Sean Davis chose UMSL because of its academic offerings, but the Army veteran wound up getting involved on campus during his time at the university, too. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Sean Davis is always preparing for his next life adventure.

The St. Louis native joined the United States Army shortly after high school, served three combat tours in Iraq and spent a year stationed in South Korea. After his military service, he chose specific areas of the country to pursue his career as a work-from-home software developer, spending two- to four-year stretches in San Diego, Chicago and Austin, Texas.

Near the end of his time in Chicago, Davis sold his share of the software company he helped build, Sandhills Development LLC, and decided it was time to use his GI Bill benefits to pursue a college degree that would help amplify his considerable professional knowledge. The University of Missouri–St. Louis was a natural choice, both because it was a chance to return home and because he was impressed by programs the school offered.

He finished his Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technology this May, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.925 GPA that was the highest among information systems and technology undergrads in his graduating class. He was honored as one of three information systems students – two undergrad, one graduate student – given the Outstanding Student Award, which included a certificate signed by College of Business Administration Dean Shu Schiller and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs Shaji Kahn.

“It’s been incredible,” Davis said. “UMSL has been a big part of my life. I didn’t expect much from the school because I’m a little bit older and already have an established career. I pretty much planned to do what I was supposed to do, at the standard that I take with me wherever I go, and then go on about my business. I didn’t expect to actually enjoy it, but I have, and that’s been refreshing. It’s been a great time.”

One of those great times turned out to be the catalyst for his next adventure. Davis had jumped at the opportunity to join one of UMSL’s many study abroad trips, spending a month in Bremen, Germany, in the summer of 2024. While in Europe for the first time as a civilian, Davis took advantage of the free time built into the program and explored the surrounding areas. On multiple occasions, he visited the Netherlands and fell in love with the country.

Davis (center) and the rest of the UMSL students on the study abroad trip to Bremen, Germany, relished the opportunities to explore Germany and surrounding countries. (Photo courtesy of Sean Davis)

“While I was over there, I decided that I was going to move to the Netherlands,” Davis said. “Since then, my entire focus has been, ‘What do I need to do to get there?’”

Davis already had his blueprint in place based on his life experiences. Each time he’s moved, he’s consolidated and reassessed what he truly needs.

“Reducing expenses is key,” he said. “I know that cost of living is a bit lower over there, but I didn’t want to go with any type of financial burden. Any debt that I had, I paid it off. I moved into the smallest apartment in my apartment building, from a two-bedroom, one bath to a studio. Any subscriptions that I was paying for that didn’t add extreme value to my life, I canceled them. I just simplified things. I contacted family members and friends and started to give stuff away and developed a plan for giving away the rest of my things. My brother has a studio apartment. He’s going to get all-new everything in about four months.”

Davis is targeting a September 2025 arrival in the Netherlands, and he’s excited about landing there with a clean slate.

“It’s a process for me. It keeps everything fresh,” he said. “And I don’t know if there’s a deeper story going on there, but I like to keep things fresh and stay mobile and stay agile. There’s something about getting rid of everything that allows me to apply all that I learned during the last cycle. Each time that I go through this cycle, I get smarter and more efficient with the next one.

“My plan for when I get over there is to put into practice all of the lessons that I’ve learned over the last 20 years as the Army moved me around and I moved from city to city throughout the States. I keep in mind that I may end up moving again before every purchase that I make.”

Knowing he wanted to move to the Netherlands, the next step was choosing a city. He had visited several areas of the country while on his study abroad trip, so he had a feel for several potential new destinations. After copious amounts of research at home, he flew back in October 2024 and stayed for four days in the city center of Rotterdam, the top place on his list. He loved the modern feel and the way the city was set up to be very walkable.

“What that trip did was completely confirm for me, that’s exactly where I want to be,” Davis said. “No other city in the Netherlands comes close. I’m extremely confident that I’m making the right choice, and that’s very comforting.”

Asked if a move like this was always on the horizon, Davis just laughs.

“It depends on who you ask,” he said. “Obviously, I’m the main person to ask, and my short answer is, ‘No.’ My mom’s answer would be, ‘What took you so long?’ I move around a lot.”

Even as he’s moving to Europe, he’s keeping his family involved. Three of his four sisters have already gone with him to the Netherlands, and the fourth is planning for the next trip.

Davis is using the DAFT visa (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty visa) to move to Rotterdam. That’s valid for two years and can be renewed going forward. With his excellent reputation as a software developer, he has a client base that will give him a solid start to his life in Europe, while staying open to opportunities to expand to European clients.

Opportunities at UMSL gave him a chance to expand his experience base, such as being part of the planning committee for the hackathon in April – and even serving as the emcee for the event – this spring. That was part of a class taught by Assistant Teaching Professor Damon Walker.

“His class is structured to have the students actually plan events that happen at the school, events like the alumni event last semester and the hackathon every year,” Davis said. “The class separates into teams like logistics and marketing and operations, and we actually plan the event. We reach out to sponsors. We talk to Sodexo to get catering at the event. I was part of the operations team in his class that ran the event. We decided what the theme was, the problem statement, made sure all of the technology to support the event was set up properly.”

Davis has also become involved with STL|Hack, a company started by UMSL alum Mohamed Langi that runs hackathons and events across the region, with the goal to “cultivate a vibrant and inclusive learning environment in the tech community.”

Even as busy as he has been – finishing his UMSL degree with a flourish, working with STL|Hack, learning his new city of Rotterdam and researching the intricacies and specifics of the DAFT visa – Davis has had one more project on his plate. He started learning Dutch in July 2024.

“It’s incredible. It’s the first language I’ve learned outside of English,” he said. “I would say my level right now is probably a B1, which is actually the level that you would need for an immigration exam later down the line. It’s definitely easier to sit at home and say stuff and read and listen than it is to actually speak it. I won’t really take my progress seriously until I’m standing face to face trying to figure out what they’re saying and express my thoughts in the language. But I feel pretty confident in my ability to speak.”