The University of Missouri’s Summer Welcome is much more than an orientation – it’s the official start of the Mizzou experience. Each year, Mizzou hosts thousands of incoming students and their families on campus for a day of orientation, registration and advising ahead of the fall semester.  

At the helm of this experience are 37 Summer Welcome Leaders. These current Mizzou students serve as the first student connection an incoming Tiger makes on campus. Summer Welcome Leaders personalize the orientation process and give advice to new students as their peers. Four CAFNR students are part of the team this summer: 

Colin Belger 

Colin Belger is a rising sophomore studying food science and human nutrition. He said making his first personal connection on campus is the reason he chose to attend Mizzou.  

“Honestly, Mizzou was just a school on my list at first. I was going to go to Mississippi State,” he said. “But I visited here and my tour guide went to my high school. It was a cool, personal connection and when I got on campus, I really fell in love.” 

Belger knew he wanted to become a Summer Welcome Leader to facilitate those same types of personal connections with other students.  

“Those small connections are really important because all it takes is to know somebody who’s willing to talk to you and be a familiar face on campus,” he said. “I met some of my really good friends during my orientation.” 

Not only was Summer Welcome a pivotal experience for Belger because of the relationships he formed, but it also sparked his desire to push himself outside his comfort zone.  

“Back in my orientation, I was terrified. I was very scared of making friends,” he said. “Then I became a Welcome Week leader as an incoming freshman, which helped me gain more confidence and build up the courage to do Summer Welcome.” 

Belger said taking this step has been extremely rewarding because it’s allowed him to grow and become more extroverted. He also said taking on this leadership role has given him the ability to help other students overcome the same fears he had when he was in their shoes. 

“I really like being able to show students that the transition isn’t as terrifying as they feel like it is,” Belger said. “My favorite part is being able to help students transition and also help them feel like they have a place even before they’re officially here.” 

Madison Hancock 

Madison Hancock is a rising junior studying agriculture with emphases in hospitality management, personal financial planning and agricultural leadership, communications and education. 

“I’m more focused on the people and social side of agriculture, so it’s really nice to get those different perspectives for the three different emphasis areas,” she said. “I’m not certain about what I want to do yet, so it’s great to be able to explore those different categories.” 

Hancock has also served in other leadership roles within CAFNR, which she believes has helped her gain the skills needed to succeed as a Summer Welcome Leader. 

“CAFNR prepares you for these opportunities on day one,” she said. “I felt really prepared and excited I get to share my love for Mizzou on a bigger scale.” 

During her orientation as an incoming freshman, Hancock said her Summer Welcome Leader was the reason she decided to become one as well. 

“I had a leader who was also a CAFNR major, so to have someone who understood my passion, values and who I was as a person was really special to me,” she said. “I just want to be the person who has that same impact on even a few students.” 

Hancock said this experience has refined her leadership skills in a way that allows her to be her most authentic self. 

“I’ve held many leadership roles, but I’ve been a people pleaser for a lot of that time,” she said. “I’ve really focused on finding my specific leadership style and demonstrating that every single day during this job, which has made me become more confident within myself overall.” 

Sawyer Massey 

Sawyer Massey is a rising sophomore studying agribusiness management. Although he grew up in Washington, D.C., his Mizzou roots run deep. 

“The first bad words my brother and I were allowed to say were ‘KU’ and ‘Jayhawk,'” he said. “I’m a multi-generation Mizzou student, so I always grew up knowing I wanted to come here.” 

Like many other Summer Welcome Leaders, Massey’s decision to step into this leadership role originated from a key connection he made during his orientation. He explained how he learned that his Summer Welcome Leader’s parents were friends with his own parents in college. 

“It built that instant connection and made this school that feels so big become that much smaller,” Massey said. “As an out-of-state student, I was so worried that I was going to come in and not know anyone, but having that be my first experience at Mizzou showed me that I could do that for other students.” 

Even though Massey’s official duties as a Summer Welcome Leader will end when the fall semester starts, his role as a mentor will continue.  

“We are the people that when they get here that first day, they will see our faces,” he said. “Halfway through the fall, we’re already planning a Summer Welcome reunion where students can come catch up with us on how the start of their school year is going.” 

Massey said his agribusiness management courses helped him secure his position as a Summer Welcome Leader. From building resumes to participating in mock interviews in class, Massey felt prepared to take on this leadership role.         

“There are so many great ways in which CAFNR prepares you to interact with students and take on leadership roles,” he said. “Walking into Summer Welcome with that little boost of confidence was all because of CAFNR.” 

Ezra Quick 

Ezra Quick is a rising sophomore studying parks, recreation, sport and tourism with an emphasis in sport management. Knowing he wanted to pursue a career path that combined sports and working with people, Quick learned that CAFNR was the place for him. 

“The Missouri Method and the hands-on learning approach really sold me,” he said. “Knowing that you can learn by doing and not just by being told something is really important to me because that’s how I retain information the best.” 

Originally from North Carolina, Quick decided to become a Summer Welcome Leader to help fellow out-of-state students make Mizzou their new home. 

“Easing their nerves but also getting them excited and showing them what Mizzou has to offer is my favorite part,” he said. “I wanted to be that fun face on campus that people know they can come to with questions or just to have a good time.” 

Since starting this leadership role at the beginning of the summer, Quick said he’s grown into a more confident version of himself. 

“In group settings, I would typically just blend in and kind of retreat, but this has been a great opportunity for me to put myself out there,” he said. “It allows me to be who I am on full display.” 

Quick said the opportunity to strengthen his leadership skills and self-esteem while serving as a mentor to younger students means a lot to him. He credits CAFNR with preparing him to take on one of the most important student leadership roles on campus. 

“CAFNR does a great job at giving students hands-on and experiential learning opportunities, and that translates to doing well in this job,” he said.