Katie Adler, a senior at Truman, grabbed the opportunity to spend 25 days studying nursing in the Philippines this past summer. When she returned, you couldn't get the smile off of her face. "I'd go back in a heartbeat!" she says. "I'd wanted to go on this trip since my freshman year, but I had no idea how rewarding and eye-opening it would be."

The Working Environment
The clinical environment in which Katie worked was hospitable and friendly. "The staff members at our clinical facilities were very encouraging. Their end goals were to teach us and give us nursing experience," she says.

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Trudy Cooper ('76), co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, learned early lessons in hospitality. "My parents were concessionaires at Thousand Hills State Park in Kirksville," says Cooper. "They ran a boat dock, a restaurant, and cabins—and created them from nothing."

Despite exposure to this industry, she never planned to work in the restaurant business. At Truman, she earned a bachelor's in education. She taught art for a few years before pursuing a different career. "Teaching was a huge learning experience," says Cooper.

After working banquets at Tamarron Ski Resort in Colorado, Cooper ended up at a Bennigan's restaurant in Florida.

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Get ready for the Sugar Plum Fairy! On December 4, 2007, Truman's Baldwin Auditorium will open its doors and the Minnesota Ballet will perform Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. This small but amazing company out of Duluth will perform alongside 46 locals, including many of Truman's own ballet dancers.

Dancing En Pointe
Bringing a large scale ballet to the small community like Kirksville—and also allowing the community to be involved—is pretty much unheard of. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Truman students to dance with a professional company," says Dr. Patricia Burton, professor of philosophy and ballet instructor at Truman.

A Traditional Telling
Because the original Nutcracker is so long, few companies perform the ballet in its entirety.

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Not every Truman student walking across campus was born and raised in the United States. Students from across the globe have decided that Truman's quality education, tight community, and affordability make it worth the trip—and stay.

For Enato Esangbedo, a native of The Gambia, West Africa, Truman is a family affair. "My eldest sister came to Truman—she found it on the Internet. My mom traveled to Truman for her graduation, and really liked the school." He adds, "It's affordable and has a really good reputation. My youngest sister is now at Truman, too."

Enato, a sophomore biology major, didn't have a problem fitting in at Truman. He thinks that people are essentially the same around the world, with a few cultural differences.

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