Meet Erica Overfelt: Our May Leading Woman

Name: Erica Overfelt

Major: Science and Agricultural Journalism emphasizing in Convergence and Sustainable Agriculture minoring in Atmospheric Science

Hometown: Jefferson City, MO

What are your career goals?

Environmental photographer igniting social change through my work.

What you're involved in at Mizzou?

International Programming Chair, VP of Marketing for PERIOD. @ Mizzou, MAB Summer Site Leader, SHEJ, KAO upcoming Diversity Chair

What's your favorite thing that you're involved in and why?

International Programming has been the most rewarding experience at Mizzou. I have met students I would not meet in the daily life of Erica, and I have planned impactful events for our student body.

What are you passionate about?

Growing up with a diverse family, I have realized in college that inclusivity is extremely important to me in all aspect of life. Many forget how intersectional this problem is at Mizzou as well.

What's your favorite thing about Theta?

Theta has ignited me to break out of my comfort zone and embrace all parts of me. I have always been ashamed of certain parts of myself, yet Theta has guided me from shame to love.

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory?

When I walked into Theta for the first time during recruitment, Kati Kokal and I talked about the cultures we have been a part of. This conversation made me not only fall in Theta, but made me a fighter for representation of all cultures on campus.

What do you do in your free time?

In my free time you can either find me trying to catch a breath between work and meetings or outside reliving my days of hiking Kilimanjaro.

Anything else you'd like to add?

This past summer I did sustainable work in Zanzibar and ended the trip hiking Kilimanjaro. I realized the misconceptions Americans have on the continent Africa and how stereotyping something you know nothing about is probably the worse thing you could do.