STLCC Students Named Phi Theta Kappa All-Missouri Scholars

Eight St. Louis Community College students have been recognized for academic excellence.

Seven of the STLCC students were named to the All-Missouri Academic Transfer Team, sponsored by the Missouri Community College Association and Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year institutions. One student was named to the All-Missouri PTK Workforce Team.

All-Academic Transfer team members are Alexandra Gobble from Florissant Valley; Sasha Green and Britt Nelson from Forest Park; Sophie Ayers and Abigail Gorline from Meramec; and Oscar Labit and Haley Patel from Wildwood. 

Wildwood’s Tasha Ritter was named to the All-Missouri PTK Workforce Team.

The All-Missouri teams recognize high-achieving students who demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual rigor, leadership, and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. The Workforce Scholar award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by students who plan to enter the workforce after earning a degree or certificate. 

All-Missouri Academic Transfer Team

Alexandra Gobble dreamed of becoming a nurse for years but needed to prioritize home and raise five children. She enrolled at STLCC-Florissant Valley in 2020 and relearned how to be a student. The relearning process worked, as Gobble earned a grade of "A" in NUR 251, which is part of the honors nursing program, for fall 2022. “Through the grace of God, the help of my professors, the support of my amazing fellow nursing students, and my family’s sacrifice at home, I am now ready to graduate in May,” she said. Gobble will not stop with her associate degree in nursing. She will seek a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis this fall. She hopes to work as an outpatient nurse with a focus on geriatrics or obstetrics.

Sasha Green is an Early College Academy student who is concurrently attending the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience through St. Louis Public Schools and Forest Park. At STLCC, she serves as the vice president of membership and promotions for the Forest Park’s Xi Epsilon chapter. She is also the lead officer overseeing the free menstrual product program on campus. Green has received a full scholarship to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she plans to major in computer science. 

Britt Nelson is a graduate of St. Louis University High School. At STLCC, Nelson is a member of the newly formed student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, and he is the vice president of fellowship and communications for the Xi Epsilon chapter of PTK. He also served as the vice president of fellowship for the Missouri Region of Phi Theta Kappa. Nelson plans to transfer to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to continue his studies in accounting. 

Sophie Ayers will graduate with an associate in arts degree. During her time at STLCC, Ayers has worked diligently as a member of Phi Theta Kappa and in honors courses. Ayers has served as an editor for the Currents literary magazine at STLCC, reviewing submissions and submitting her own poetry work in the process. A graduate of Parkway Central High School and Fern Ridge High School, Ayers will be transferring in the fall to the Journalism School at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Abigail Gorline is a student of the arts who has recently been accepted to Webster University’s department of art, design and art history. At STLCC, Gorline was active in Xi Lambda, Meramec’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, and the campus ministry, the CRU Club. She plans to go into the fine arts after earning a degree at Webster.

Oscar Labit is on track to graduate in May with his diploma from Lafayette High School and an associate degree in general transfer studies from STLCC. In the fall, he’ll transfer to Michigan State University to complete a finance degree. Eventually, he’d like to earn a graduate degree and enter the workforce. Labit has served as a math tutor, and after a semester of Calculus I, his professor asked him to be an embedded tutor in her classroom. He also served as a peer tutor with the Wildwood’s Academic Success & Tutoring Center. Labit is the president of Wildwood’s PTK chapter, Beta Rho Epsilon. He has participated in various events, including Open Mic Night. 

Haley Patel will graduate this month with her diploma from Parkway West High School and an STLCC associate degree in general transfer studies. She plans to transfer to Loyola University Chicago to complete a degree in biochemistry on the pre-med track. Her ultimate career goal is to study at a highly ranked medical school and eventually launch a career as a pathologist. While completing the Early College program at STLCC, Patel has been a member of Beta Rho Epsilon at Wildwood, and active in Parkway West’s National Honor Society and High School Heroes. She also has participated in other community service activities. 

All-Missouri Workforce Scholar Team

Tasha Ritter also was named to the Workforce Scholar Team in 2022. The 38-year-old wife and mother is pursuing a nursing degree at Wildwood. Initially, she wanted to become an aesthetic nurse. However, in the spring of 2022, while pursuing her degree, she was diagnosed with a rare chronic lung disease. Since then, Ritter has undergone numerous test and treatments to address her diagnosis. This experience has led her to refocus her goal and pursue a career as an operating room nurse. As part of her degree program, Ritter is completing an extern position in the operating room at SSM Health – the same hospital where she underwent her own treatments. After she graduates in May 2024, Ritter hopes to become a grad nurse at this hospital. 

Missouri was the first state in the nation to honor outstanding Phi Theta Kappa scholar-leaders with a state academic team program. The tradition began in 1994, and today more than 35 other states have adopted the idea. In 2020, Missouri added the recognition for students specifically entering the workforce.