For three weeks, four students from Warren County attended the Missouri Scholars Academy at the University of Missouri for almost the entirety of June. 

The Missouri Scholars Academy invites 330 high school juniors from Missouri that are academically gifted to help them grow into their full potential, challenge themselves academically and meet like-minded individuals outside of their community. 

Rylan Arndt, Warrenton; Katelyn McJannet, Warrenton; Collin McMahan, Wright City and Karsten Uhl, Wright City all attended. 

Arndt also attended the Washington University Rural Scholars program this summer, adding that it was an excellent program targeted towards rural-area students. 

Students had a jam-packed three week excursion, with classes throughout the day, activities in the evening, team building events, a talent show and expert speakers varying in topics. 

These four students chose a few things on a big list that sounded interesting to them and then were assigned a major and minor. Many of the scholars had very different majors and minors in topicality to help push them out of their comfort zones. 

Arndt’s major was science based focusing on finding global solutions for real world problems, while his minor was radical literature. McJannet’s major revolved around Shakespeare and his influence and her minor was crime and punishment in medieval England. 

McMahan’s major was kings, knights and knaves and his minor was journalism. Uhl’s major was finding your voice in writing and his minor was maritime trade and pirates. 

Uhl added that his major really helped him become a better writer, something that he mentioned was not his strong suit before he attended the academy. 

While all scholars noted their classes were interesting and often pointed to a bigger picture lesson while looking at specifics, many added that the people they met, experts and students alike, were stimulating. 

“I got to meet so many amazing and intelligent people who were like-minded in many ways, but also very different from me,” McJannet said. 

McMahan had a similar view to McJannet adding that despite vast differences, it was easy to find and connect with people who were like-minded. 

“It’s a very big learning opportunity. You got to learn the different aspects of people’s lives, the complications, what makes people who they are. It was very, very interesting,” McMahan said. 

Students interacted with grand chess masters, former NASA astronauts, doctors, survivors from the Rwandan Genocide, comedians and more. 

Arndt noted that he found the grand chess master very amusing, as he sat with 20 other people who all had their own chess boards and the chess master would go around making one move on everyone’s board, beating every single person. 

“Everybody there was so interesting and there were so many stories,” Uhl said. “If you wanted to strike up a conversation about computers or random books or anything, you could find somebody.” 

Arndt left the academy with a big takeaway after spending three weeks with other students from different backgrounds. 

“There’s going to be people in bigger cities that have more opportunities than you to make their academics shine out more,” Arndt said. “It’s not necessarily about trying to compete with them. It’s more about taking things away from them and trying to learn from their experiences.” 

Arndt went on to say that it’s important not to dwell on who did what and who had better resources. Instead, people should listen, learn and apply them to better oneself. 

All four Warren County scholars agreed that the program provided them with a plethora of new lessons, experiences and outlooks. 

“It’s really good for meeting people that are around the same caliber as you and sort of building your own community for yourself to help give you more advantages with your academics,” Arndt said.