“Women are so inspiring and we don’t talk about it,” said Heather Brock, Award Committee Chair for the Women’s Commission and Assistant Director for Communication in Office of Admissions. “We don’t talk about what we do right, we talk about the things that went wrong.”

Although, she said, the annual Woman of the Year Awards put on by the Women’s Commission finally gives women in the SLU community the opportunity to do so.

The Women’s Commission has worked since 1977 to highlight multiple women at SLU for their incredible accomplishments in their work, religious, home and community-oriented responsibilities. Each year, they hold a ceremony to do the unheard of—give the impressive women of SLU an opportunity to show off their accomplishments.

Brock emphasizes that women “do so much on a day-to-day basis that I think doesn’t get the recognition that it needs.” While becoming focused on their jobs and daily tasks, women tend not to realize the amazing work that they are doing, Brock explained.

Kellisa Lyn Fiala, President of SLU’s Women’s Commission and Office Manager of School of Education, couldn’t agree more. While women are often caught up in supporting others, they aren’t able to realize that they have a community that supports them too, she said.

Winners of the award are selected through nominations submitted by faculty and students, as well as discussions by the Women’s Commission. “Taking an hour out of your time to actually recognize your colleagues is outstanding”—and shows the nominees that they have supporters, too, Fiala said.

“All of the women that get submissions and recognition are phenomenal,” Brock said. Which leads her to the same question every year: “how in the world do we narrow this down?”.

While they realize this is a great problem to have, this is what makes the decision process so difficult for Fiala and Brock.

Their ideal candidate is a well-rounded woman, who not only raises standards at SLU, but in every aspect of her life.

This year, there were 45 submissions total. Normally, the Commission decides on five winners, but because of an event cancellation in the fall, they decided upon six “remarkable” women of SLU, Fiala said.

Of those six winners were Ghazala Hayat, P.h.D., Sadita Salihovic, Regina Walton, Donna LaVoie, P.h.D., Danielle Uy, J.D. and Karen Myers, P.h.D. Among their wide array of accomplishments are being directors of programs to help underserved communities, achievements in the workplace that go beyond their job descriptions and recognition by world-renowned programs for their excellent work.  

“To be the Woman of the Year, we are looking for three or four components,” Fiala said. The decision gets especially hard when it comes to women who “eat, breathe, and sleep SLU, and there’s no time to do anything else.”

This kind of work ethic impresses and even inspires the Commission. “Sometimes I feel like I can’t feel like I can’t give anything outside of my work,” Fiala said. “But [these] women do it,” she said about the winners.

As for the future of the Woman of the Year ceremony, Fiala and Brock hope that their impact becomes larger for the SLU community—particularly the undergraduates.

While undergraduates face so many challenges like adjusting to college life and focusing on being mentally healthy, Fiala believes that the winners can be a guiding light for all the wonderful things that can come of their dark days.

“Some people have struggles you don’t realize and barriers they’ve overcome and you just see so much more of what truly made someone a leader, or someone that’s just a remarkable individual,” she said.

They hope that coming to this event can be beneficial to all students and staff—not only to support the women being awarded, but for their own benefit, as well. “In 2012, I was offered a free seat at a table and I have been to every luncheon ever since because I cried and was amazed at these women that were doing what the university says they’re doing,” Fiala said.

Brock agreed, saying “It makes you want to be their friend. It makes you wonder how they got so amazing, because I want to do that too.” To boil the ceremony down to one statement, Brock described it accurately, with “you get the feels.”

Above all, this event brings women together and celebrates the amazing things they do on and off of SLU’s campus. Supporting women of all different backgrounds and acknowledging the incredible work that they do is vitally important to the development of the SLU community. While women are not accustomed to talking about their successes, this award continues a crucial conversation about the recognition they have earned.

Last year, the Center for Community Engagement and Service announced that the end of Make A Difference Day was upon us. As SLU students mourned the loss of the beloved day, the Center wasted no time beginning a new project – the 1818 Grant Program.

In honor of SLU’s bicentennial year in 2018, the Grant Program provided $1,800 grants to 18 student and faculty groups that applied in early September. Although the Center only expected 30 applications, 54 groups hoping to make a positive difference competed for the grant. The final 18 groups selected were chosen because of their “wide…but also a deep impact,” according to Bobby Wassel, assistant director for service and outreach of the Center.

