Amanda Golic studies criminal justice and criminology at Maryville. She and her family are from Bosnia, having left the war behind decades ago to start a new life in Florida. Her family’s story is harrowing and inspiring, and we loved hearing of her parents’ dreams of earning a college degree, and how Amanda is living that dream on their behalf.

Goat Day was practically a Maryville national holiday back in the 2010s, a demonstration project designed to show our students different ecologically sustainable methods for controlling the growth of the invasive honeysuckle plant. Kyra Krakos, PhD, professor of biology, hates invasive species and we have quite a bit of honeysuckle on campus. Goats like to eat honeysuckle; hence, Goat Day was born. The goats were brought in from a nearby farm and typically grazed in a forest near McNally House, obediently staying within their temporary fencing enclosure. Until one year...

Mike Bernier is a 2022 graduate of Maryville's online data science program. Mike was a nontraditional student, finishing his undergraduate degree over 40 years after starting it. In this episode, Mike reveals the everyday reasons he left college and his poignant motivation for returning to school. We are so happy Mike chose Maryville, and we thank him for sharing his heartwarming story.

Reed Huskey is a Spring 2023 graduate of Maryville's cyber security program. He landed a job with a Fortune 100 company well before graduation, and the story of how he pulled that off is a great lesson on what getting involved can mean for students at Maryville.

Maryville English professor Jesse Kavadlo has a deep love of rock and roll, so much so that, from an early age, he just assumed he’d be a rock star. Well, those dreams didn’t 100% come true, but he incorporates his rock roots in the classroom in such cool ways. And if you don't know about his band Top Gunz, you need to know! It's all in this episode of the Maryville StoryCast.

How did Joanna Serenko, a rising senior in our nursing program, land a coveted spot on the TV show The Voice? And did Nick Jonas, John Legend, and Blake Shelton really fight over her? Have a listen to this soulful episode of the Maryville StoryCast for all the details. NOTE: Stay till the end for a song from Joanna's latest album, "Best of Me," which you can find on Spotify or Apple Music.

Hawo Ismail is a rising sophomore in our nursing program. One of her first-year classes involved an assignment called “out-of-box experience” designed to get her to try something she's never tried before. Perhaps something that would push her out of her comfort zone. What she did next shocked everyone, including her!

Ty'John Barnes is a Maryville University Cyber Security student who dreamed of attending college but wasn't sure he was going to get the opportunity. Family finances were always an issue, and he didn't want to stress out his mother. Fortunately he had her and other people supporting and encouraging him, and he secured the necessary scholarships and found his way to Maryville. He is the very best of our university. Access and opportunity are at the heart of our mission, as we strongly believe everyone deserves the chance at a great education. Ty'John, thank you for bravely sharing your story with our Saints community.

Maryville's undergraduate Communication program has a pivotal end-of-year final assignment - the Senior Portfolio Defense. Our graduating students share with visiting patrons the best work they've done over their four years at Maryville, and while there are some nerve-wracking moments for them, the exercise is an important rite of passage with lessons learned. In this episode of the Maryville StoryCast, Dr. Leilani Carver-Madalon visited with us during the program's most recent Senior Portfolio Defense and shares details on the significance of the event.

Patrick Fette is a Maryville Online graduate student from Louisville, KY. And he has a better mustache than you. In fact, he's a four-time world champion! What does it take to win in the competitive world of mustache growing? Patrick gives us all the details in this episode of the StoryCast.