**Shelby Creek**
_New to MU and loving every minute_

Shelby Creek just started her first semester at MU with sophomore standing and an on-campus job that offers access to the Hatch Hall kitchen and rehearsal room room keys, should the urge to bake cookies on the communal baking sheet and then write a song about it arise.

“I wanted a job (on campus) and​​ something I could work around my schedule,” she says of her job as a desk attendant for the Department of Residential Life. The Kansas City-bred Creek is in charge of sorting residents’ mail, providing them with the aforementioned keys and answering any questions they might have.

Creek also joined MU’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

While coming to MU’s 34,000-student campus from her small high school was a huge jump, the strategic communications major says it was definitely worth it.

“I love Mizzou,” she says. “It’s got a great atmosphere and spirit.”

**Erica Flanigan**
_Local artist and educator_

Art is in Erica Flanigan’s blood. At a young age, she demonstrated artistic ability, and her parents, both artistic as well, encouraged her growth.

An art education graduate from William Woods University, Flanigan has brought her passion for art and her expertise in education to Columbia.

“There’s a drive to create,” she says. “It’s just interesting to depict the world around you and put your own personality into it.”

In November 2012, Flanigan was asked to do just that. The new Fulton dental clinic commissioned Flanigan to paint an image of community. A collage of acrylic paintings shows the faces of young and old with the shape of Callaway County as the background.

Flanigan “thought about it every day” before completing the project in April 2013.

Flanigan does not seek to imitate the work of any other artist. Monet, however, is one of her favorites.

“I like his style and the idea of capturing a moment,” she says. “His work is based off light and color, trying to capture a fleeting feeling.”

Flanigan’s love of art and creating isn’t a fleeting feeling, however. Currently working at Bluestem Missouri Crafts, she hopes to find a job teaching and stay active in the art community.