Kenya traveler joins faculty

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Liz Spencer/The Chart

New assistant professor of kinesiology, Dr. Andrea Hacker, in the Kinesiology Lab.

Dr. Andrea Hacker has recently joined the Missouri Southern faculty as an assistant professor of kinesiology.

A graduate from Joplin High School, Hacker received a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from the University of Arkansas, a master’s in dietetic internship from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and a doctorate in nutritional biology from the University of California, Davis.While completing her master’s degree, Hacker was involved in a community internship. This medical mission trip took place in Nairobi, Kenya.

For one month Hacker worked in temporary clinics administering vaccinations and educating parents about nutrition and proper hygiene.         Hacker would have been glad to contribute to other medical missions with the Peace Corps or the World Health Organization, but had work obligations with Missouri Southern

Hacker said, “Doing more international nutrition work in a developing country I think would have been very challenging for me, but it would have been an incredible experience.”

Hacker is very excited to get to know fellow faculty members and work with students. Her advice to students is to become involved in clubs, sports, and extra-curricular activities during their time in college. She stresses the benefits of attending national conventions in a student’s field of study.

“Whether it’s in your field of study or in other organizations, getting you outside of your comfort zone…meeting people from different parts of the country and getting experiences that take you outside the campus community [and] the local community [will] broaden your horizons,” said  Hacker.