International student-athlete finds success in the classroom and on the track

When Mirieli Santos crosses the stage on Friday to accept her diploma from the University of Missouri, she will have achieved a goal that seemed almost incomprehensible to the young woman who arrived on campus from Brazil in January 2019.

Back then, Santos – who came to Mizzou on an athletic scholarship to compete in the triple jump on the women’s track and field team -- could read and understand English but struggled to communicate with others in the language.  

Today, Santos, who will receive a BS BA in international business management from the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, is Mizzou’s first triple jump All-American. She also broke Mizzou’s record in both indoor and outdoor triple jump her freshman year and interned at the MU International Trade Center – incredible achievements for a 20-year-old who not only had to master the language and understand a new culture but muster the wherewithal to train and compete in the SEC while living thousands of miles away from home. 

Santos credits much of her success at Mizzou to the support she has received from coaches, faculty and friends as well as her own tenacity and stick-to-it-iveness. She is especially grateful to Iliyan Chamov, assistant track and field coach at Mizzou, who recognized her athletic abilities and supported her transition to a new country. 

“People have often told me I’m a strong person, but sometimes I still struggle to see myself that way,” she said. “But looking back on my time at Mizzou, I can see that I’ve been very persistent and determined. I love to learn and am very focused. When I want something, I will do whatever it takes to get there.”

Jumping for joy

For Santos, the triple jump is like flying -- a hop, skip and jump that propels the body up and forward like a bird taking flight. But she has no wings, just sheer determination, athleticism and skill. When her feet leave the ground, Santos is poetry in motion. 

“It’s a feeling of freedom,” she said. “My love for the triple jump is so big. It’s the reason I could come to college.”

Santos was 7 when she first followed her older brother and sister to their neighborhood track and field practice. In Brazil, there are no sports teams at school, just area clubs. She begged her parents to join and was soon ushered towards being a sprinter. But she wanted to do the triple jump like her big brother. When her team lost all their triple jumpers to injuries, she got her chance and proved her worth, placing second in the country. 

By high school, Santos was a triple jumping phenomenon, earning numerous awards, including the Brazilian Championship, South American silver medalist, Pan-American Games finalist and World Championships silver medalist.

A leap of faith

It was her athletic prowess that helped her navigate her first year at Mizzou.

“Adapting to a different educational system, language and culture while trying to make new friends and having no family around can be overwhelming,” Santos recalled. “Thankfully, I had track and field, which I knew I could do well, no matter what.”

Within her first year at MU, Santos qualified for both NCAA indoor and outdoor nationals, broke the indoor and outdoor triple jump school record, was part of the outdoor all-SEC freshman team and was Mizzou’s first triple jump All-American.   

“I had no idea at the time that those were considered big accomplishments in a collegiate career,” she said. “I was just happy to practice with a fantastic coach and support my team.”

No place like Trulaske

By her second semester, Santos had found her way to Trulaske, where she quickly discovered her niche studying international business and management. The college gave her the support she needed to build confidence and excel. 

“Every course I took at Trulaske, no matter how difficult it was, gave me the opportunity to work with instructors and classmates who made the best of every experience,” she said, adding that Daryl Smith, an associate teaching professor in management, even created an online exam for her when she had to travel back to Brazil to renew her visa. “I admire him so much as a professor. Every class of his was an opportunity to learn something new as he encouraged all his students to apply what we were learning in class to the real world.”

Eventually, Santos was offered the chance to intern at the MU International Trade Center where Director Jackie Rasmussen took a special interest in her. While there, Santos strengthened her skills in teamwork, critical thinking, data analysis, report building and communication. 

“The experience has been one of the most influential during my time at Trulaske and Mizzou,” Santos said. “Jackie puts her heart into helping us learn who we are and how we can add to the team and create results.”

The next chapter

Since Santos lost a year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she has one more year to compete on the Mizzou women’s track and field team. During that time, she’ll train with the team, work toward several graduate certificates and look for a job. 

Looking back on her years at Mizzou, Santos is humbled by the journey and the support she has received along the way.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to be a Tiger,” she said. “Mizzou is where I learned the meaning of excellence.”