The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Missouri Southern Sports

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April 27, 2012

Dimza named MSSU's outstanding graduate

From staff reports

Senior soccer player Michelle Dimza has been named Missouri Southern’s outstanding graduate for the spring 2012 graduating class.

Dimza, from St. Louis, has a 4.0 grade point average and will graduate next month with a bachelor’s degree in biology-pre med.

The award is based on involvement and leadership on campus and in the community, academic achievements and respect of students and faculty.

Dimza has been on the Dean’s List all eight semesters and served as a biology tutor for the last three years.

She is a four-year starter on the soccer team and a team captain on the for the past three seasons. She is a three-time all-MIAA selection, a three-time MIAA academic honor roll selection, and she won the 2010 MSSU Leadership Award.

This past year she was as a research intern at the University of Minnesota Life Science Undergraduate Research Program. She also presented an independent research project at the University of Minnesota Poster Symposium and participated in weekly career development luncheons and Women in Science panel discussions.

Dimza has been a volunteer with the Special Olympics of Southwest Missouri for the past four years. She has worked at the YMCA Big Sister event, and she and her teammates helped in recovery efforts after the May 22 tornado.

"Soccer is what originally brought me to Southern," Dimza said in a press release. "However, my decision to commit to MSSU was based on the small class sizes and the hospitality of the people I met while visiting.

"I am very happy with the four years I spent at Missouri Southern. The experiences I have had as an athlete, student, and member of this community were not only memorable, but also shaped my character into the person I am today. I think the faculty and staff do a great job of making success very attainable, rather than creating obstacles for students."

After graduation, Dimza will play soccer for a Women's Premiere Soccer League (WPSL) team in Seattle while studying for the Medical College Admission test (MCAT).

"Next fall, I am excited to start my life post-soccer," she said. "I will dedicate a new wealth of free time to working in a hospital in St. Louis and volunteering as much as I can."

Dimza’s career goal is to become a physician in an area in which she can incorporate medical research.

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