STLCC Students Receive Leadership Awards

Four St. Louis Community College students were recently honored for leadership on their respective campuses.

TeKisha Blue of Florissant Valley, Gabrielle Paraino of Wildwood, Adelaide Robinson-Nunnelly of Forest Park, and Genevieve Slavins of Meramec each received a Student Leadership Award from the Missouri Community College Association. (The four students are pictured from left to right in the photo above.)

The award is presented annually to an exceptional student leader from each Missouri community college.

TeKisha Blue is pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts. She is a member of the President Advisory Council of Students, vice president of Phi Theta Kappa, president of the Student Leaders Club and a member of the Student Activities Budget Committee. In the broader community, Blue volunteers in the kitchens of several shelters, plants gardens in urban communities to help fight food insecurity, and holds monthly zoom meetings to share new recipes with family and friends. After graduation, slated for fall 2022, Blue plans to transfer to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to earn a bachelor’s degree in food science. Her goal is to become the American Culinary Federation’s highest ranked executive chef and own her own business, teaching others the fine art of cooking.

Gabrielle Paraino has been an active student leader at Wildwood since she began her studies early childhood education in 2019. Over the years, she’s held leadership positions on Student Government, Phi Theta Kappa, Green 4 Life and Campus Budget Committee. Outside of STLCC, she works as a nanny, caring for two young boys. Paraino aspires to become a kindergarten teacher. After graduation, she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. 

Adelaide Robinson-Nunnelly attended STLCC through the Early College Partnership program. She received her associate degree in general transfer studies from STLCC on May 21, and the next day received her diploma from Metro Academic and Classical High School. At Forest Park, Nunnelly and served as the vice president of scholarship and service for Forest Park’s Xi Epsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. At Metro high school, she was a member of the Women’s Association and National Honor Society. She’s an intern with Planned Parenthood, where she participates in Teen Advocates for Sexual Health and Peer Education. In her “free” time, Nunnelly works at the Ted Drewes Gift Shop. She plans to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City and major in sociology.

Genevieve Slavins graduated last week with an Associate in Arts degree. At Meramec, she served two terms as vice president of service for the Xi Lambda chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. She was also the treasurer of Student Activities Budget Council, and served on the President’s Advisory Council of Students. Slavins worked as an Archer MADE peer mentor in the Campus Life office 20 hours a week. She was also a member of the Meramec Honors program, where she received honors credit in interpersonal communications, general psychology and ethics. Slavins has received the MCCA Leadership Award two consecutive years and won the Outstanding Work in Behavioral Sciences Award. This fall, she will attend Saint Louis University to pursue a degree in clinical psychology.