Michelle Backes is an office support assistant for materials science and engineering. She has worked at S&T for eight months.

Can you share your professional background?
I started in retail in high school, and worked a few retail jobs up until eight months ago. I spent most of that time with Kroger, followed by a few years at Sam’s Club, and most recently was the store director at Academy Sports and Outdoors here in Rolla.

What do you most enjoy about working at Missouri S&T?
I really enjoy the new challenges it presents. I love to learn, so having new situations arise is ideal for me.

What advice would you have for a struggling student?
The best advice I could give to a struggling student is to ask lots of questions. There is no such thing as a “dumb” question. If you don’t ask, you will never get the answer, so speak up. Don’t be afraid of what others may think of your question, especially when it is helping you do better.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about you?
I love World of Warcraft, but with three teenagers at home, I don’t get time to play.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could have any superpower, I would want to be able to time travel. That way, I could go back and have more time with loved ones that are gone.

MORE ABOUT MICHELLE
Position title: Office Support Assistant IV
Length of service at S&T: Eight months
Hometown: Frankenstein, Missouri. Yes, it is a real town. No, it is not named after the movie or the book.
Favorite food: Cheeseburgers. There are so many different ways to have them.
Favorite book: That’s a hard one. I’m currently reading “The Witcher” series.

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.