欧美视频

Educational Studies major Tristan Satterlee will graduate with his bachelor鈥檚 degree during Fall 2025 Commencement.

 

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The 欧美视频 offers a community of support, allowing students to redefine what鈥檚 possible as they forge a path to their future. With help from faculty and staff, UCM students are empowered to be the heroes of their own stories and as we prepare for Fall 2025 Commencement, the News Bureau is shining a spotlight on some of those stories.

 

Educational Studies major Tristan Satterlee has found a way to combine his passion for education with his interest in legal studies, all while leaving a legacy at the University of Central Missouri (UCM).

The Osage Beach, Missouri, native serves as a crew chief for the B-2 aircraft at Whiteman Air Force Base. He chose UCM due to its proximity to the base, his interest in education and the positive endorsement from his parents, who were both teachers. As a member of the Air National Guard since 2020, Satterlee has worked with UCM鈥檚 Military and Veterans Services as he navigated the process of attending college while serving in the military.

鈥淭he Military and Veterans Success Center is an amazing group of people. One of my favorite parts of UCM,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey're so caring and they're always willing to help out as if it's their first time dealing with this question. I've always really appreciated that. It just made me feel at home.鈥�

Once in Warrensburg, he ultimately decided to pursue a degree that would prepare him for law school and added a minor in Legal Studies. A meeting with his advisor helped point him in the direction of education law.

 

鈥淚 think education is one of the biggest parts of the human experience. Education, especially collegiate education, transforms people from the baseline to achieving the character that they're supposed to be. I always knew that I wanted to do something with that idea,鈥� Satterlee said. 鈥淏ut I've always really been interested in legal concepts and our justice system and our legislative system, and so I was kind of thinking about how I wanted to combine those ideas.鈥�

Satterlee has certainly been busy at UCM. He鈥檚 a member of Delta Chi Fraternity, the Mock Trial team and the Pre-Law Student Association, worked in the UCM Testing Center, and has spent the last semester as an intern for Executive Director of Governmental Relations David Pearce. He also founded UCM鈥檚 first law journal.

 

鈥淚 love UCM, and I've also loved our Political Science staff, and I've loved the program in general. And I wanted to give something of myself to that program, kind of give it something that it didn't have whenever I first started,鈥� Satterlee said. 

鈥淚t really gives students who are interested in law school the chance to start training those research and writing skills for their future career path,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t basically takes scholarly undergraduate work that you wouldn't really see in law reviews that belong to law schools, that we actually translate into an undergraduate fashion.鈥�

Satterlee worked with Garrett Pratt, assistant professor of Business Law, as he started the undergraduate law journal. 

鈥淭hroughout the process, I have been impressed at his thoughtfulness and determination in creating a healthy student organization that allows interested students a hands-on opportunity to engage in legal research and scholarship,鈥� Pratt said. 鈥淥n his own initiative, Tristan went to nearly all law-related courses on campus to recruit students for the journal. Combined with his approachable leadership style, UCMULJ is on course to publish its first edition in the spring. I'm grateful for how his efforts have helped strengthen our community of UCM students passionate about the law.鈥�

Many of Satterlee鈥檚 collegiate experiences included leadership positions, such as Delta Chi, where he served as president, philanthropy chair and new member development chair. He said that his fraternity experience was particularly special because it provided him not only with connections to school but also to his peers.

鈥淭hat sort of interpersonal connection, you just develop so much because you live with these people, you're wanting the best for them, and that guides your every move for the term that you're in office,鈥� Satterlee said. 鈥淭hat kind of motivated me to start off my other leadership opportunities because I enjoyed that part so much.鈥�

Satterlee received support from many faculty and staff members. Presenting potential policies to lawmakers in Jefferson City as part of Pratt's Legislating Change course was a highlight, and Satterlee felt inspired by the dedication and care Pratt puts into his work. Lesi Smart, associate instructor of Elementary Education, was the first person Satterlee told about changing his career path, and she鈥檚 been there every step of the way. Through his internship, Pearce gave him a comprehensive look into Missouri politics.

 

鈥淯CM has prepared me for my future opportunities by giving me the chance to be myself. I never felt, while I was here, that I was confined or on a leash. UCM isn't the biggest school, obviously, but there was never a lack of opportunity here. The fact that I was allowed to run free in a lot of my courses and my student activities and I don't think those opportunities are available to you anywhere else, and I am so thankful for what UCM has allowed me to achieve, not just that I achieved.鈥�

Satterlee plans to attend law school next year, with the ultimate goal of working in education policy or for an education union.

 

鈥淚 think he would say to keep going,鈥� Satterlee said of his freshman self. 鈥淚 think while I feel like I've accomplished a lot in the grand scheme of things, the goals that I want to pursue and achieve, I'm only at the starting line. And I think freshman Tristan would have understood that this is not the end. We're just getting started and it's important to keep going.鈥�

 

       

Check the News Bureau daily from Dec. 8-12, as we share stories of UCM graduates who are redefining what鈥檚 possible and shaping the future, one step across the stage at a time.