For some, homecoming at the University of Missouri is a distant memory, a remnant echo of crazy college stories. For others, it is a calling, a reminder that no matter where life takes them, they’ll always have a place to belong at Mizzou.

Every fall, thousands of Mizzou alumni return to Columbia to commemorate the place where they made unforgettable memories as young adults. They spend time in community with friends, family and faces they haven’t seen in years, yet will always feel familiar.

Megan Melroe, 2014 graduate and former university employee, said, “It’s fun to grow as an alum and go through your life. Homecoming changes a little bit, the way you experience it, but now you get to experience it in the eyes of your kids as you get older.”

For Melroe, missing a homecoming is almost unfathomable. Not only has Mizzou’s campus served as a place of reunion for her best friends for over a decade, but it has also become an integral part of her 15-month-old son Brooks’ upbringing.

Melroe brings her son to campus to watch him run around the columns and teach him old traditions like “MIZ.”

“He’s got his little football jersey and everything now. He has a tiger tail that he throws around at home. He’s enamored by it all,” Melroe said.

Through homecoming, generations of Mizzou students and their families come together in celebration. Parents see their joy and memories reflected in their children’s eyes, experiencing homecoming once more in a new light. For many alumni, it’s impossible to forget those first homecoming memories, even as new ones emerge through a different perspective.

Melroe will never forget her first homecoming in 2010 when MU beat Oklahoma.

“I remember waiting all night with all my friends to get into gameday, and then going into that Oklahoma game, winning, rushing the field. When you’re a freshman, that’s like peak level. It was a huge deal in Mizzou history,” Melroe said.

While sports lover Cristopher Furtado makes it a priority to come to football games every fall weekend, his favorite part of MU Homecoming is reconnecting with old friends and laughing about everyday moments like late nights, tailgates and even nightmare calculus study sessions.

“I just love the opportunity to catch up with so many people,” Furtado said. “A lot of people understandably don’t have the time to dedicate to coming back to football games every weekend, which I consider myself very lucky to be able to do. But I think homecoming is just known as one of those weekends that you don’t wanna miss. The atmosphere is great.”

Mizzou School of Journalism alum Kristen Herhold reflected on how important her friends are in her decision to return to homecoming. She believes seeing them constantly reminds her why homecoming continues to matter.

“My best friends are still Mizzou people,” Herhold said. “I saw ten of them last weekend. I graduated 11 years ago, and I still talk to these girls all the time, even though I live in Atlanta now. Mizzou is a special place.”

Herhold loves to introduce her friends and family who didn’t go to the university to Mizzou’s Homecoming. Being from Colorado, Herhold’s family had no idea how big and bold the event is.

“Going back to homecoming, it’s so nostalgic and reminds me of why I loved it so much. It’s easy to forget just how great Columbia and Mizzou are. It’s important to show where you came from,” Herhold said.

While the city of Columbia has changed over the years, alumni ensure the true meaning of homecoming — tradition, nostalgia and cross-generational connection — will never be forgotten.

For Melroe, there will always be a reason to come back, and more importantly, come home.

“Calling it a family might seem strange, but it really is,” Melroe said. “Those friends I made in college were my family, and our relationships have only grown stronger.”

Mizzou Homecoming isn’t just about participating in a parade or watching a football game. It is a time for alumni to honor history, traditions and memories, while standing ready for what the future holds, knowing that their time at Mizzou will follow them wherever they go.

Edited by Mikalah Owens | [email protected]
Copy edited by Danielle McCorison and Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray| [email protected]