When starting out in the Missouri Western Business Department, Brendon Clark ’05 did not anticipate entering the banking industry. He initially chose Missouri Western because “it was a great opportunity for me to stay close to home, get a quality education and also be connected with my career interests that I had at the time.”

Missouri Western gave him opportunities to connect with business professionals in the area and expand his horizons until he discovered what a career in finance could really be about. “Missouri Western exposed me to all sorts of different business connections around town.” He eventually began his career at Commerce Bank. He began as a commercial lender and now serves as St. Joseph market president for Commerce Bank.

Clark appreciates the opportunities that he received while he was a student at Missouri Western and believes that the university provides these opportunities for all students. “The opportunities to get involved and participate in the community are second-to-none here in St. Joseph,” Clark said. “I think the university really helps propel that and puts students in a position where they can meet people and they can network with people.”

Clark believes that it is vitally important to give back to the community, and is grateful his employer, Commerce Bank, supports his efforts. He utilizes the skills he gained as a student at Missouri Western as a member of four different community organizations – Family Guidance Center, Allied Arts Council, Pony Express Museum Board of Trustees and East Side Rotary Club. “The more that we, especially alumni, can advocate for our story and leverage our education really helps support the university, which in turn supports the community.”

Kylee Strough ’03 currently serves as the president of the United Way of Greater St. Joseph. She is celebrating her 17th year with the United Way, including her 12th year as president. Strough loves working with different individuals around St. Joseph and being a “helper.” She is incredibly passionate assisting those in need around the St. Joseph community.

Strough initially chose to attend Missouri Western because she wanted to stay close to home. She knew she would be able to keep her part-time job, attend school and take advantage of the extracurriculars she was interested in. “It had everything I wanted and was in my backyard!” Strough joined the business department and knew it was where she belonged. She intended to work in a business and use volunteering to fulfill her need to serve the community. After graduation, she had the opportunity to volunteer with the United Way. Shortly following, a position opened up and she applied. She has been working there ever since.

Strough has remained strongly connected with the university throughout her life. “I have been fortunate to experience MWSU in several ways – as a kiddo growing up and going to basketball and football games on campus, as a student, as a member of the Board of Governors,” Strough said. “[My husband and I] are Gold Coat and Foundation supporters, and I serve on the Craig School of Business Advisory Council.”

She believes that people are the sum of all their experiences, but says she wouldn’t be where she is today – personally or professionally – without Missouri Western. “My degree path and experiences at MWSU prepared me to be able to handle much of what crosses my desk and to know when I need to reach out to an expert for help,” she said. “One of the things that I could not have gotten anywhere else except MWSU is a network of contacts.” Many of the professionals that came into her classes or that helped with activities during her time as a student are people she has had a chance to work with during her career.As a Missouri Western alumna serving as the president of the United Way of Greater St. Joseph, Strough sees an unlimited number of opportunities for the city and university to unite together in positive ways. “MWSU is our university. It’s here in our community. It’s providing jobs, attracting students and educating the next generation of our citizens,” Strough said. “You don’t have to be an alumni to support it: wear black and gold, attend events, be welcoming to students. They’re in St. Joseph – let’s give them a reason to stay!”

Jason and Jamie Grayson both graduated from Missouri Western in 1998. While life has taken the twins down different paths, they both show a commitment to serving the community and a dedication to their alma mater.

Jason currently serves as the human resources director for Tyson Foods and serves on the Missouri Western Foundation Board and United Way Board. Jamie recently retired from the banking industry and currently serves as the executive director/founder for People of All Colors (POAC) Succeed – a non-profit organization that works with schools and businesses as a “pillar for change in Kansas City.”

Having grown up in Plattsburg, Missouri, Jamie and Jason were recruited to participate in athletics at several universities, but they both chose Missouri Western. They had a dream to play sports together at the same school, and when they came to Missouri Western, they discovered that it was more than somewhere to play sports together. “Missouri Western was like a family. The vibe and family atmosphere is something that I gravitated toward,” Jamie said. “You’re not just a number,” Jason added. “You have an opportunity to forge relationships with the faculty and staff. Still to this day, I talk to some of my professors and it’s exciting to see they still remember me.”

Relationships are what Jason and Jamie are all about. They both spent four years at Missouri Western playing football (both as wide receivers), forging relationships with faculty and staff, and forming a brotherhood with their peers. “Leadership is all we know,” Jason said. “Be it on the football field or in the classroom, leadership is something that was instilled in us. It’s what we do to this day.” Now, they are both leaders in different aspects – Jamie through his position at Tyson Foods and on his Boards, and Jason through the development of POAC Succeed.

“We were taught by our mother from a very young age that we were blessed with a lot of things and it is our responsibility to give blessings to others, to give back,” Jason said. “It’s something that I want to make sure my wife and I teach our kids.” Jamie echoed the importance of giving back: “We were born and raised to give to the community. What people see me doing today is actually what we were raised to do. One of the biggest awards I’ve received is actually the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice award back in 2010.”

