From Golden Girls to grad school: One friendship ignites two success stories

Addi Woodward knew she was destined to join the ranks of the Golden Girls, the University of Missouri’s elite dance team that uses masterful pom and jazz choreography to entertain tens of thousands of fans at sporting events.

“Seeing my sister on the team made me realize that I wanted to be part of that same legacy and carry on the traditions of representing the university through Golden Girls,” Woodward said. “In the end, it was the strong women who came before me on this team who truly inspired me to want to be a part of it.”

When Woodward arrived for tryouts, she brought with her an important message from her sister, Josie: “You have to meet Taylor’s sister, Kennedy—you’ll love her!”

“I saw Kennedy (Thuet) in Hearnes while we were all stretching and getting ready. We gave each other a small, timid wave since we hadn’t officially met yet, but we already knew of each other,” Woodward said. “After that moment, we clicked instantly.”

Both women earned spots on the Golden Girls team. As it turns out, they had also both earned spots on another team: Team Trulaske. 

Love of accountancy leads Thuet to Trulaske

It was while sitting in an introductory-level class on the basics of debits, credits and journal entries at Rockwood Summit High School, that St. Louis native Kennedy Thuet made an important discovery: She dug accountancy.

“Mrs. D’Angelo made the material both interesting and enjoyable, and I was hooked from there,” Thuet said. “I was also drawn to the structure of the field, particularly the rules and the satisfaction of ensuring everything balanced, which provided a built-in way to verify accuracy.”

Thuet followed that love of accountancy to the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business.

“I always knew I wanted to attend the University of Missouri, as my entire family attended Mizzou, and I grew up immersed in its culture,” Thuet said. “I also knew early on that I wanted to study accountancy at the Trulaske College of Business. The School of Accountancy’s reputation as a prestigious, nationally ranked program made it the perfect place to pursue my academic and professional goals.”

As a tried-and-true Tiger, it was only natural that as a freshman, Thuet would find herself driven to join Golden Girls. It was Thuet’s sense of balance that helped ensure she brought plenty of razzle-dazzle, both to her academic pursuits in the Trulaske College of Business and the four years that she spent performing with the iconic, gold-sequined squad.

“When I was a member of the Golden Girls, my days typically began with about four hours of classes at Cornell Hall,” Thuet said. “In the afternoon, I would attend a one-hour workout for Golden Girls, followed by a three-hour practice in the evening. Any downtime I had in between these commitments was dedicated to completing as much schoolwork as possible, with any remaining assignments finished after returning home from practice at night.”

It was a strategy that paid off. Thuet, now a graduate student pursuing the Mizzou Vogel Master of Accountancy, recently earned a scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), which will cover nearly all her costs for her fifth and final year of graduate school. 

Woodward follows sense of curiosity to Cornell Hall

For Woodward, it was a sense of curiosity that led the Lee’s Summit native from her Kansas City suburb to the Trulaske College of Business at Mizzou.

“I have always been intrigued by the business world and what drives it behind the scenes,” Woodward said. “I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how businesses operate, make decisions, and create value. I felt that Trulaske would provide me with the right mix of classroom learning and real-world experience to help me develop those skills and determine the path I want to take in business.”

Participating in the Golden Girls also helped Woodward develop a critical skill: time management. Woodward, who is also now pursuing her Mizzou Vogel Master of Accountancy, credits the Golden Girls experience with her success in the classroom.

“I had no opportunity to procrastinate,” Woodward said. “With how busy I was with practice, games, and workouts, there was no room for procrastination, because if I did procrastinate, it wasn’t going to get done at all.”

While Woodward will always be grateful for the friendships and skills that she built as a member of the Golden Girls, her favorite part of the experience was the opportunities that it provided.

“I traveled to NDA Nationals in Daytona my freshman year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade my sophomore year, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin my junior year, and then many bowl games and basketball tournaments in various places throughout the four years,” Wooward said. “These are all experiences that I will never forget, nor would I have had without being a member of this team.”

