Mona-Mari Gardner from Paarl, South Africa, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Outstanding Student for November. Mona-Mari is pursuing an Associate of Arts in Science in Early Childhood Development online and plans to become a preschool educator at the Kadena Airforce Base in Okinawa, Japan, where she currently resides. She also plans on joining the Army reserves.
Mona-Mari is involved in 1-1 SFRG, bible study, and the Army Ladies Dragon Boat Team. Her favorite class is Childhood Development: Creative Expression and Play with Instructor Noel Staddie. Mona-Mari said, “My advisor, Noel Staddie, is my favorite part of NCMC. She is the main instructor for the majority of my major-specific courses and has been very responsive and helpful throughout my journey. I decided to study at NCMC for their AAS in Early Childhood Development because of Noel Staddie. Through choosing a school, Noel was the only advisor that personally reached out and made the process clear and concise while also ensuring me that this was the college for me. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be able to pursue a degree in a field I am passionate about because higher education in this field is not an opportunity that would have been afforded to me in South Africa.”
Each month, a student is nominated by a faculty or staff member to be featured as an Outstanding Student based on their dedication to educational success, attitude toward learning, and hard work in their field and activities. To learn more about NCMC, visit the NCMC website, or contact the Admissions department at 660-359-3948.
