & Trust, MBA alum Jim Lally helps guide customers to a lifetime of financial success - UMSL Daily Lally, who earned his MBA at UMSL in 1983, has been with Enterprise for more than 20 years and now serves as chairman and CEO.