On Saturday, April 6, the 18 groups chosen in October were able to showcase their projects to the SLU community. Gathered in the Center for Global Citizenship, the students and staff put up posters and embellishments to advertise for their projects. Parents, faculty and fellow students walked around the auditorium, speaking with representatives from each project that piqued their interest.

Groups showcased at the event had a broad range of goals, such as: tutoring services for underprivileged communities, supporting women of poverty in St. Louis, working to help the environment in creative ways and even helping the youth in troubled areas through dance.

Abu Sari is one grant winner who chose to use the funds to move his preexisting project to another level. Sari works with Project Downton St. Louis, a program that usually serves meals to the homeless, which used their grant money to purchase feminine products for low-income St. Louis women. When Sari and his team asked their community what they needed most, the answer was overwhelmingly clean menstrual products to use for their cycle every month.

As many SLU students have decided to volunteer with the Project, Sari stated that “it really opened up the eyes of a lot of the students to realize that there is more that needs to be done in the community than just coming here, waking up, going to class and going home.”

Freshman Ashlyn Southard found the same results. Southard created the Sibling Support Network, which provides local schools with kits to implement support groups for students who have siblings with disabilities – a group that often also struggles with mental illness.

Although Southard agrees with Sari, she believes that the effect goes beyond students. Southard believes that the Grant also “empowered the kids that I am working with” and that the impact is “very widespread, not just to the students who receive the grant money but also to the people they’re affecting.”

Similar to both projects, Queer Closet is an organization started last year that focuses on another underserved community. Sophomore Grayson Chamberlain, president of the Queer Closet program, began the project out of his freshman year dorm. While he had the original intention of helping to dress boys going on dates, the present-day Closet has evolved immensely.

Chamberlain stated that the project’s entire incentive changed when someone came to him and said, “Hey, I think I’m questioning my gender identity, can I borrow some clothes?” After that,  the Closet’s primary goal became providing queer people with the necessary resources to discover their identity.

Partnering  with PrideStl, Queer Closet used their funds to purchase clothes that are stored in the Rainbow Office of the BSC. Any student can come check out clothes for a semester-long fee of $4.

Chamberlain and his team decided on this small fee because “transitioning is extremely expensive and also college is extremely expensive” and that the most important factor of this project for him was to “help specifically my trans brothers and sisters try to be a little bit more comfortable with themselves.”

Wassel believes that Queer Closet is one example from the grant winners that perfectly exemplifies what he and his team created the project for. “Students saw a real need on our campus community for students that feel in the margins,” he said.

“It’s neat to see students take something and run with it,” Wassel said about Queer Closet. “But that one feels close to home because it’s helping SLU students who are queer or transgender, maybe they can come across feeling more connected to the University in some way.”

Ultimately, the people at the showcase were able to experience the passion and creativity that the SLU community possesses. According to Wassel, his goal for the day was to have students “leave here knowledgeable about all the cool things these students are doing and also inspired to submit an application for next year.”

However, the foremost hope for the entirety of the 1818 Grant Program is that it will have a lasting, positive impact on the community and students– a feeling shared by Wassel and the 18 groups showcased.

Katlyn Martin – SGA President

Photo Courtesy of Rebecca LiVigni

Senior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Urban Poverty, also Pre-Law

What has been a key source of motivation for you?

“In terms of SGA, the people I serve and get to serve with (so students and the rest of the executive board) are my main motivation. I love what I do on campus and really enjoy elevating student voices to help address concerns and/or connecting students to resources and help that can help make their SLU experience better. The team I get to work with is incredibly supportive and does great work. They make my job easy. Additionally, it does make me really happy that people on campus can see someone they identify with in this position, which is something that I wasn’t able to do since there hasn’t been a female president in my time at SLU.”

What are you most proud of in your position? 

“In my time at SLU, this is the most diverse that SGA has been. I think this is a result of a lot of intentionality to make SGA more inclusive and accessible. Also, I think this year has been really stabilizing for student government. I think we have raised the bar in terms of what we do, how we hold ourselves accountable, and what is expected of us … One of my goals when elected was to shape SGA into a sustainable group that every student on campus felt comfortable approaching to find resources, provide input, and help make SLU better. I think in some capacity we have made great strides in that direction.”

Radhika Patel – Logistics Captain of Shakti

Photo Courtesy of Radhika Patel

Sophomore studying Physical Therapy

How does it feel to be a woman in a position of leadership at SLU?

