Selah Saffels is an office support assistant for materials science and engineering. She has worked at S&T since October.

Can you share your professional background?
I graduated this past May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. During college, I worked as a bank teller. However, I have always had a strong passion for education, which has led me to pursue a career in this field.

What have you enjoyed most about your first few weeks at Missouri S&T?
The highlight of my first few weeks has been interacting with the faculty and students. I have the privilege of supporting amazing faculty who are deeply invested in student success. The students are a blast! I love getting to know them, learning about their research and offering solutions to the (metaphorical) fires that come up for them.  

What advice would you have for a struggling student?
My advice for a struggling student is to ask for help. There are so many people at Missouri S&T who genuinely care about you, myself included. We are here to listen to your problems, connect you with the resources you need and cheer you on every step of the way. You don’t have to go through college alone.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about you?
Something people may be surprised to learn about me is that I used to play bass guitar in a screamo band. While I did not love the genre, I enjoyed playing music with friends. I also play flute and taught private flute lessons for years.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could have any superpower, I would choose teleportation. The ability to teleport would allow me to have lunch from a different country every day! I love trying new foods and immersing myself in different cultures. One day, I hope to travel the world, and being able to teleport would make that dream a lot easier to achieve.

MORE ABOUT SELAH
Position Title: Office Support Assistant IV for materials science and engineering
Start date at S&T: Oct. 1, 2024
Hometown: Harrisonville, Missouri
Favorite food: At the moment, crepes
Favorite book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

About Q&A with CEC
Staff members in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) have great stories and deserve to be highlighted. This feature is one way to recognize them.