I Came to Joplin, MO, for College and Stayed for My Career
Nestled in the southwest corner of Missouri is Joplin, a growing, tightknit community that leans into the arts and on one another in times of need.
Seth Wolfshorndl, an art teacher at Joplin High School, moved to the city for college and stayed for his career. He details his relocation to the area and how Joplin, MO’s, affordability, career stability and closely bonded community convinced him to stay.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your career.
I graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2001 with a degree in art education, and I’ve been teaching art here ever since. I grew up in Kalispell in northwest Montana. I actually lived in Joplin for a few years when I was about eight, but we moved back to Montana, and I lived there throughout middle school and high school.
There’re not as many colleges in Montana, so nearing graduation, I started looking at options around Joplin. I ended up getting into the honors program at Missouri Southern State University, which went along with a really great scholarship, so I moved down here and ended up really enjoying my time at school.
About halfway through college in Joplin, MO, I met and married my wife. She’s a nurse at Freeman Hospital here in Joplin. She’s also not native to the area; she’s originally from Georgia and was living in Arkansas when she went to school at Missouri Southern. Now, she’s living and has a career here in Joplin, both of us choosing to stay after school.
What have you learned to love about Joplin, MO, since relocating for school?
There’s a lot of things that I really love about this place. There are practical things, and there are more emotional things. Practically, Joplin is one of the cheaper areas in the country to live. Things are much more affordable here – even more affordable than Montana, which has become a bit of a resort area. There are practical reasons like that, but the relational reasons are probably more significant. I got married here, and all our college friends are here as well as some extended family who relocated to join us.
Joplin went through a big tornado in 2011. Being here through that – being here for the rebuilding of the community – made me feel much more rooted here than I was before. Being a part of that tragedy but also seeing how everyone came together for the reconstruction, that’s when Joplin really started to feel like home. There’s a lot of good people here. People care about one another and are willing to help others out. That’s one of the things I love most about the area.
What drew you to Joplin, MO’s, arts community?
The arts community is something that has really grown in the last 10 or so years. There are amazing murals everywhere you look, and we have a new building downtown – the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex – that was built a couple years ago. It serves as a center for art and performing arts, and they bring in all these amazing events, classes and art shows. Joplin’s always had an artistic spirit, but it’s never been so centralized and accessible.
We also have a group called Connect2Culture, and they promote all the events, performances and classes in the area. It’s great, and it’s all helped everyone experience the arts more easily.
What did your transition from school to career in Joplin, MO, look like?
When I was graduating with my degree, there were two job openings for an art teacher in the area. I interviewed for both of them, and I didn’t get either one. There were some more openings further away, but I decided against them because I would rather stay in Joplin, and I knew something would open up.
One of the principals I interviewed with ended up transferring to a middle school here in Joplin. Their art teacher suddenly left, and she remembered me from our initial interview.
She basically told the head principal to hire me, so he called me up, asked me five questions or so and told me the job was mine. I found out later that there were some other people working behind the scenes to keep my name in rotation, so it was a combination of networking, having friends and making a good first impression.
I’ve always been really lucky to have administration and principals that I really get along with. Not every teacher has that. That’s one of the reasons we’ve stayed in the area. The same goes for my wife; she’s always loved her coworkers and bosses at the hospital. If that would’ve been a struggle for us, we might’ve had to consider relocating, but I don’t foresee us moving, at least for a long, long time. We’re both so happy with our careers here.
What would you say to a young professional looking to relocate for a career in Joplin, MO?
Joplin is a growing community that’s full of a lot of caring people who have gone through some tough stuff together. I know that no place is perfect, but there’s a lot of good people and a lot of great opportunities here. The high school I teach at is one of the biggest in the state. Since we rebuilt after the tornado, it’s super modern and has amazing facilities. Even if you’re not in education, your kids could potentially go here, so that’s a plus for the community. With the city’s arts scene exploding and its constant momentum toward growth, it makes me feel that things are just going to keep getting better and better.
If you’re looking for words of advice, I would say to always aim for the best impression. Be real and honest with people and yourself. You never know when someone can help you down the road, especially here in Joplin.
This article is sponsored by Choose Joplin, which is actively supported by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Joplin.