“If feels really good, I think that being a woman in a position of leadership sets a lot of really good examples for people. I think it’s always for me personally really cool to see a fellow peer of mine or just a friend, a woman that I know in a position of power because I not only am able to learn from her, but I am also inspired to do more myself.”

What are you most proud of in your position?

“I am proud of being in this position as only a sophomore with my second year on the team. I think I was able to handle it in a really positive way and take things on and just start running with it. So, I am really proud of how I handled the transition from being a dancer to being a captain.”

Kaylyn Krauss – Creator of the I AM Project

Photo Courtesy of Kaylyn Krauss

Sophomore studying Physical Therapy

What inspired you to create your page?

“For as long as I can remember, I have believed that no one should be held back from reaching their full potential. However, low self-confidence and anxieties over how we see ourselves play a role in keeping people from being their best selves … I have learned that I am not alone in this struggle. Those I love and care for and those I go to school with, we all have these burdens that we have placed on ourselves. Each one of us is so remarkably unique and amazing, and my goal for this project is to showcase all the incredible things that make us who we are. The words “I AM…” carry a tremendous amount of weight. Being able to openly say how we view ourselves in a positive light, rather than being dimmed by our own self-doubt are just a few steps that can be taken to build up self confidence that is already instilled in us.”

What do you hope the impact of your page is on the SLU community?

“SLU has changed my life is so many different aspects. It has become the place where I can be the best version of myself and be proud of that. My intention for the project is to serve as a reminder. A reminder of all the remarkable people that make up the SLU community. The amount of messages I receive from people I may have never even spoke to expressing their gratitude, is a feeling I will never fully grow accustomed to. Sometimes people just need a reminder that we are all humans, and we all struggle. However, we are not alone, and we are incredible.”

Jessica Evenson – Vice President of University Compliance and Ethics

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Evenson

What makes you passionate about your field of work?

“I really enjoy working in the field of compliance in higher education because it is dynamic and constantly changing. One day is rarely the same. I’m passionate about our community that fosters learning and growth and one that allows us to celebrate and honor difference in each other. And, cheering for graduates as they walk across the stage is my favorite time of the year!”

What are you most proud of that you have accomplished so far in your career?

“I hold gratitude for so many mentors (formal and informal!) who have shaped my career. I’ve landed in professional experiences that I would never have reached for on my own because of them. I have also worked hard, experienced difficult times and have had to change directions when the future looked dim. I am proud of those experiences as well. Being at SLU, I am proud of our commitment to students and service. It’s a great time to be a Billiken!”

“Initially, it felt very validating to know that all the hard work and opportunities provided by others to build me up was worth it,” said Connor Morris, a fifth-year senior studying aerospace engineering with a minor in engineering mathematics. “Even as an intern, I felt that I was a part of a larger goal than myself, and it drives me to continue my work for the betterment of all,” he said, of his internship with NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, during the fall semester of 2017.

        Although Morris’ internship was an opportunity of a lifetime, he is one of many students that have been able to get internships in their field because of SLU’s faculty and resources. SLU offers services like Handshake, appointments with specialists for career counseling and career fairs for students on campus.

        According to SLU, they are ranked as one of the highest universities in Missouri for employment rates post-graduation, with 96 percent of recent graduates reporting that they are satisfied with their career path.

        Career Services, located in Suite 331 of the BSC for walk-in appointments, is one resource that is vital to upholding SLU’s admirable employment rate. They advertise they are available to help students begin a process of self-exploration that can help them better make decisions about majors and careers. Even if a student comes into their office with no decided major and no clear interests for a future career, they believe that they can help to figure out a path that will be interesting to them through personality tests and their career counselors.

        However, for Morris, who knew what he was passionate about, SLU’s faculty was the greatest help in finding his internship.

        “The faculty, staff and resources at Parks College were vital in equipping me with the skills and experience required to get into the NASA Pathways Program,” he said. Specifically, Dr. Michael Swartwout, the principal investigator for the Space Systems Research Laboratory at SLU, organized a research group made up of students that included Morris.

        “I joined the group during my first semester freshman year and its members took the time to help me develop my skills in spacecraft systems engineering and leadership that directly led to my qualifications for the program” he said. “I have had the privilege of leading the research group with my fellow peers prior to accepting the position at NASA,” said Morris, as he continues his work with his team post-internship.

