Two Missouri State alumni were the recipients of the 2016 Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, a nonprofit which matches children facing adversity with “big brothers” or “big sisters” from the community who serve as friends and mentors.

These awards go to individuals who exemplify service through mentoring and work that furthers the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks.

Big Brother of the Year

Big Brother of the Year went to Mitchell Brandt, ’05. Brandt has been matched with his “little brother” since May 2012. Brandt joined a networking group called Bigs for Bigs to recruit more Big Brothers, and is a Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks board member. Brandt works as a content architect for The Alchemedia Project.

Big Sister of the Year

Big Sister of the Year was Sophie Pierpoint, ’01 and ’03, who was also the 2015 State of Missouri recipient of Big Sister of the Year. Pierpoint has been matched with her little sister for more than a decade. Pierpoint has helped her “little” adjust to moving to Springfield from Chicago, cheered for her at basketball games and is now helping her plan her academic future. Pierpoint works as a director of development for Missouri State.