Young Alumna Profile: Every Sandal has a Story
After graduating from Mizzou, Liz Bohannon, BJ '07, MA '09 imagined a career in public relations for a non-profit organization. After one year of graduate school however, everything changed.
In 2008, Bohannon spent the summer working in communication and donor relations for Cornerstone Leadership Academy (CLA), a youth development organization in Uganda. She met some incredible women at CLA, many of whom were impoverished and among the first in their village to attend secondary school. That's when it hit her - Bohannon needed to do something to help these women continue their education.
A friend reminded Bohannon of the sandals she had created out of a pair of flip flop bottoms and some ribbon prior to her trip. Although she received many compliments on the sandals, she had thought little of them until that moment. It was in that moment that Sseko was born.
Bohannon created a prototype and hired three women from CLA to join the Sseko team. Less than two years later, the company employed twelve women and sold more than 2,000 pairs of sandals. The Sseko women work for nine months between secondary school and college and earn a sustainable income that funds their college education.
Bohannon sites her education at Mizzou as something that helped prepare her for her new career. "I so value my education through the journalism school," says Bohannon. "It was a place for my creativity to thrive, but it was always with the expectation of excellence."
This fall, Bohannon and her husband, Ben, BA '07, will embark on a cross-country tour to promote Sseko. She says she set off to see what she could offer the world, but instead, she was the one who ended up learning, growing and changing after meeting the women of CLA.
For more information, visit www.ssekodesigns.com.
Learn about young alumni events in your area!
The Mizzou Alumni Association is always looking for the best ways to serve the specific needs of our alumni. That is why we are developing targeted programs, services and special offers just for young alumni who graduated within the past 10 years. Be sure your membership is current and check out the latest updates about Ol' Mizzou.
Including:
- Be the first to know about upcoming young alumni events in your area! Special notices for young alumni programming will be sent to you. Looking for general information about alumni groups in your area? Use our Chapter Finder.
- Take advantage of the association's online career services.
- Married (or getting married) to an MU grad? If you are, and you are a MAA member, sign up for our free Mizzou Match program celebrating married graduates.
- Join one of our many online social community groups either hosted here on MAA's web site or beyond to strengthen MU friendships and build networking contacts.
Special Offers for grads one to three years out:
- Receive a 25% discount on Mizzou Alumni Association membership! Graduates of the past three years can take advantage of this discounted membership.
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Sit in the Young Alumni football block with your pals from MIZZOU and receive reduced rate season tickets. For more information on this program click here.
For more information or to get involved in the young alumni program, contact us at 1-800-372-6822.