Convocation speakers urge new UMSL students to make the most of every opportunity

Convocation speakers urge new UMSL students to make the most of every opportunity

by Dave Benson | Aug 24, 2026

As the latest class of new students prepared to begin their University of Missouri-St. Louis experience, Miranda Ming encouraged them to expect the unexpected.

A three-time UMSL alum, Ming earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from the university, most recently completing a PhD in educational leadership and policy studies in 2015. She spoke Friday during New Student Convocation at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, telling the packed crowd of students, family members and friends that the path to success is rarely a straight line.

"Like many of you, I had questions about my future," said Ming, an author and educator who is the regional director for the Missouri Charter Public School Association. "I didn't have every answer, and I certainly didn't have the perfect plan. But what I did have was a willingness to keep moving, to work hard, and to trust that every experience, even the ones that brought me to my knees, were preparing me for something greater."

The fourth annual event to mark the beginning of the academic year welcomed around 1,600 first-year students to UMSL, a group Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Career Advancement Reggie Hill described as one of the largest in university history. More than 1,300 are from Missouri, while more than 170 hail from nearly 40 other states. This year's class of new students also includes more than 100 international students representing at least 30 countries.

Hill opened the proceedings by assuring the newest Tritons that there will be no shortage of guides to help them along their "journey filled with possibilities, challenges and growth."

"All of us here at UMSL - your professors, academic advisors, the deans of your schools, your coaches, administrators, staff, tribe leaders and even your admission counselors - we look forward to getting to know each of you by name and story," Hill said. "As you begin your time here at UMSL, you'll receive advice from many of us about how to ensure that you are successful and that you're able to realize your dreams and desires through your college education."

Other speakers during the 45-minute program included Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Steven Berberich, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Jessica Long-Pease, Student Government Association President Kaine Koehler and student speaker Nadia Agarwalla.

Spilling took the opportunity to commend the new students for choosing UMSL. Citing the construction projects across campus, he told them that they had arrived at a pivotal moment for the university as new academic centers, classrooms, labs and student spaces take shape as part of the Transform UMSL initiative.

"You have chosen to invest in yourselves and your futures, and the possibilities that lie ahead for you are without limit," he said. "This is your time of transformation, and you have come to a campus that is in an exciting time of transformation."

Berberich emphasized the university's commitment to helping the new students, and he encouraged them to take advantage of the many academic, professional and co-curricular opportunities available. He also stressed that UMSL is a community where every student belongs, regardless of their background or path to the university, and urged them to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead as they develop the skills, perspective and experience needed for lifelong learning, leadership and contribution.

In what has become a tradition at New Student Convocation, Berberich then called up each of the deans to introduce themselves, encouraging the students to get loud for the leader of their college or school. The other speakers quickly convened to pick a winner for the Most Enthusiastic New Students Award, and this year's honor went to the College of Optometry.

Long-Pease provided a brief history of UMSL's beginnings, touting its evolution into one of the region's leading public universities that has produced over 120,000 alumni, including more than 80,000 who live and work in the St. Louis metropolitan area. She implored the new students to embrace every aspect of their own UMSL experience before introducing the remaining speakers, including Ming, who lauded UMSL as the place where she discovered her voice as a leader.

"You are a Triton today," she said. "Make the most of it."

Koehler encouraged the new students to embrace their place in the UMSL community, and he assured them that while college will bring difficult classes and unexpected obstacles, they will not have to face those challenges alone. Agarwalla - a senior political science who serves as executive chair of the University Programming Board, chair of the Student Programming Allocation Council and vice president of the Asian American Association - urged the new students to recognize their own potential and take advantage of the people at UMSL who can help them discover it.

"This school produces stars," Agarwalla said. "Ask any random student, and they'll probably have their own story of a supportive, attentive staff or faculty mentor right here on campus. Take advantage of their presence. Let the school make you more."

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