Anthony Burrows, a native of The Bahamas, earned his degree in computer science in May and is getting set to return to UMSL to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering this fall. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
Anthony Burrows had two main passions growing up: tennis and planes.
The first one played an integral role in bringing him to the University of Missouri–St. Louis from his home in Nassau, Bahamas. Burrows started playing when he was 3 and by high school had started traveling outside the island country for competitions. He was recruited to play in college and wound up spending the past four years as a member of the Tritons men’s tennis team while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in computer science.
The second is what will keep him in St. Louis for at least the next two years. Burrows, who also earned a certificate in web and app development in addition to a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College, is sticking around to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the UMSL School of Engineering, which welcomed its first class of freshman students last fall.
Anthony Burrows spent the past four years as a member of the UMSL men’s tennis team. (Photo courtesy of UMSL Athletics)
“From when I was like 12, I was just really into planes,” Burrows said. “At first, I thought I wanted to be a pilot, but then I realized that the amount of hours of flight time you have to have and being up and down. I already traveled the world for tennis, so traveling wasn’t really that big of a deal for me. And then I realized, ‘Hey, you know, why not design one of the planes?’ From there, I’ve just been obsessed with plane designs, how planes work, different components of planes.”
He hopes an engineering degree will help propel him to a master’s program in aerospace engineering and eventually a job working in plane design.
The launch of the School of Engineering came just in time for Burrows. He’d initially opted to study computer science rather than enrolling in the UMSL/Washington University Joint Engineering Program because he thought it would be difficult to balance the program’s evening courses with his tennis obligations and, as an international student without access to a car, he worried about the challenge of getting to a different part of town for class.
“Just having the classes on campus was ideal for me,” Burrows said. “It was definitely what I needed.”
Because he earned his degree in computer science, Burrows said he has already completed most of his prerequisite courses. He said he only needs to take Calculus III and Differential Equations and will be able to focus the rest of his time on engineering courses with a goal of finishing his degree in two more years. He could end up being one of the first graduates of the School of Engineering.
“That would be cool,” he said.
Burrows is glad to be extending his time at UMSL. It’s been a comfortable and welcoming environment from the moment he arrived on campus in 2022 as part of a cohort of 20 first-year students from The Bahamas.
At the time, UMSL had just finalized a partnership with the Ministry of Education in The Bahamas, for which Burrows’ mother, Chilean, serves as a deputy permanent secretary. The partnership allowed students taking part in the country’s Public School Scholars Programme or who received the National Tuition Assistance Scholarship to use that scholarship support toward their UMSL degree.
Being part of the inaugural cohort gave Burrows a natural support group as he started college and had to adjust to living away from home in a foreign country.
“It made life much easier,” Burrows said. “There were a few grad students here as well, and they pretty much were like the big brothers of the group. They already did their undergrad in the U.S., and they had a car and everything, and they pretty much just showed us the ropes.”
Burrows said the Bahamian students hung out often, particularly near the beginning of their time at UMSL, and have remained close in the years since. Several members of that initial cohort earned their degrees alongside Burrows in May.
“The first graduating Bahamian cohort is especially meaningful,” said Jillian Bockhorst, who has served as an international admissions program manager. “It has been a privilege to watch these students grow both academically and personally. Some arrived on campus at just 16 years old as freshmen, so seeing how much they have accomplished – and now watching them walk across the stage – is an incredibly proud moment.”
Burrows formed connections elsewhere on campus, particularly with his teammates in the UMSL men’s tennis program after spending hours training and practicing with them.
“We had to see each other every day, and so we basically just grew as friends, and then eventually grew as a family,” he said. “Every time we would go on trips, we would get closer and closer. So that also made it easier for me to bond with people.”
Burrows leaned on them throughout the past four years as he juggled the time demands and responsibilities of being a student-athlete. That regimented schedule served him well, particularly during his sophomore and junior year when he said his computer science courses felt most challenging.
He was also able to get the support he need from faculty members and peers within the department.
“The computer science department is kind of like athletics as well,” he said. “It’s a pretty closeknit department. Once you pass sophomore year, junior year, everyone knows everyone for the most part. The professors are nice. They help you a lot, especially when you reach out to them and go to the office hours. They really enjoy that.”
Burrows played his final collegiate tennis match in April, contributing to UMSL’s 6-1 Senior Day victory over Illinois Springfield when he teamed with Joan Garros in a 7-5 doubles victory. He said he’s going to miss being part of the team when he returns to school this fall.
“Even at the end of season, going into class and not having my racket with me, it felt like something was missing,” he said. “But I still know a good amount of the guys still on team, and I’m sure they’ll hit with me from time to time.”
He expects to benefit from a little more free time as he begins the next phase of his academic journey.
