Ross’s academic success, student involvement inspires pursuit of master’s degree

From his activities in student organizations to being named Homecoming king, Darren Ross says the Northwest Missouri State University community has made an impression on him. It made such an indelible impact on him that, after completing his bachelor’s degree in computer science this spring, he will continue his education this fall at Northwest as a graduate student.

“Everybody is welcome no matter where you go, and I feel like that’s why I stayed involved on campus,” Ross said.

His accolades at Northwest include receiving the inaugural Claudean V. Daniel Trailblazer Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year and a First-Generation Student Achievement Award.

Ross was president of the Minority Men’s Organization, and he was a member of TRIO and the African Student Organization. He participated in activities with the Black Student Union and frequently attended events hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. He was a computer science and information systems student ambassador, a teacher assistant for coursework in programming, foundations of computing and secure programming, and he served as Student Senate’s inclusion co-chair.

He also was crowned Homecoming king last fall.

“This is one of those moments where I say ‘Hey, I have impacted a lot of people on campus enough to where they think I’m Homecoming king’,” Ross said. “I think it does reflect how I impacted the campus and how many people I touched, so I really do appreciate the campus for allowing me to be recognized.”

Ross, a St. Louis native, appreciated that Northwest was a smaller campus and said he selected the school because of its computer science program.

“I was always curious about problem-solving and how things work,” Ross said. “When I was younger, I used to try and take apart game controllers. I used to search things online about how a computer actually works, and as I got older it just never faded away.”

During his freshman and sophomore years, Ross interned with Clayco in St. Louis as a software developer. As a junior, he landed a consulting job with Protiviti, a consulting firm where he learned about business technology and cyber security.

Crystal Combs, an instructor of computer science and information systems, met Ross when he enrolled in her programming course as a first-year student. Recognizing his high participation and achievement in the course, Combs asked him to serve as a teaching assistant.

“Darren is a truly outstanding young man,” Combs said. “He has touched the lives of so many people at Northwest Missouri State University. If you work at Northwest or attend as a student, chances are you have met Darren and you understand what an inspiring young man he is. If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet him, seek him out. He will inspire you to be the best version of yourself.”

Ross said Combs is a big reason why he chose to continue his graduate career at Northwest.

“She encouraged me not only to just say, ‘Hey, it’s one more year,’ but also just to get more out of my education,” Ross said. “I thank her again for encouraging me.”

Ross will pursue his master’s degree through an accelerated applied computer science program. His long-term goals include becoming a software developer for a solutions company in the entertainment or automotive markets.

“All of the people and the members of this campus are truly remarkable resources, and they are helping me along the way to become a better person in all way shape and form,” Ross said. “I really want to thank Northwest for changing me that way.”