        As part of Morris’ NASA experience, one of his responsibilities was to “learn what it takes to become a NASA Flight Controller,” which he said was like “the movie Apollo 13 with the guys with the headsets talking to Gene Kranz.”

        Morris also got to learn “the history of manned spaceflight, its success and disasters, how to communicate as a flight controller and of course, got to meet a lot of amazing men and women in the astronaut corps.” In getting this internship, Morris exemplified what a student can achieve through internship opportunities provided at SLU to students.

However, SLU resources are not always to thank for the esteemed internship opportunities on campus–a large portion of the credit goes to the students themselves. Esther Chinwuko, a second-semester senior studying electrical engineering, is just one example. She had the opportunity of working as a network engineer for Verizon in New York during the summer of her junior year.

Students starting from scratch, like Chinwuko, are also not limited in their internship search. For Chinwuko, there never was a clear ‘dream internship’ that seemed to fit her desired career choices.

“Before I started this internship, I wanted to become a professor but then I decided to do internship opportunities,” to figure out whether she wanted to go into academia or the engineering field. “Having this type of opportunity gave me an idea of what it would look like after I graduate from school.”

Chinwuko got the opportunity to help Verizon as they prepared to launch their 5G network. In this, she helped with research and even got to meet with a board member of Verizon.

Students who make their own way, like Chinwuko, understand the challenges involved in pursuing opportunities on their own. However, Chinwuko gives hope to students that are in the position she was, saying “do not let your field down,” even though “your GPA might be low, because my GPA is honestly not really high, but I already got an offer from Verizon as a full-time job,” she said.

           Morris’ internship is also opening up doors for his future. “This opportunity absolutely helped me in my future, as the program has a greater than 99 percent conversion rate to full-time after graduation,” he said.

“I definitely know that I want to work at NASA Johnson Space Center,” Morris said about his future. “I was very humbled to learn NASA’s mission to explore and endeavor to explore space and our Earth.”

Both Chinwuko and Morris provide a roadmap for students as they navigate toward their career goals. Whether self-guided or through the University, SLU provides an environment where students are able to have opportunities to live out their passions.

“Imagine a student who has primarily a mobility disability trying to get somewhere that has food on a super icy day,” said junior Samantha Moore. “If they were to slip and fall, that would be really embarrassing for that student…[and] a real challenge of trying to find someone to help you get up and get to your destination safely.”

This could be the unfortunate reality for many students with disabilities on SLU’s campus. However, icy sidewalks during the winter are not the only thing that these students must worry about on a daily basis–some issues may even be under SLU’s jurisdiction.

While SLU boasts that they are “committed to maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment across all of its campuses” in their Americans with Disabilities Act Policy, some do not believe that this is a realistic reflection of campus.

           Double majoring in elementary and special education, Moore is one of the students who sees the flaws in SLU’s campus accommodations.

While SLU may be able to call themselves accessible in the context of the ADA, Moore believes that they do not take their amount of accommodations as seriously as they should.

“There are multiple ways that we could improve how we structure the buildings at SLU,” said Moore. Specifically, she finds issues with the lack of handicapped doors, housing accommodations and outdated buildings on campus.

           “One issue we have currently with accommodations on campus are with accessible dorms, having the button that they can push,” said Moore.

Many rooms on campus, although deemed handicapped accessible and passing the ADA’s guidelines to house those with disabilities, do not have buttons to push that automatically open doors. This is an issue for many people with disabilities who often have limited use of their hands.

She also states that the disability entrances of campus buildings require students with disabilities to go “in a completely different way than other students do and that can be a major hassle, causing you to take more time to get to certain places than could be unnecessary,” said Moore. While this aggravates Moore, she finds a specific problem with the way that students with disabilities must enter lecture halls.

In one of her lectures, a student with a disability had to take the elevator to the bottom floor, enter with the professor before class, sit in the front row and then make sure to leave with the professor so they didn’t get stuck at the bottom of the lecture hall after class.

“What if they don’t want to sit in the front? Where is their choice in the matter?” said Moore.

Although the SLU administration advertises how old many of the buildings on campus are, this is unfortunately reflected in their out-of-date disability accommodations as well. Even with the newer additions to SLU’s campus, like Grand and Spring Hall, there are still areas that are lacking.

