Story and photos by Logan Jackson
Since joining the University of Missouri as an assistant teaching professor nearly two years ago, Carrie Ellis-Kalton has encouraged students in each of her classes to make a positive impact in the Columbia community. That encouragement led to a unique partnership with Honors College students in her “Survey of Psychopathology” (PSYCH 2510H) course and the Mizzou Made Mental Health team.
For the past three semesters, Honors students have provided vital mental health resources and worked to raise mental health awareness during many of Mizzou Athletics’ mental health awareness themed sporting events.
“It’s been really rewarding to see the ideas that the students come to us with,” said Rachel Shedd, director of Mizzou Made Mental Health and a mental health therapist for Mizzou Athletics. “Their efforts have allowed us to provide new experiences for fans during these special nights. It’s not recycled content, either. The students are sharing original concepts to bring awareness to important mental health discussions.
“Campus collaborations are really important for Mizzou Athletics. There are a lot of individuals over here that make this whole ship move. This project is incredibly important from a mental health perspective, and it also shows students all the moving pieces that make Mizzou Athletics function at its highest level.”
The Mizzou Made Mental Health team began providing special mental health awareness offerings across several athletic events during the fall 2023 semester. That happened to be Ellis-Kalton’s first semester as a professor at Mizzou. As someone who had done a lot of service learning work at her previous institution, Ellis-Kalton asked students in two of her classes to partake in something positive related to mental health. She offered a few suggestions, including the Mizzou women’s soccer match that was one of the unique mental health awareness games.
“I attended the match and so did several of my students,” said Ellis-Kalton, who teaches in the Department of Psychological Sciences. “As we were taking part in the festivities, they started brainstorming about other ways that mental health awareness could be a part of Mizzou athletic events. They had a ton of great thoughts and feedback, and I knew it had to go somewhere. I was able to connect with Rachel, and we started talking about how this could be an incredible project as part of class.
“This was a total grassroots effort from the students. They were so motivated to share more with the Columbia community on this important topic.”
The Honors College provided the perfect outlet for the project to bloom. Ellis-Kalton’s PSYCH 2510H course had already been approved and she was able to immediately incorporate the work into her syllabus. Honors students started working with the Mizzou Made Mental Health team during the spring 2024 semester. The Mizzou Office of Community Engaged Learning has played an important role in the partnership, too, providing support and guidance as the students prepare their projects.
“The Honors College provides a really cool space for students to engage with each other in incredibly unique ways,” Ellis-Kalton said. “There are so many lessons that come out of a project of this nature. It’s been a memorable experience for sure.”
Each semester has looked a little bit different, depending on the athletic events that the students must prepare for. The process is very similar, though. Students are divided into teams and tasked with developing eye-catching and informative ways to share important materials with the attendees of mental health awareness themed athletic events. While each team is provided a budget, they are given the freedom to explore their creativity.
Shedd and Brittany Fassbinder, a mental health therapist on the Mizzou Made Mental Health team who minored in leadership and public service at Mizzou (offered through the Office of Community Engaged Learning), stay connected with Honors students and Ellis-Kalton throughout the project. For example, the class meets with the duo to hear about Mizzou Athletics’ focus for the events, as well as some of their goals. Once the teams develop their ideas, they present proposals to Shedd and Fassbinder to strengthen their projects.
“This project is so unique because we have so much freedom to be creative and make it our own,” said Enzo Lenart, a freshman psychological sciences major who is in Ellis-Kalton’s class this semester. “We get to decide how we engage the community and spread awareness about mental health, from the activities we plan to the theme of our table and what we hand out. Dr. Ellis-Kalton even held back from sharing what past classes have done because she knew we’d be tempted to follow their ideas instead of coming up with something fresh. She trusted us to create something new and exciting, and I think we’ve definitely succeeded in doing that.”
This semester, students attended a women’s basketball game and interacted with numerous fans. Their projects allowed them to share handouts and swag, with a focus on raising mental health awareness.
“One of the things I love most about the Honors College at Mizzou is the incredible diversity of perspectives and experiences among my peers,” Lenart said. “While many in my class are psychology majors, each person brings something unique and valuable to the table. Their backgrounds, interests, and skills have shaped the way we’ve approached this project, allowing us to create something truly special. I’m so grateful for the contributions they’ve made contributions that, because of our differences, I wouldn’t have been able to make on my own. It’s this mix of perspectives that has made our team so strong and this project so successful.”
Students also present about their work to various stakeholders after sharing resources with the Columbia community. Those discussions allow students to reflect on the impact they had and how they can continue to grow the offerings.
“Students share about the lessons they learned and how this project adds to their overall academic portfolio,” Ellis-Kalton said. “They also discuss what they’ve learned about mental health and empathy, and they showcase how individuals responded to what they were saying. These presentations make my little academic heart so proud.”
Ellis-Kalton and Shedd agreed that the collaboration has continued to be a success. It is especially special for Ellis-Kalton. She has three degrees from Mizzou and was part of the Honors College as an undergraduate student.
“I think this has been a really unique experience, and I think it’s a really special opportunity that we have to make an impact,” Shedd said. “Mizzou Athletics is fortunate to have a pretty large platform, specifically in Columbia and throughout the state of Missouri. Even if we reach a few random fans who attend our events, it’s completely worth it. This collaboration is something that I’m grateful for.”