Moving mountains at Mizzou // Show Me Mizzou // University of Missouri

May 6, 2024
Contact: Courtney Perrett, 573-882-6217, cperrett@missouri.edu

From serving as the president of the Graduate Professional Council to being recognized as part of Mizzou 18 and Mizzou ‘39, Parker Owens attributes his academic success to the wide variety of learning opportunities available at the University of Missouri.

For Owens, a Noel, Missouri, native, Mizzou became a place where he could branch out and try new things. Parker did both his undergraduate and law school studies at Mizzou. During his undergrad years, Parker interned with Textron Aviation, joined the university rugby team and performed in Marching Mizzou. But after everything he was involved in at Mizzou, Owens said that getting into law school was the peak of his experience. With his law degree, Owens hopes to help people, especially in the realm of property law, which is his specialty.

“I chose Mizzou because I went to undergrad here, and I really liked everything the campus had to offer,” Owens said. “And then when Mizzou Law accepted me, I couldn't say no. Getting to continue my education here was really exciting for me.”

Read on for a Q&A with Owens about his Mizzou experience.

What’s your favorite Mizzou memory?

My favorite Mizzou memory is getting the acceptance call when I first got admitted to Mizzou Law. I remember being anxious and waiting and waiting for the call. And then I saw my admissions portal change from “waiting” to “decision in mail.” And almost at that exact moment my phone rang, and it was a local number. I picked up, and it was admissions offering me a spot in the 2024 class. It was crazy because Mizzou was the only place I wanted to go.

How did you take advantage of hands-on learning opportunities on campus?

There have been a ton of hands-on learning opportunities for me here. Most notable was the opportunity to work at the MU Veterans Clinic during law school. I was there for a semester, helping veterans get their VA benefits, which was invaluable experience. During law school, I got to participate in things like mock trial, negotiation competitions and other stuff around campus like case competitions hosted by the Graduate Professional Council.

Why are you proud to be a Tiger?

I'm proud to be a Tiger for a lot of reasons. I think the big one is just being able to say that I went to Mizzou. People know Mizzou, and even if they didn't go here, they know the school’s reputation — whether it’s in a work context or knowing that we’re the nicest fans in the SEC, or they see our groundbreaking research or come to our beautiful campus. I'm proud of the things I've been able to do at Mizzou, and also the things I've learned. I feel like every interaction I've had with the university over the past eight years has been positive, and it’s set me up for life.

What is your favorite thing about campus?

My favorite thing about campus has got to be the people. It feels like every other day I meet someone with a unique experience or someone that's fun to talk to. After eight years, there's just more people than I could name, and each brings a unique perspective to their college experience.