But relationships aren’t all that Jamie and Jason gained during their time at Missouri Western. “Missouri Western has allowed me to become the person I am today,” Jamie said. “I’ll put my degree up against any institution. It’s prepared me for the work I’m doing in the community, and in the banking industry I recently retired from. I’m very proud to say I’m a Griff.”

When April Cowan arrived at Missouri Western, she knew she wanted to enter the field of museum curation. What she didn’t know was how to make that dream a reality. Without the ability to major in art history, Cowan was not sure how to begin her journey toward her dream career. After working with her advisor, she discovered that she could pursue a general studies major by combining two minors into studies that fit her goals. She chose to combine art history and a customized minor.

The art history minor provides Cowan with the background she needs for the art aspect of curation. By imagining a second customized minor, Cowan is able to integrate the business knowledge that is necessary to keep museums running. “My advisor is also an art history teacher, so she knows what classes I need to prepare for that career field,” Cowan said. “I’m definitely 100 percent happy with it.”

Cowan was able to spend a summer interning with St. Joseph Museums. This internship allowed her to learn about the details that go into running a museum. “Because they’re a small museum, I got to sit in on a lot more than what I originally went there to learn,” she said. “I got to learn about the business side of running a museum, which I had never really thought about.” Cowan was able to attend board meetings, work in the archives, lead tours and even teach groups of kids about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

“Talking to people [on campus] about what I want to do, I feel like I am in such a good place,” Cowan said. “Without those people [that I have met on campus] I don’t think I would be where I am now.”

Born and raised in St. Joseph, Malkaam Muhammad wanted to expand his horizons after he graduated from high school. He attended a university across the country where he played football and pursued a degree in communications. After earning his first bachelor’s degree, he moved to Kansas City to coach youth sports. After chasing that dream for a while, he chose to return to St. Joseph to be near family and chose to return to Missouri Western to pursue a second degree in physical education. “I could have chosen any school to get my second degree,” Muhammad said. “But after talking to alumni and other students, it was just a no-brainer [to choose Missouri Western].” Muhammad loves coaching football and plans to become a PE teacher and coach after graduation.

Muhammad doesn’t just have the one goal, though. He wants run his family’s food truck. In 2002, Muhammad’s parents opened Big Daddy & Son’s BBQ – a food truck that has gained popularity with St. Joseph locals over the years. He spent his childhood helping his parents run their food truck at festivals and other events. As he got older, he developed more of an interest in sports and became less involved with his parents’ business. As he returned to his hometown in his 20s, he redeveloped his interest in helping with the food truck, and he actually bought the business from them.

While he began his education at Missouri Western with the goal of becoming a PE teacher and coach, he has found his way into entrepreneurship. He discovered that Missouri Western has a support system for each of his diverse passions. “You need someone in your corner that is an expert and is knowledgeable,” Muhammad said. “Especially when you have a plan, but don’t know how to execute it.” 

His Missouri Western professors and mentors have been in his corner from the beginning. No matter what he needs help with or has questions about, Muhammad can find someone on campus who is willing to provide assistance. On campus, Muhammad said, there are “always good people. You can walk up and talk to any stranger and it’s always welcome.” The support system at Missouri Western has been instrumental in Muhammad’s success, and he is very appreciative for the people he has met and the knowledge he has gained while he has been here.

Heather Mitchell ’01, owner of Hazel’s Coffee and Roasing Company, believes that the connections she has made and the support she has been given by Missouri Western and the Center for Entrepreneurship have helped her thrive in her journey as a small business owner.

“Entrepreneurship is in my blood. I always knew I wanted to own a small business,” Mitchell said. When Hazel’s was listed for sale, Mitchell was working for a similar business in St. Joseph, “but I was doing it for someone else.” She didn’t want to see her favorite coffee shop that is loved by many locals permanently shut down. She reached out to the Center for Entrepreneurship and asked what it would take buy the business.

Mitchell has been working with Missouri Western and the Center for Entrepreneurship ever since. “It is an amazing service that they offer for us [entrepreneurs],” Mitchell said. She worked closely with Annette Weeks, executive director of the center for entrepreneurship, throughout the whole process, from inventorying, determining the value of the name Hazel’s and all other steps that needed to be taken before the business could be sold. 

When you want to pursue an entrepreneurial career, you need to “[h]ave your whole heart in it. Seek out people who will rally around you and support you through it,” Mitchell said. “But also those who can reel you in or you’ll be going in 20 different directions.”

Looking back at the past decades that she has been connected with Missouri Western, one aspect still stands out. “Missouri Western is very friendly. It was 20 years ago, and it still is when I come back out.”

Clifton Alexander is a self-described “man of opportunity” – if an opportunity presents itself, he’s going to take it. That’s how he came to pursue his MBA at Missouri Western.

Originally from Haiti, Alexander and his four siblings were adopted by a couple who brought them home to California in 2010. Through hard work, determination and a strong support network, Alexander graduated from high school and went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Irvine. After graduating from UCI, Alexander had a serious question to ask himself – was he ready to enter a career, or did he want to continue his education?

