Happy Friday!

Becca Benjamin is our current Student Council president at S&T and our first student contributor to my Friday messages. She is a senior and first-year master’s degree student studying biology with minors in chemistry, biomedical engineering, studio art, and along the way, she will earn a medicinal chemistry certificate. Her message, aimed mostly at her fellow students, is based on her own rich experiences:

I am extremely excited to be the first student highlighted for our chancellor’s Friday messages!

The message I have cherished most has been “blossom where you are planted.” We are all in different seasons of our lives and need to get involved, meet people and make change if we are to continue to learn.

To start, we need to find our community early. For me, I participated in primary recruitment for sororities to find my community during my first year, and then immediately joined the Executive Council. I served as VP of finance, where I could advocate for our members to the national organization and ensure that our Executive Council led with empathy. 

Then we must step up and make a difference. I joined the Student Council (STUCO) in my sophomore year as the representative for Phi Sigma Biological Sciences Honors Society. That is when and where I truly felt I could make a difference on campus. I later joined the Executive Council of STUCO as the student diversity liaison, and then as the community liaison because I loved the positive impact we were making on campus and in the broader Rolla community. 

I have also tried to fully embrace my involvement. I am now heavily involved in several of the more than 125 student organizations across our campus, and it has never really felt like a burden. It is my community, the place where I can see my friends grow into efficient, productive members of the community, and where I can explore my passions or simply relax when needed.  That leads me to my next point: making change. If you are working somewhere that is dreary and drab, be the sunshine. Make the change that you want to see. Don't be afraid to speak up when you see injustices and defend other people. Right now, the change that I am most excited about is the 24/5 library pilot program that the 2025-26 Student Council fought for. It is my favorite place to study while on campus and I cannot wait to see what comes of this.  Finally, I have always tried to continue to learn. I cannot tell you how much I have learned since being in various positions of student leadership. Meeting different people, including students, faculty, staff and administrators, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as Student Council president. Along the way, I read things that interest me, go on walks, visit museums and libraries, tour parks and visit that new coffee shop that otherwise I would be too busy to stop by.  In closing, I’m excited to work with everyone as the Student Council president. I am also honored to have been selected as Chancellor Dehghani’s first student for this message and can’t wait to learn about others who will be contributing to some of the upcoming editions. In the meantime, feel free to stop by the STUCO office and say hello when you are in the Havener Center — it will be great to meet you.

There you have it, directly from our Student Council president who has enjoyed the journey and embraced the experience. I will add to Becca’s point above by welcoming all our students, new and returning, to another exciting and rewarding academic year. The truth is that the most important step in a journey is often the first. Congratulations to all of you for taking that first step and beginning this journey. Along the way, we all learn that at times we need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, seek help when we need it and not let perfection get in the way of progress.

You have made your decision, a great, promising decision with an opportunity to reset and to reflect on the life-changing potential outcome of your new journey. 

May you find your community, your “tribe,” along the way.

Warmly, 

-Mo.

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A moment of remembrance: Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. As we go about our daily lives, please take a moment to reflect on the lives lost and forever changed. I sincerely thank all first responders and military service personnel, past and present, who responded following the attacks and who continue to protect our nation. 

Read previous Friday morning messages.

Check out the latest news from S&T:

• Money Magazine lists Missouri S&T among nation’s best colleges
• Missouri S&T, Insper establish partnership to expand international opportunities
• S&T employee receives inaugural Curators’ Outstanding Staff Award

Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu