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Last semester, Mizzou Academy’s Middle School Coordinator, Brian Stuhlman, visited an undergraduate honors chemistry class on the University of Missouri campus. While there, he met Isabela Mandaro Sarraff, a first-year student. When Brian mentioned his role with Mizzou Academy, her eyes immediately lit up. She shared that she was a recent graduate of the Academy’s Dual Diploma Program with Colegio Bertoni (Foz do Iguaçu , PR) and that she had not received her diploma before moving to the United States.
Brian followed up with Executive Director Kathryn Fishman-Weaver to see if there might be a way to help. “Well then,” she said brightly, “we have to celebrate her here on campus!”
What began as a simple idea quickly grew into something more. The moment became an opportunity not only to recognize one student’s achievement, but to gather an important part of our student community. Invitations were extended to Mizzou Academy’s international alumni now studying at the University of Missouri. Executive Assistant Sarah Williams coordinated the event logistics, bringing the details together with care and enthusiasm.
When Isabela received her invitation from Kathryn, she responded right away: “I’m really grateful for your help with my diploma. Looking forward to meeting you!” A week or so later, she was also the first to arrive at the celebration as Kathryn and Amelia Howser, Director of School Counseling, were setting out cupcakes and sodas.
International High School Students Experience Success at Mizzou
Given our global reach, the Mizzou Academy team works closely with Ryan Griffin, who directs the University’s Office of International Admissions. Through onsite visits with Mizzou Academy schools in Brazil, Spain, and Vietnam—and ongoing virtual collaborations with partners in Turkey, Honduras, and beyond—the International Admissions team works closely with many of our students. These relationships have helped students matriculate from our high school program to undergraduate programs on campus.
Ryan attended the reception and shared, “It was great to reconnect with some of our Mizzou Academy alumni that are currently studying at the bachelor’s level here at Mizzou. In admissions, we are almost always looking forward and interacting with prospective students and applicants that may become future Tigers. Our opportunities to connect with current students can be rare, so it is always a pleasure to get to hear about their successes here on campus and their plans for their time after Mizzou.”
Between 2017 and 2025, 21 international high school graduates from Mizzou Academy have enrolled at the University of Missouri as degree-seeking undergraduates. Additionally, our international reach includes U.S. citizens living abroad. Today, we have two undergraduate students at Mizzou who completed their University of Missouri High School diplomas at partner schools in Brazil and Turkey, respectively.
An Opportunity to Connect
Our first alumni reception included a small gathering of Brazilian students who were at various stages of their degrees, from students like Isabela, Luisa, and Maria Beatriz who were finishing their first year, to Gustavo who is finishing his sophomore year, to Matheus, who is just weeks away from graduation. As each student arrived, Sarah gave them a gift bag of Mizzou Academy goodies. Sarah says the cozy size of this first reception “allowed staff, faculty, and students to converse openly and comfortably with one another.”
Students shared about difficult classes, upcoming finals, favorite Mizzou Academy memories, roommate stories, and their surprise at our erratic Missouri weather. “In moments like these,” Sarah says, “we are shown that even though we all have varying knowledge, backgrounds, and skill sets, we all still strive for a sense of community and understanding. I was reminded just how important sharing stories and experiences is, and that as humans, we all truly value the connections that we make with one another.”
Amelia had personally played a role in most of the attendees’ high school graduations, yet this was her first time meeting any of these students in person. “There are no words that could adequately describe how meaningful this event was to me! As an online school, our opportunities to interact in person with our students are few and far between. Getting to meet some of our alumni to break bread (do cupcakes count?) and create a community on our shared University of Missouri Campus is so special.”
Dr. Jason Williamson, who leads social studies classes in our middle school and global program, agrees: “I can only echo what Amelia said. As an online school, we have so few opportunities to engage so completely with students and alumni of Mizzou Academy. It was so great to hear how they thought about learning and how they were navigating new cultures here in Columbia at Mizzou. Their stories of finding transportation, dealing with roommates, and just college life in general were so fun to hear about from their perspective. Layering on that the cultural differences? I was amazed. I was honestly thinking about how they are such amazing brand ambassadors for Mizzou Academy but also for Mizzou as a whole!”
Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger
“I just want our students to feel at home,” says Kathryn. “These students are Tigers. Some have been with us since middle school, and now to have them with us on campus is such a gift.” Kathryn smiles. “As Mizzou Academy graduates or honorary graduates,” she says, referring to Luisa who studied at our partner school SEPAM but didn’t officially participate in the Dual Diploma program, “I want each student to know they can always reach out, whether it is a question about class enrollment, navigating Columbia, or how to bake blueberry muffins, it’s important to me that our students know we’re here for them.”
When anthropology major Luisa Gobbo Wambier first arrived, Kathryn had helped her and her aunt load a fridge into their car. “For me,” said Luisa, “I really enjoyed meeting other Brazilian students.” Luisa also enjoyed hearing about the similarities and differences between the students’ “unique Mizzou experiences.”
Gustavo knew Kathryn and Ryan well, but hadn’t yet met Jason, Amelia, or Sarah. “It was awesome meeting more of the Academy team, and sharing experiences was delightful.” He also said he appreciated how much laughter we shared at the event, and he’s right. If someone walked by the room anytime that afternoon, they likely would hear boisterous laughter echoing down the hall. “It’s always a great time having a good laugh about the things we learned and overcame.”
A New Tradition is Born
Like the others, Gustavo shared gratitude for the invitation and hoped that this event would become an annual celebration.
“It has to!” says Kathryn. “This is too much fun and too important not to repeat each spring.”
Amelia said she is both looking forward to the new tradition and to staying in touch with the Mizzou students she met today.
Isabela’s favorite moment came toward the end of the reception when Kathryn called her up to the podium to receive her belated high school diploma. The two smiled for photos together. “Parabéns!” said Kathryn as the room erupted in generous applause. Isabela said her friends would be jealous of the special ceremony, and Kathryn said she would treasure the memory, as this was her first time presenting a Brazilian high school diploma on our Mizzou campus.
“You are responsible for this event,” Amelia told Isabela, and then to the others she said, “The moral here is, always speak up for what you need.” You never know when those questions in class might lead to new friendships, new traditions, and sometimes even cupcakes.