“I think we are on the right track to making a lot of places more accessible, such as the new buildings are more accessible for students with disabilities, but maybe not as accessible as they should be,” said Moore.

With Moore’s sophomore year roommate being handicapped, she thought it was necessary for Housing and Residential Life to account for how much room a person may need with their disability–but even the new dorms couldn’t cut it.

“I lived in Grand Hall last year which was big and beautiful, and we lived in an accessible room, however, there sometimes can be a lot of equipment that comes with someone’s disability and sometimes it’s hard to find places to put everything,” she said.

For Moore, it becomes hard to feel school pride for a campus that excludes those who are disabled. “I know as a special education major specifically, I am very attuned to what areas are not accessible… you see that there are a lot of things that are off limits, which they shouldn’t be,” she said.

This is often the case for junior Rene Runions, a wheelchair user whose voice is frequently unheard when it comes to demanding change for disabled students like herself.

“I can only speak from being a wheelchair user perspective, but several buildings, such as the lower [level] of the BSC, Postal Office and Starbucks” are not easily accessible for her. “I’ve tried getting these accessible buttons for the past 2 years I’ve attended SLU,” said Runions.

While conditions on SLU’s campus may be livable for students with disabilities, it is more difficult than it could be for a group that is already at a disadvantage mobility wise.

Even if students are not going into a special education field like Moore, the hope is that all of the SLU community take into account how much more difficult life on campus could be for those with a disability. Hopefully, this will cause all students to help be the change that the disabled community needs.

“I think that just with small efforts and with more community outreach there could be a lot of change in that area to make people even more proud of the accessibility and the safety and support of our campus for students with disabilities,” said Moore.

In Ethiopia, the school dropout rate for girls remains at a staggering 51 percent, according to the Dignity Period project, a main cause for dropouts being the lack of access to menstruation products.

Despite taking place halfway across the world, this problem is not foreign to St. Louis.

Women of low income populations in St. Louis struggle every day for the essentials: enough money for their rent, food and bills. However, one basic necessity is not often regarded as essential—menstrual products.

The simple reality for these women is that it is essential. According to Plan International, 1 in 10 women struggle to afford menstrual hygiene products when they need them—a problem that is far more prevalent for women in low income populations.

This reality was the motivation for  Anne Sebert Kuhlmann, Ph.D.

Kuhlmann, a professor and master’s program director of public health at SLU, realized her study on low income women’s menstrual health in St. Louis was more necessary than she ever expected.

“About 64 percent of the low income women that we surveyed could not afford menstrual hygiene products in the past year when they needed them,” Kuhlmann said. “We thought we would document some need, but when we talk about 64 percent of the women that we talked to, that’s very pervasive.”

Kuhlmann credits the “economic cost of being a woman” for this incredibly high statistic.

“If you think about a man and a woman living on very low-income, making ends meet, there are additional costs that women have in order to participate fully in society, that, in this case, men don’t have,” she said.

Kuhlmann claims that there is an “economic cost of having to provide extra supplies, yet we have nothing in our safety net system that helps provide for them.”

With no safety net in place, women in low income populations already face a unique challenge, however, that is not the extent of their economic obstacles. The extra “cost of being a woman” can also be seen in the selective exemption of items subject to a sales tax.

According to NPR, items like ChapStick, Viagra and dandruff shampoo have no sales tax in many states due to their “healthcare” uses; however, period products are taxed this way—or even luxury taxed—in some places.

This can increase the price of period products by 10 percent of the item’s amount, according to Kuhlmann’s research—a significant increase for many women. Because of this, women often resort to using rags, paper towels, toilet paper and even diapers during their monthly cycle in order to overt the extra funds.

Menstrual hygiene is not detached from other areas of a woman’s life, either; the effects of a woman’s period can extend into other areas of health and lifestyle.

“Women often miss school or work because of their periods” and “because of not having products,” said Kuhlmann.

According to Kuhlmann, this is especially true for women working hourly jobs that don’t provide sick leave. By missing a day or two a month due to a lack of menstrual products, it can disturb their economic stability—in addition to their mental health.

“It can affect your job. It can affect your progress in education. You can also imagine how it affects a woman’s self-worth and dignity, not being able to care and provide for yourself,” said Kuhlmann.

