Contact: Sara Diedrich, diedrichs@missouri.edu
Dec. 15, 2025
Photo courtesy of Jessica Schroeder

Jessica Schroeder has always had a knack for numbers. But she never realized just how exciting math could be until a sophomore-year geology class at the University of Missouri revealed an unexpected passion: studying earthquakes.

The discovery shook her world.

On Friday, Schroeder will graduate with a degree in mathematics from Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science and an Honors Certificate from the Honors College, ready to pursue an advanced degree in geophysics and dig even deeper into the science of seismic activity.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, but I knew Mizzou had so many options,” Schroeder, who grew up in Columbia, Missouri, said. “I figured I could dip my toe into anything I wanted.”

This story originally appeared on Show Me Mizzou. 
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