The University of Missouri–St. Louis Human Resources department hosted the 2025 Bring a Child to Work Day on April 24. Employees and their children were given the opportunity to interact with a variety of departments on campus, including the athletic department. Inside the Mark Twain Athletic Center, children went through several stations that featured coaches and student athletes from basketball, soccer and volleyball. In the image below, basketball players Abby Peterson, a sophomore engineering major, and Mara Rieder, a sophomore elementary education major, are teaching dribbling skills to the children. During the event, UMSL employees and their children also visited the UMSL Police Department, Geospatial Collaborative, Triton Esports arena and the UMSL Recreation and Wellness Center for rock climbing and dancing. (fb)

While working at an eye exam station during a service trip to Guatemala last month, Alexandra Buffington had a particularly memorable experience with a mom who had brought her baby in to be seen by the team of optometrists. The mom believed her young son had an eye infection, but Buffington, a student in the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, was soon able to let her know that he actually had a nasolacrimal duct obstruction – a common and relatively harmless condition in newborns. It was welcome news for the baby’s mother – and a gratifying experience that will stay with Buffington. “The mother was so scared and worried for her child, and I was able to talk to her and reassure her that her child was healthy and did not have an eye infection but instead a condition that typically goes away on its own with time,” Buffington said. “Seeing the relief on her face that a simple conversation could provide was amazing.” (fb)