Name: Macrae Conrad
Major: Marketing with a concentration in PGA Golf Management
Minor: Accounting
Activities: Religious Life
- Tell everyone what drew you to MU.
When I visited the PGM program here at MU, the staff was extremely welcoming and I was confident in the resources I would have to get my career started. It is hard to beat a private 18-hole golf facility, a network of 1,200 PGM alumni, and students who can share their love for the game together. During my campus tour, my mother leaned over to my sister and asked if she was ready to visit me here because she could see that I was comfortable walking through the Quad and the rest of campus. We are in our own world filled with incredibly diverse students. I knew that by attending MU, I had the opportunity to stand out as a leader and have my own, special impact on the university.
- What are your plans after graduating?
Before my final semester, I secured a position as the Head Professional at Crown Hill Golf Club in Ohio where I grew up learning the game. My internship path helped me grow my knowledge of managing a golf operation and become confident in my abilities to lead a golf staff and provide instruction opportunities for all ages. I am proud that I can use my education and experiences to enrich the community which has always been supportive of me.
- What toppings do you normally get on a pizza?
It’s a typical answer, but I like peperoni and mushroom pizza. I change it up sometimes by adding green peppers. No matter what, though, the cheese is the most important part.
- Tell us why you are involved in Religious Life.
Religious Life is a great way to meet people from all over campus. Students may have different classes and different goals, but we all have a common link through our desire to learn about and question our faith. I got involved in Religious Life because of my years going to youth group at church and FCA in high school. Through campus events, I could continue a discussion about my beliefs, whether through times of fellowship with other PGM students, worship during Chapel and Ignite, or discovery in a thirty-week intensive study of Christian belief. I was able to find the groups that challenged me and fed my spirit, which then led to leadership positions. My time at MU is special because of the music I have led with the praise band, the friends I have made after talking through difficult subjects, and the faith with which I have been blessed through perseverance.
- If you could support a charity, which one would it be?
The golf industry introduced me to the Folds of Honor, which provides educational assistance to families of fallen or disabled military service members. Attending school near Fort Bragg has given me a different appreciation for the people who serve our country. Folds or Honor respects the sacrifices that both service members and their families make. I am certainly thankful for the scholarships that lifted my financial burden of higher education, and I want to eventually pass the kindness I was shown to other students.
- What’s great about MU professors?
MU professors are a great source of knowledge and guidance for students. Our professors have many years of experience in their career fields that they bring into classes. We not only learn about the material, but we learn about situations they have encountered and ways to apply the information. When students ask questions or seek out advice, the professors are more than happy to talk with students on an individual basis. Everyone can find a professor who will be a mentor outside of the classroom.
- Tell us about your favorite golf shot.
I have to pick a long iron shot into a par-3 for my favorite. So much can wrong, but when I take a smooth swing and make excellent contact with the ball, it feels great to watch the ball fall ever so slightly onto the green. During my last round of my summer internship at the Country Club of Birmingham, I made a 178-yard hole in one with my five iron. I can still feel how good that shot was.
- Where do you like to hang out on campus?
Of course it’s hard to beat the golf facilities Downback, but I like to throw the frisbee with my friends around Matthews Ministry Center and on Sink Field. Pick up games of ultimate frisbee are especially fun. If I am just talking with some friends, I like to sit with them around the fountain in the Quad or under the bell tower.
- Tell us about your favorite book or movie fictional character and why.
I love the Robert Langdon books written by Dan Brown. It helps that Tom Hanks plays Langdon in the three movies that have been created, but I am on the side of the argument that the books are always better than the films. Robert Langdon’s knowledge is certainly admirable, as is his appreciation for the culture that reveals the mysteries in each book. I like to absorb intriguing facts and interesting meanings, so I am pulled into the significance of the symbols Robert Langdon reveals in his quests. On an MU study abroad trip to Europe, one of the books, Angels and Demons, came alive as I visited several of the sites mentioned in the book.
- What is one thing you’d want people who are considering MU to know about MU?
It can be difficult to leave family and friends to get an undergraduate degree, but MU became another home for me. The campus is a tight knit community where we get to know each other, even if it is just a passing greeting. We celebrate accomplishments together and push each other towards our goals, whether that is in class, on the field, or with our student organizations. One of the most valuable things I have learned is the value in caring for other people and investing time with those around us. This is something no one can teach, but it something all MU students can learn.