Joey Saba dribbled, passed and served his way through high school. As a self-proclaimed jock, Joey played on his high school’s basketball, hockey, football, golf and lacrosse teams. He even started a ping pong team, so it’s not surprising that he wanted to continue blending sports and school.

The Minnesota native first heard of Missouri State from the lacrosse coach. “I started looking at Missouri State. I found that it was affordable to go here, more than a state school in Minnesota was. I got an academic scholarship, too, which made it better,” he said. “My senior year I knew I wanted to get away. It was a way out, and I jumped on it.”

“That was a really long car ride.”

Joey, his family and a packed Suburban made the more than 550 mile trek to Springfield this fall. “That was a really long car ride,” said Joey. But his first official day on campus was memorable for more reasons than just the car ride.

“The first day was pretty memorable—being in my own room, meeting all the people I now know on my floor, my parents leaving. That was pretty fun,” said Joey. “My mom was crying. She just gave me a hug and walked back to the car. I can’t imagine that car ride back.”

“Knowing that I can actually do this and not get overwhelmed”

Joey explains that his SOAR group and the lacrosse team helped him transition smoothly into life in Missouri: “Some people are afraid of college, I feel like, but I’ve made a lot of friends so far.”

The friends didn’t ease all the nerves about the first day of classes. “I felt so overwhelmed, but now I feel way better about my classes. That is probably one of the more memorable things: knowing that after the first couple of weeks that I can actually do this and not get overwhelmed by everything. I started to feel more comfortable,” he said.

“I sit in my room sometimes and think, ‘What do I do?’”

Joey was in for one surprise when it came to his new life as a Bear — free time. “The down time was definitely a shock,” said Joey. “I sit in my room sometimes and think, ‘What do I do?’ I get done with classes at one o’clock.”

He admits some of that extra time gets spent on homework. “It also surprised me how much I have to work in my classes. I go to every class, but it’s still a lot of outside work. I can’t skate by,” he said.

Coming from Minnesota, Joey Saba didn’t know many people before arriving at Missouri State. But, it’s the people he met at MSU that made his first year of college a success.

“I made a lot of new friends here being from out of state. It’s just really easy to make friends; there are a lot of nice people here,” said Joey. “I can’t wait to come back next year.”

"I can't wait to come back next year."

“College is about making new friends.”

So, what’s his advice to new students, especially those who may also be from out-of-state? “Get out right away. Don’t stay in your dorm room,” said Joey. He recommends going to the Welcome Weekend activities and trying out a sporting event.

Joey also encourages students from Missouri to meet new people, too. “Don’t stay in your one friend zone. It’s good to have friends—old friends—but college is about making new friends,” he said.

“A science class grabbed my attention.”

During the past year, Joey also decided on a major: biology. “I switched from pre-law because a science class grabbed my attention, and I realized I’m not interested in politics.”