Fortunately, though, Kuhlmann believes the study was published at the perfect time for a resolution. Dignity Period, in partnership with the St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies, is starting a program in St. Louis to dispense reusable pads to women in need. The Alliance will work similarly to the Diaper Bank in St. Louis in that they will purchase, collect and store menstrual products, then partner with organizations that work directly with women from low income populations to distribute them.

Although this is a great relief to the problem now, Kuhlmann thinks the key to creating a lasting solution is in policy-making. Since 2017, there’s been a bill in the Missouri House focused on taxing menstrual hygiene products and diapers at the lower food sales tax rate. However, it has not received a hearing.

Kuhlmann hopes that because of how widely the study has spread, particularly in an upcoming issue of the esteemed publication “Obstetrics & Gynecology,” it will help illustrate the importance of this issue.

“We will have to see at this legislative session with this new awareness whether the bill is introduced again and whether it receives a hearing in the legislative process,” said Kuhlmann.  

Kuhlmann’s study has made a large impact on the St. Louis community, as well as the nation. But what’s made her feel the proudest throughout the entire project is bringing awareness to the issue. “We thought it would generate some attention, but I think it’s gone way beyond what we’ve imagined,” she said.

Knowing that people will see the magnitude of the problem and use it to establish programs and expand existing programs to help St. Louis women is what Kuhlmann desires for the future.

However, Kuhlmann’s ultimate hope is that her work will be a stepping stone to finally ending women’s struggle to afford menstrual hygiene products, period.

For women during World War II, it was Rosie the Riveter telling them “We Can Do It” that motivated them to step into the male-dominated workforce; for college-aged females today, it is breaking the glass ceiling.

Currently, women in majority-male workplaces can expect higher rates of gender discrimination. They often face struggles like a large wage gap, a lack of respect from coworkers and clients, feeling as if they are working under a microscope, and higher reports of sexual harassment, according to Pew Research.

The key to helping strengthen the number of females in male-dominated workforces is encouraging them at college ages to continue on their path. Many women throughout college are discouraged by professors, mentors and even parents from going into careers that society has deemed more masculine. Because of this pressure, many female students do not graduate with the degree they intended.

Christina Connell, an Aviation Flight Science major at SLU, is one exception.

Being that Connell is one of two female aviation students in her junior class, she is already experiencing how unequal the ratio of gender is within the Aviation field – a historically male-dominated field, with over 93 percent of all pilots being male.

“I came from an all-girls Catholic high school. My parents joke that I went from an all-girls school to an all-boys school,” said Connell.

Connell discovered her dream of being a pilot because of her parents, who are both pilots for United Airlines. By being behind the controls for the first time, she realized how much she wanted to make it her career. After that, she loved “the empowerment aspect” of telling everyone what she wanted to do with her future.

Without growing up surrounded by aviation, however, Connell may have never found her passion. Aviation “is not exposed to women as much as it is exposed to men,” she said.  

Marketing, media and the environment begin to influence a person’s future career choice at a young age. For example, when computers were first marketed towards boys in 1991, the number of females in computer science careers experienced a drop.

Although, Connell and other young supporters have become advocates for women finding their place in male-dominated work forces. Connell is the president of an organization at SLU called Women in Aviation, which gives out scholarships and exposes the next generation to the field of aviation.

Her predominant motivation through the club is “exposing younger girls to this opportunity and showing them that even if you can’t fully pay for it, there are scholarships out there,” Connell said.

This is just one way in which women can be exposed to new fields that are notoriously male-dominated. Across the country, there are similar organizations that aim to close these gaps.

At SLU alone, other organizations like Society of Women Engineers and American Medical Women’s Association offer female students support in navigating fields with statistically less women. The encouragement and promotion of women in these fields are ways that these fields can become more diverse. Not only will this help women to be more represented, it advances women’s efforts in the workforce in regard to pay and developing a positive work atmosphere.

Like women everywhere, Connell looks to the future, stating “I want to fly with my mom one day. She has eight years until she retires from United – hopefully, we would be the first mother daughter crew at United in San Francisco.” This sentiment more broadly reflects the dreams many women have when making their career choices.

The future of these industries depends on drawing from a diverse workforce that cultivates an environment that inspires and welcomes everyone. Just as Rosie the Riveter signified a milestone for women during World War II, women like Connell continue to break glass ceilings.