At that point he spoke with longtime family friend Steven L. Craig – namesake of Missouri Western’s Craig School of Business – who told Alexander about Missouri Western and the great opportunities that awaited him. Alexander jumped on the chance to try something new.

“One advantage to coming here [to Missouri Western] is that I can get that one-on-one time with professors when I’m struggling or have questions,” Alexander said. “That’s one big difference from back in California.”

After graduating from Missouri Western, Alexander wants to return to Haiti to open a restaurant. “Getting my MBA, I’m learning a lot about the business industry that I didn’t learn when I was back in California.” Missouri Western’s MBA program is giving Alexander opportunities to learn, network and gain experiences that he would not have had at other universities. “Campus is so friendly, so welcoming,” that although Alexander has only been attending classes at Missouri Western for a short time, he always has someone to stop and talk to as he walks across campus.

As the self-described “man of opportunity” that Alexander is, he feels fortunate to have jumped at the chance to experience something new in Missouri – an experience that is far removed from the life in California that he’s known for more than a decade. And he is looking forward to the opportunities that he will have in the future because of the education that he is receiving in Missouri Western’s MBA program.

Ally Fives ’21 is a partner at Piefive Pizza with the goal of future ownership. One of the partners at Piefive Pizza reached out to the Missouri Western Craig School of Business Center for Entrepreneurship looking for an additional partner to which they could eventually sell the business. Annette Weeks, executive director of the center for entrepreneurship, suggested Fives’s name to the partner and the partnership took off from there.

Fives is most excited to be her own boss and have the opportunity to take chances, evaluate the results and determine what works best for the business. These are all skills that she said she has learned directly from her time in the Craig School of Business. “I took the franchise class which gave me a lot of inside information on how to run a franchise,” Fives said. The support and knowledge she has gained during her time at Missouri Western will help her pursue all of her entrepreneurial endeavors.

And Piefive is not her first. Fives also owns a drone photography business called Skyfivesdrones. When she needed help launching the drone business, Ally reached out to Annette Weeks who helped her with the legalities of starting and running her own business.

“The support is always there with you” even after graduation, Fives said. Missouri Western is a community, a family, and the support does not just go away after graduation. “The support that the school gives you is truly one-in-a-million.”

Dr. Michelle Cebulko ’93 is the cofounder of Peacock Pediatrics in St. Joseph which opened in summer 2020. She has more than two decades of experience in pediatric practice.

Cebulko attended Missouri Western because she wanted the feel and experience of a smaller school. She loved her time at Missouri Western because of the small class sizes and the ability to work closely with her professors. She was able to participate in Chemathon and publish a research paper during her undergraduate years – experiences she may not have had in larger schools.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from Missouri Western, Cebulko applied to medical school at the University of Missouri with the encouragement of the faculty within the biology program.

“I was extremely nervous to start medical school from a smaller college. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to compete with the kids who had gone to Wash U and Mizzou. There was a guy from Harvard in our class,” she said. “But I was just as prepared as them and even more so in some instances. I had a really good foundation and I didn’t have any debt when I started med school.” 

The foundation of a Missouri Western education enables graduates like Cebulko to go anywhere. She attended medical school at Mizzou and then completed her residency in Kansas City. Ultimately, she returned to the St. Joseph area in the mid-2000s and has called it home ever since.

Patrick Modlin ’88 and his wife, Terri, are the owners of Room 108 and Felix Street Gourmet, both located in downtown St. Joseph.

Modlin is committed to connecting St. Joseph – particularly downtown – to Missouri Western. As a child, Modlin recalls visiting a vibrant, bustling downtown with his family. As an adult, he is determined to restore that atmosphere with a strengthened connection to Missouri Western. He envisions St. Joseph as a thriving college town. “Missouri Western is one of the most important assets for St. Joe,” Modlin said. “We are so blessed to have such a prominent university that delivers not only a great education but also has successful athletics and community programs.” 

“It is unquestionably the best value-based education, in the region – if not the nation. I had to pay for my own college, so I recognize how important that is, particularly for first-generation students,” he said. “For the price and value of the education, it’s hard to beat.” As the youngest of nine children, and a first-generation student, Modlin had a serious decision to make – it wasn’t just about what college to attend but whether to even go to college. Missouri Western was the right choice. “Missouri Western prepared me for a successful career in the corporate world, exceeding many others from larger and more expensive universities.”

Modlin has remained actively involved with Missouri Western since moving back from Kansas City in 2006. He currently serves on the board of the Missouri Western Foundation, and its Development Committee, as well as the Executive Advisory Council for the Craig School of Business. He and Terri have served as volunteers and board members for the revitalization of downtown for several years. Continuing to strengthen the relationships between St. Joe and the Missouri Western campus remains a top priority.

Modlin describes Missouri Western as a benefit to the community, and envisions thriving relationships between St. Joe and Missouri Western to continue to grow. He wants to ensure that local students realize how fortunate they are to have a prominent university in their own hometown.