I Came to St. Joseph, MO, for College and Stayed for My Career
Find out why an MWSU grad chose to start and grow her career in the region.
St. Joseph, MO, boasts a rich history centered around its boom years, as it was a bustling hub for trading on the Missouri River in the 1800s. Over the years, the city has worked to shift with the changing times, and today, it features affordable homes, locally-owned restaurants and shops, outdoor activities and a variety of great jobs.
Though a wonderful place for anyone to put down roots, St. Joseph is becoming more attractive to young professionals, particularly those right out of college. In fact, many who have moved to the city to attend Missouri Western State University (MWSU) have chosen to stay in the area to start and grow their careers.
One example is Elora Maxwell from Lincoln, NE, who moved to St. Joseph to play soccer for MWSU and study public relations and strategic communication in 2018. At the time, she was already familiar with the city because she had family living in the area. Today, Maxwell is a writer of historical fiction and a digital marketing coordinator for MWSU.
What made you want to stay in the St. Joseph area after graduation?
After I graduated, I went to Branson, MO, where I had an internship with a theme park. I really enjoyed that, but I came back to St. Joe because of my family living in the area and my husband, who was my fiancé at the time, also had a job here. I started looking for positions here, and the digital marketing coordinator position at Missouri Western opened up. It was just really exciting to be able to come back to the place that gave me all these skills and all these opportunities.
How did you get plugged into the community after graduation?
That was actually a very easy transition for me. When I was a student here, I was an athlete, and we did a lot of community outreach already with that, and I did an internship with the St. Joe Mustangs, which is a local baseball team, so I was already a part of that family.
I’m also an author. Being able to step out of school life and step into the book community here has been huge, whether that’s just having book signings and meeting with people or going to other people’s signings, going to book clubs and all of that good stuff. That community is growing – a new bookstore just opened in town like yesterday, so that’s really exciting. We’re also involved in our church community, as well.
What do you love about St. Joseph?
I have grown to love St. Joe more and more. Especially being a student athlete here, there wasn’t a lot of time to do extra stuff in the community, but when I graduated, being able to really dive in – and being an intern with the Mustangs was really great, too, because they do a lot with the community.
But honestly, it just feels like a big family here when you go to those events. So many people are so passionate about St. Joe doing well. When you go out to those events and see all these people that are happy and excited, that’s a huge thing for me. I also love that it’s a good size. It’s close to Kansas City and Des Moines and Omaha. At the heart of it, it still kind of feels like a small town, which I really like. There are so many opportunities here, whether you’re a writer or an artist or whatever it might be. There are those big-city opportunities here but with a small-town feel.
There is a love for this town, and there’s a new energy here. I feel like it’s going to kind of explode here in the next few years because of how much people are starting to care about it and how many new businesses we’re seeing, and young people are staying here. It’s an exciting time to be here.
What would you do in St. Joseph on your ideal Saturday?
If I could do anything I wanted on a Saturday here in St. Joe, I would wake up, go to breakfast at The Big Biscuit, then go on a walk on our trail system at River Bluff Trails Park. That would be really beautiful. Then I’d hang out downtown, visit the shops, go eat at Geneo’s Pizza or Boudreaux’s. They’re really good, and they’re right down the street from us. And then I’d either go see a movie or see what’s going on at Krug Park in the evening.
What are the best neighborhoods for young professionals as well as families?
I can’t speak about every area, but I can speak about where my husband and I live. We have an apartment at the American Electric Lofts, and it is amazing. We love it. It’s full of a lot of young professionals and a lot of young couples. It’s in this beautiful old brick building right downtown on the river. It’s been renovated so it’s all new and modern inside.
It’s right across the street from the Civic Arena, so if there’s an event there, we can just walk across the street to get there. There are restaurants within walking distance. You can walk to Felix Street Square and be a part of those events. I know there are a lot of nice apartments downtown, too. It’s been really fun to be able to see kind of the revitalization of downtown happen right outside our window.
Why should other graduates consider staying in St. Joseph after graduation?
Graduates should consider starting their careers in St. Joseph because it gives them an opportunity to act on the connections they made in college. It gives them an opportunity to be a part of a smaller team and still have a huge role in the community. There are opportunities here – big and small. You just have to be willing to look for them and step outside of your comfort zone.
This article was sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.