May 06, 2025

Story by Logan Jackson

While Maya Bowman admitted that the scholarship opportunities offered by the University of Missouri made her decision to become a Tiger an easy one, what happened on her official campus tour truly sold her on attending Mizzou.

“My dad earned a degree from Mizzou, so I already had a connection with campus,” said Bowman, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. “He was with me during my tour, and after we finished, he showed me his favorite spots. Hearing how much he loved Mizzou and diving into those memories was really great and motivated me to follow in his footsteps.”

Bowman also knew Mizzou was going to give her the opportunity to explore her interests. Her major was originally undecided but her passion for computer science won out. She’s graduate with a degree in computer science, as well as a minor in mathematics. Bowman also completed the 24 hours to earn the Honors Certificate.

“Mizzou is so big, and I was on the fence about what I wanted to study,” Bowman said. “I knew it was probably going to be related to computer science, and after I took the ‘Introduction to Computer Science’ course, I knew I was going to pursue a degree in that field.”

Bowman has been interested in computer science since middle school when she frequented the code.org website. That excitement grew as she got into high school and solidified as a Tiger.

“I enjoyed the computer science classes that were available to me throughout the degree,” Bowman said. “I had so much fun learning so many things that I was interested in. All the faculty have always been a joy during class – they’re always really helpful and wiling to set time aside whenever I had questions.”

While Bowman was plenty active within her degree program, she was equally involved in the Honors College. Since her first semester, Bowman has been a friendly face on the second floor of Lowry Hall, working the front desk for the Honors College. Along with welcoming students and guests, she regularly answers a variety of questions that individuals have related to Honors.

Bowman has had a first-hand look at the growth of the Honors College over the past four years, too.

“It’s been great to see the Honors College add more staff, especially advisors, over my time here,” Bowman said. “I feel honored to be part of the experience. It’s been really cool to see the growth.”

Bowman was an Honors College Ambassador for a brief period and shared more about her experience during special Honors events, like the Honors Night in Kanas City, Missouri.

“It was always fun to see students get excited about Honors,” Bowman said.

As far as courses, Bowman was about to take a couple Departmental Honors courses tied to computer science. She also participated in a couple Honors seminars and was able to take Honors courses that were interesting to her, like one tied to the Unbound Book Festival.

“I loved the small class sizes and the one-on-one time I was able to have with some outstanding professors,” Bowman said. “It was really fun to broaden my horizons and learn more about subjects I had an interest in.

“There are also several ways to earn Honors credit, which is nice. Even if you can’t work in a ton of courses tied directly to your degree, there are opportunities to gain hands-on experiences and still have those experiences count toward your Honors Certificate. For example, I was able to earn credit for an internship.”

Bowman’s internship was with Kyndryl, a technology company focused on designing, managing and modernizing critical technology systems for businesses. Bowman served as a data science intern for four months during the summer of 2023. A few months later, she began a co-op with Kyndryl, as a data engineer. It’s work that she has continued into 2025.

“Work experiences of that nature are incredibly important,” Bowman said. “I’m thankful that I was able to gain relevant skills tied to my degree. It was also very helpful to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it to actual real-world situations.

“I think a lot of the things that I learned from my classes have helped me be ready to go into my career. I learned a lot of foundational knowledge, and I know it will help me in the future as well.”

After graduation, Bowman said she is interested in jumping right into the workforce. She is specifically looking for opportunities tied to data transformation. Bowman added that she feels prepare for those experiences thanks to her time at Mizzou.

“I just really enjoyed being part of the Mizzou community,” Bowman said. “This is super nerdy, but I also really liked the classwork. I had a blast in so many of my classes, especially those offered through the Honors College. There are so many learning opportunities available, and I’m glad I took advantage of them.”

This story was originally published by the Honors College here.