From the Golden Girls team to Team Trulaske

While a business education might not be the first place one would turn for rounding out their dance and cheer strategy, Thuet says there’s more overlap than you’d think.

“Something I learned in Cornell Hall that has greatly helped me in performing and being on a team is the importance of communication skills, teamwork, and collaboration,” Thuet said. “Nearly all my classes have involved group projects or assignments, which closely mirror the dynamics of Golden Girls. Each member has a specific role, and the overall success of the group is dependent on effective collaboration, clear communication, and mutual trust.” 

For Woodward, Cornell Hall instilled in her a sense of confidence — another critical skill for those performing with the Golden Girls.

“Walking into a challenging class, test, or presentation requires confidence, just like performing at games. With the Golden Girls, we often have multiple routines memorized and perform them in front of thousands of people,” Woodward said. “In those moments, you have to trust yourself — you know the material, and you’re prepared to do well. In many ways, performing at a game is just like walking into a test: You’ve studied, you’ve memorized what you need, and now it’s your chance to show what you know.”

A friendship worth its weight in gold

While their experiences with the Golden Girls team and Team Trulaske certainly propelled the two women to success, their shared time in both worlds served as the basis for a friendship that’s worth its weight in gold.

“Since we were both in the Trulaske College of Business and chose Accountancy as our path, we ended up sharing a lot of the same classes,” Woodward said. “From then on, we were inseparable. Everyone jokes that wherever you see Kennedy, I’m not far behind — and wherever you see me, Kennedy is probably right there too.”

During their junior and senior years, the pair even became roomies. They ate breakfast together, coordinated their schedules so they’d be in class together, came home to make lunch and finish homework together, went to practice together, and then returned home at the end of a hectic day to make dinner together. Woodward says they were together “every second of every day” — and she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Thuet seconds that sentiment.

“I truly don’t believe I would be where I am today without her,” Thuet said. “We did nearly everything together, from attending classes, studying, and preparing for practice. She became an incredible support system, always willing to help with anything, whether related to accounting, Golden Girls, or life in general.”

Thuet plans to sit for the CPA exam after completing her master’s degree and will begin her career as an assurance associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers in fall 2026. Woodward will also be pursuing her CPA license upon completing her master’s and plans to start full-time as an Audit & Assurance Assistant at Deloitte in Kansas City in fall 2026. But even as they prepare to follow new paths, the two women from opposite sides of Missouri plan to continue to meet in the middle at Mizzou.

“Kennedy and I’s friendship has completely changed my time at Mizzou. I always had her there to lean on in the stressful, confusing, and tiring times,” Woodward said. “Kennedy and I will be returning to Mizzou games together for years and years after we graduate. Mizzou Athletics and Accountancy have seriously formed a lifelong friendship between us.”

Tips for balancing activities and academics:

• “My best advice for anyone juggling extracurricular activities with their education is to develop strong time management skills and be very organized. I learned how to prioritize tasks and set realistic expectations for what I could accomplish each day. I thrive on creating lists and following a disciplined schedule, which allows me to carve out dedicated time for both academic responsibilities and personal commitments.” - Kennedy Thuet, former Golden Girl and Mizzou Vogel Master of Accountancy graduate student
• “Soak it all in. It can be a lot and sometimes stressful, but being a student-athlete is a unique opportunity that not everyone gets to experience. Don’t be afraid to pursue a ‘harder’ major — it’s absolutely possible. Many people think, I won’t have enough time or That’s too difficult with everything else, but that’s not true. If you have a dream, go for it. By communicating with advisors and professors, you’ll find they’re often willing to work with you.” -Addi Woodward, former Golden Girl and Mizzou Vogel Master of Accountancy graduate student

Mizzou’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business prepares students for success as global citizens, business leaders, scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs by providing access to transformative technologies, offering experience-centered learning opportunities and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.