August 27, 2025
Students kicked off the academic year with the traditional barbecue and networking event.
Junior Avery Thomas remembers clearly his first New Student Barbecue at Mizzou Engineering.
“I was walking past the Torq’N Tigers table, and they noticed the mullet I had at the time,” he said. “Someone joked, ‘You’ve got the right haircut for this club!’ That simple comment made me feel like I’d found people with similar interests, people I could connect with.”
Today, Thomas is president of the Torq’N Tigers Quarter Scale Tractor Pulling Team, where he has made lifelong friendships and invaluable connections to employers and faculty.
“I’ve also found a lot of support from fellow engineers in the club, whether it’s help with homework or just having people who understand the struggles,” he said.
Thomas shared his experience with other Mizzou Engineering students at the New Student Barbecue Aug. 27 on Shamrock Plaza. Hosted by the Mizzou Engineering Student Council (MESC), the annual event gives students opportunities to connect with student organizations in the College.
MESC President Emily Omohundro said the barbecue helped students find people they can genuinely connect with.
“The barbecue is a proud and long-standing tradition at Mizzou,” she said. “It gives all Engineering students an opportunity to find their own way to make the College feel like home away from home.”
Representatives of the many student organizations and competition teams in Mizzou Engineering were on hand to engage with students and help them find their place within the College.
“We show up because that’s what our organization is built on,” said Anyshya Hemphill, president of the University of Missouri chapter of National Society of Black Engineers. “We want people to meet us and have an opportunity to say, ‘I’ve found my people.’”
Scroll our gallery of photos from the barbecue.
