It’s an annual event that celebrates scholarship recipients at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, but it’s much more than that. It's also about making connections.
The Scholarship Dinner – held this year on March 10 – is an opportunity for university donors to meet the recipients of the scholarships they have helped fund.
Liberty has partnered with the Missouri Southern Foundation for many years to fund annual scholarships for eight students who live in the utility’s electric service area.
Jordan Bolinger, Strategic Growth and Community Affairs-Senior Manager, represented Liberty at this year’s event and sat with two of our scholarship recipients: Breighlee Zimmerman, a dental hygiene major from Willow Springs, and Adreia Sanchez, a human resource management major from Joplin.
“Missouri Southern did a wonderful job of connecting donors and students for an interactive evening that consisted of learning about the university’s reinvigorated mission statement, great food, and lots of conversation,” says Bolinger.
“The students I was placed with are all first-generation college students. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride as they talked about how they juggle busy school and work schedules, and how grateful they were for the scholarships.
“If the future is full of people like Breighlee and Adreia, we’re in good hands!”
2025-26 Liberty Scholarship Recipients
Breighlee Zimmerman
Willow Springs
Dental Hygiene
Avery Acevedo
El Dorado Springs
Education-Instrumental
Adreia Sanchez
Joplin
Human Resource Management
Clarise James
Mindenmines
Nursing
Yulissa Gomez-Delgado
Noel
Management
Xavier Robinson
Clever
Psychology
Kali Johnson
Seneca
General Business
Malynn Moreland
Crane
Education