Shortly after Ethan Colbert was born, he was taken to University Hospital on campus. There, he was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries, a congenital heart defect.
“I kind of like to think that I have come full circle, being born close to Columbia,” Colbert said. “Mizzou will forever hold a special place in my heart and my family’s heart because of the connection we have here. The fact is that I was born with that, and I have been able to overcome all of those health obstacles to be a fully-functioning 23-year-old college student.”
“Fully functioning” for Colbert today means wearing many hats, as a senior print journalism and political science major who has shaped many student organizations on campus.
He reports for the Columbia Missourian, is involved with the Missouri Student Foundation, was a Summer Welcome Leader and worked for New Student Programs. Colbert is also a member of Delta Chi fraternity, where he was treasurer for two years and currently serves as the chapter social chairman.
“I’m very project-driven, so when I joined Delta Chi, I saw where it was very much a project,” Colbert said. “It was something that I could walk in and make a difference in. I think that has really been just an overarching fantastic experience, for me to walk away as a senior and look back and know that something that was 35 members is now something so large. That it will continue to survive and thrive even when I’m no longer here as a student.”
Colbert said the predominant sentiment he feels about being crowned Homecoming king is humility.
“To be quite honest, I’m still taking it all in,” Colbert said. “It is so very much a humbling experience to have that recognition from your peers. You look at that list of names, and as a senior, I can look at them and say that those are fantastic peers of mine who have challenged me to be a better leader on this campus and who have done tremendous things to improve MU.”
What sets MU apart, Colbert said, is its intangible spirit.
“MU is a great university (with a) great academic reputation,” Colbert said. “But also just the programming that’s here makes sure that students feel comfortable and feel at home. It’s things that they can’t really show you on the tour, but that any current student can tell you for sure.”
Colbert said his first class sparked his passion for MU. It was held in Waters Auditorium, which he described as bigger than his hometown of Frankford, Missouri.
“I’ll never forget that first professor met us at the door with a handshake on the first day and she said, ‘Welcome to MU,’” Colbert said. “She kind of got to know us over the course of the semester. Just the way this university embraces people from a variety of backgrounds, myself coming from a small town.”
Friends and family were there to support Colbert at his crowning on Faurot Field on Oct. 25. He described seeing them in the stands and knowing they were just as happy, if not happier, than him.
Colbert said his friends would describe his approach to life as old-fashioned for his values on family and friendship.
“I definitely have a passion for politics, for family, friends and developing those relationships,” Colbert said. “I’ve truly met some fantastic individuals here at Mizzou.”
Aside from maintaining the relationships he has developed, Colbert has high aspirations after graduation. He said he has always been fascinated with community journalism, as he believes it to be a staple and a constant in the news industry.
“I would really like to go and be an editor at a community newspaper,” Colbert said. “Then to one day own my own newspaper or set of newspapers — I think that would be a great adventure and would be a really great way to spend my life.”