Photographer captured MSU Texas at its best
Midwestern State University captured Casee Harl’s heart.
Harl captured MSU Texas with her camera. The beautiful campus, the students, events big and small, and the crowds have been a perfect backdrop for Harl and her camera for the past three years.
She graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts from the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts, earning the President’s Medal of Excellence and summa cum laude honors.
Harl said she was known as the “blonde photographer” on campus. “People would see me and say, ‘You’re that photographer, aren’t you? You take the best pictures and catch us at the funniest times.’ It was so rewarding to be able to shoot photos here and watch everyone have fun.”
Her favorite events to shoot were football games, the worldwide week of sports, and Finals Frenzy. If she had some downtime, she loved to relax in a hammock in the Legacy courtyard.
After growing up in Lewisville, Texas, and attending Lake Dallas High School, Harl wasn’t looking for the biggest campus she could find. She wanted to feel at home and decided Wichita Falls and MSU Texas were just her size.
“It was the most beautiful school,” Harl said. “I loved the small class sizes and not just being one student in a sea of faces. The vibe of the campus was different. Everybody seemed to know each other. MSU was always a home away from home to me.”
Even on graduation day, she packed a camera with her cap and gown to “freeze that moment in time.” It was a big day for her and her family. Her sisters graduated from Tarleton State and Wichita State.
Harl, who hopes to work internationally, showed up and embraced all MSU Texas had to offer.
She experienced the Study Abroad Program, learning one summer in both England and Spain. She also joined the Model U.N. Team, where she both excelled and put that camera to good use in New York City.
“You learn so much and meet so many cool people,” Harl said. “I made friends with people from all over. I have a friend from Belgium. I think I learned a new side of myself. I would advise anyone to study abroad if they can.”
Harl enjoyed the connections at MSU Texas. Early on, she recalled meeting Jim Sernoe, interim dean of Fain College of Fine Arts at the time. When introduced, Sernoe already knew about Harl. “He said you are the Casee Harl I’ve heard about,” she said. It stuck with her that someone had taken the time to learn about incoming students.
She found fellow students very much the same. “Everyone talks to each other and stops one another in the streets (on campus),” she said. “People genuinely care about connections and each other.”
Harl also said Mass Communication Professor Mitzi Lewis helped her immensely, and she built a close bond with Steve Garrison, associate professor of Political Science, through two years of Model U.N. Her family wasn’t far away and they were supportive throughout her educational journey. Harl gave them many honors to cheer for, including being named Hardin Scholar in 2023.
Harl plans to work in advertising and content creation. And she’d love to work internationally.
Finishing her degree in three years was great, but it sure made her time at MSU Texas go by fast. “I don’t know where the time went,” she said. “Enjoy it while you’re here. You’ll blink and it’ll be your graduation.”
Capturing MSU Texas
