All-Star Educators andFuture Leaders
Explore stories about St. Louis area standouts paving the path to tomorrow.
Mind Over Matter
Dr. Hong Chen, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and neurosurgery at WashU Medicine
Game Changing
Mona Jawad and Ayesha Kazi founded ASL Aspire to bring a game-based approach to teaching American Sign Language for STEM concepts through interactive lessons.
Love Your Neighbor
With long-term tornado recovery now part of its mission, LOVEtheLOU continues to work from within to help North City flourish.
Success in the Making
Through its St. Louis Internship Program, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, along with partner companies and institutions, are investing in students and the future…
Fielding
Opportunity
With the Dream Big Foundation, Jorge Flores is making competitive soccer more accessible for kids in underserved communities across the St. Louis metro.
Breaking the Ice
Based out of Maryland Heights, the St. Louis Blues’ Girls Development Program offers an accessible and affordable entry point into hockey for young girls.
Beyond Books
Under Kristen Sorth’s leadership, St. Louis County Library has reinvented itself as a modern hub for community events and services and an indispensable resource available to all.
If You Can Dream It
With a new headquarters, retail store, tornado cleanup and reconstruction, and its successful internship program, Dream Builders 4 Equity has been busy. Catch up with co-founder Michael Woods.
Getting Up to Kode
With roots in St. Louis, Karlie Kloss’ Kode With Klossy nonprofit celebrates 10 years of working to close the gender equity gap in tech.
Business Class
In April 2024, Shu Schiller, Ph.D., assumed her role as Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), a position that tasks her…
Foundational
Fathers
A new St. Louis-based program, Dads to Doulas, seeks to empower Black men in all aspects of fatherhood — both to enrich their parenting journeys and to advocate…
Set Up for Success
At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Jonathan Lidgus and his team help students with disabilities thrive in college and land successful careers.
Building Blocks
With the Economic Mobility Program at Annie Malone Children and Family Services, Keisha Lee is empowering and elevating young men in St. Louis.
A World of Possibilities
Founded at Vashon High School, Show Me the World Project provides transformative education in entrepreneurship, leadership, and STEM to students in under-resourced communities in St. Louis.
Generation
Geospatial
At Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Freddie E. Wills, Jr., Ph.D., is training students from historically Black colleges and universities across the U.S. for futures in geospatial science.
A Reading
Revolution
For more than 25 years, Ready Readers has helped advance social and racial equity in St. Louis by bolstering literacy education for preschoolers in low-income communities.
A Different Ball Game
At True Success Basketball & Fitness Academy in St. Charles, Thurlester Robinson, Jr. uses basketball as a vehicle to teach kids lessons in teamwork, self-esteem, and leadership.
What’s Possible
Marian Middle School students find inspiration for their future in the history-making election of the first Black female vice president, Kamala Harris.
Rewriting the Narrative
At EyeSeeMe Bookstore in University City, Jeffrey and Pamela Blair are fulfilling their calling to provide people with positive stories of African Americans.
Space for STEM
With Black Girls Do STEM, chemist Cynthia Chapple and her team are carving out an inclusive space for young Black girls to engage with science, technology, engineering and…
Steps Ahead
Artistic powerhouses Kirven and Antonio Douthit-Boyd are broadening and elevating the dance community at the Center of Creative Arts and in the St. Louis metro.
A Mindful Movement
With Generation Mindful, Suzanne Tucker is striving to create a more emotionally healthy world.
Time for a Revolution
Saint Louis Story Stitchers brings young people together to express themselves through art and create social change.
The Path Forward
Doug and Bill Mitchell’s startup ScholarPath helps graduating high school students figure out what’s next.
Manufacturing the Future
Southwestern Illinois College leads the way in educating the next generation of manufacturing workers, helping to realize the vision of a thriving advanced manufacturing industry that will drive…
Harnessing Talent
Entrepreneur and talent recruiter Anjie Sanford has launched a new program through BioSTL that offers minority college students internships at St. Louis bioscience companies and helps them thrive…
Singing Her Own Tune
Girl Conductor founder Maria A. Ellis uses a unique blend of gospel, R&B, and hip-hop to make music education more approachable and accessible for young people.
Feeding the Future
At St. Louis startup MARSfarm, co-founders Peter Webb and Drew Thomas create portable greenhouses to upgrade how classrooms study agriculture.
Shared Language
Based in the Bevo neighborhood, Immigrant Home English Learning Program connects foreign-born residents with volunteer tutors to learn English — and often, to forge lifelong bonds.
Mapping
Tomorrow
Through her nonprofit workforce development organization, Gateway Global, Zekita Armstrong Asuquo is training under-resourced high school students for entry-level jobs in the geospatial field.
Edible Education
Serving seasonal eats, Fresh Gatherings Cafe + Farm is a unique culinary teaching lab on the Saint Louis University campus — and serves as a model for colleges…
Prep Work
With Top Tutors For Us, founder Angelica Harris is helping Black high school students build academic skills and improve college admissions test scores in St. Louis and across…
