Griffons Connect
“When most people think about college, they picture a diploma. For us, our time at Missouri Western State University gave us so much more.”
As a first-generation student, Katelyn arrived on campus determined to make the most of every opportunity. One of her first roles was serving as a Registration Leader, welcoming new students and their families to campus. She remembers seeing herself in many of them — nervous, hopeful, excited. In helping them feel at home, she found her own confidence.
She learned to listen closely. To adapt. To problem-solve. To lead with empathy.
Later, as editor of the student newspaper and leader of the campus broadcast, she discovered the weight and privilege of responsibility. Producing a weekly paper meant serving not just readers, but a dedicated staff of fellow students. Feedback wasn’t always easy to hear — but learning to accept it, grow from it, and continuously improve shaped the professional she would become.
Those lessons carried her to the St. Joseph News-Press and now to her role as a Communications Specialist for the Missouri Department of Transportation.
And somewhere between deadlines and newsroom meetings, a little Griffon serendipity changed her life forever.
Tommy’s path at Missouri Western was equally transformative.
As sports editor for the campus newspaper, a sports information assistant in athletics, and an intern shooting video and writing stories, he wasn’t just studying journalism — he was living it. Missouri Western gave him the rare chance to grow as a professional while still learning in the classroom.
As a child, Tommy listened to updates from Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on the radio, imagining what it would be like to cover the team one day. At Missouri Western, that childhood dream became reality when he worked Chiefs Training Camp.
“I was one of the few people who got the chance to do what they wanted to do as a young kid.”
That kind of opportunity changes a person.
“MoWest felt like home.”
Katelyn and Tommy shared many classes at Missouri Western — but it wasn’t until they both began working at the St. Joseph News-Press that their paths truly connected. She worked the news desk. He covered sports. Different beats. Shared purpose.
A friendship formed. A partnership followed. In 2021, they were married. Today, they are the proud parents of four-year-old Vida.
Their lives are busy and full. Katelyn serves the State of Missouri. Tommy works with the Public Defender’s Office. Together, they also run Johnson Brothers Boxing, where Tommy — a National Golden Gloves bronze medalist and a member of the 2009 and 2010 USA Boxing teams — now pours his energy into mentoring and training young athletes alongside his brothers.
Their commitment to Missouri Western has never faded. Tommy has stepped back onto campus to teach a business class and collaborate with journalism students to strengthen the gym’s social media presence. Both credit Professor James Carivou and countless faculty mentors who invested in them — connections that continue to shape their lives today.
Their stories were connected here.
Built here.
Encouraged here.
Today’s students are just as talented. Just as hopeful. Just as full of possibility.
Will you help them write their own stories?
Your gift to Missouri Western ensures that first-generation students — and all Griffons — have access to the same life-changing opportunities: hands-on experience, dedicated mentors, meaningful leadership roles, and yes, even a little serendipity.
Please make your gift today.
Because at Missouri Western, students don’t just earn degrees.
They connect to who they’re meant to become.