May 05, 2026
For Farmington native Kenzie McAllister, Mizzou was the perfect fit for her ambitions and a place where she could continue a family legacy in technology.
Kenzie McAllister will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics in May 2026. The Farmington native completed an internship as a systems analyst with the Missouri Department of Conservation and as a sales data analytics intern with CrowdStrike. She plans to pursue a career in data analytics and engineering.
I’m the third generation of my family to be involved in the tech industry.
My grandfather and my dad were both software engineers. They built a veterinary software company called Avimark, later known as McAllister Software Systems. I grew up around technology, and my dad did a good job at introducing me to programming from an early age. I have early memories of modifying our Minecraft worlds to our liking thanks to him.
I wanted to move somewhere more diverse, with more opportunities and ways to get involved.
Mizzou felt like the right fit: close enough to home yet still offering the scale of the state’s largest university. Very few people from my high school planned to attend Mizzou, so I was excited for a fresh start and the chance to meet new people. I had heard about the Asian American Association before applying, so I knew it would be a welcoming community where I could connect with others who shared similar backgrounds and experiences.
My most memorable moment was participating in TigerHacks freshman year.
TigerHacks is a 72-hour hackathon hosted by the Mizzou Computing Association. I formed a group with some other women in my major. We got little to no sleep, but we pushed through and won second place in the beginner category.
What was most memorable was not just winning but getting to know these women. They became my support system throughout the next four years. I couldn’t have met a more amazing and inspiring group of friends.