After a much anticipated initiation, the comprehensive and strategic #MizzouMade student-athlete development programming is officially underway.  The Mizzou Made model, which houses components of academic, personal, professional, and career development, has hosted four events through the month of September that are all tailored towards the year the student-athlete is currently in. Designed to enhance the student-athlete experience, Mizzou Made aims to bring student-athletes to the utmost level of preparedness for life following graduation.

The first year student-athletes created their own personal budgets and took part in a discussion involving advice on how to best manage their money, as they are officially on their own for the first time. Leading the discussion were several individuals, including alumni, a financial planner, and a staff member from the University Cashier's Office. The second year students' conversations were facilitated by current student-athletes, a local landlord, and an alumnus; who all shared their respective experiences on what officially living on their own and outside of the dorms may entail. Much of the development that will be emphasized moving forward for the underclassmen is based on the personal/academic ideals of transitioning from high school into college.

Self-presentation and communication was the theme for our third year student-athletes, as they welcomed alumnus John Anderson from ESPN, and Cynthia Frisby, who is one of our most decorated professors within the school of Journalism. Students volunteered to sit down with our presenters, in front of the entire room, to be interviewed from a media and job interview perspective. To conclude our month of September events, our fourth years welcomed back a panel of just alumni who offered insight into what it is like to transition into life after college. Topics of discussion included how to approach interviews, how to build a network, and how dealing with adversity in college can translate to life after graduation. Our focus for our upperclassmen is geared more towards preparing them from a career standpoint and developing the confidence they need to be successful in life after college.