A St.Charles County mother was on her way to work an extra shift at SLU Hospital when she was killed in a car accident on Nov. 24, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Thirty-one-year-old nurse Sara Shepard was picking up extra shifts at work before Christmas in order to afford presents for her children when the accident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. As Shepard was driving eastbound on MO-364, a man in a pickup truck hit Shepard’s sedan. The two cars struck the guardrails as they were pushed off the road—the pickup truck was overturned.

The two passengers in the truck, a 39-year-old man and 32-year-old female were transported to the nearest hospital, and seemed to have sustained minor injuries, according to Fox 2 St. Louis. However, the reason for the accident is still being investigated.

Shepard’s family, still grieving the loss of their beloved sister, daughter and granddaughter, can only put on a brave face for her children.

Shepard’s brother, Dave Hill, told Fox 2 that “right now it’s all about them,” and that “they are the ones who are suffering the most out of all of this.”

“Sara had already picked out a Christmas list for the children,” Becca Hill, Shepard’s sister-in-law, said to Fox. “Her whole life was her kids, everything she did was for her kids.” Shepard’s children are currently in the custody of their father.

To add to their devastation, just seven months before the accident, Sara and Dave’s brother, James, also died.

“We’ve learned a lot about grief through this whole process,” Becca Hill said.

In a statement to the press, the SLU Hospital Communications team stated that “our hearts are broken to hear of the sudden passing of Sara Shepard,” and that Shepard was the embodiment of a nurse: “talented, knowledgeable, compassionate and dedicated.” According to her obituary at Hutchens Funeral Homes, “Sara fiercely loved her family, going to concerts and sporting events.” Shepard also devoted time and care into helping two of her cousins, Timmy and Michael, who struggle with Huntington’s Disease. It also stated that Shepard was pursuing her master’s degree in adult acute care nurse practitioner in order to specialize in neurology.

“Sara will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time,” said SLU Hospital to the community.

Vice President for Student Development Dr. Kent Porterfield sent out an email reminder to all SLU students that counseling services are available:

• All students can visit the University Counseling Center (UCC) on the second floor of Wuller Hall. A trained and licensed staff therapist is also available 24/7 by calling 314-977-TALK (8255).
• Faculty and staff can arrange professional counseling through SLU’s Employee Assistance Program by calling 800-859-9319.
• The Eckelkamp Center for Campus Ministry, located in the first floor of Wuller Hall, can be reached at 314-977-2425.
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To donate to Sara Shepard’s family and help her children, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/sara-shepard-memorial-fund.

A doctor has resigned from his position at SLU Hospital in the wake of receiving serious criminal charges earlier this month. Dr. Ashu Joshi, a 46-year-old resident of Sunset Hills, Mo., was arrested in October after impregnating a 16-year-old and was charged with child pornography and transportation of a minor across state lines for sexual purposes, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When the Kentucky teen found out she was pregnant, she admitted to police that Joshi was the baby’s father and that he had proposed to her, as stated by Sgt. Adam Kavanaugh of the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit.

In court, Kavanaugh also stated that Joshi brought the minor across state lines at least twice for sexual relations in his St. Louis County home.
Joshi was initially released on bail after paying a $15,000 bond and signing a contract stating that he would not be in communication with the 16-year-old. He is currently on trial for all charges.

Joshi met the girl through her mother, who was a patient of his. The 16-year-old initially wanted to discuss how Joshi became a doctor because she was considering it as a future career.

After meeting, the pair hit it off and the teen became a babysitter for Joshi’s children, where the relationship between the two began.

According to court records, the teen’s mother knew that her daughter was “dating” Joshi, but she stated that she did not want the relationship to progress the way it did.

In early November, details of the relationship were released when Joshi appeared in court. The pair communicated over Facebook, where they exchanged hundreds of photos and videos. These included child pornography — both of the teen alone and of the pair together. They had also discussed sexual matters and plans to get married in their messages.

Joshi’s lawyer, John Schleiffarth, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Joshi is a “respected physician and member of the community.” Although, respect did not save Joshi’s career; he was reportedly suspended from SSM Health SLU Hospital after the arrest. As of Nov. 1, Joshi resigned from his position in the Internal Medicine Department of the Hospital and is “no longer affiliated with Saint Louis University” according to an announcement to the SLU community by the public relations team. Jeff Fowler, vice president of SLU’s Marketing and Communication declined any further comment on Joshi.

“He looks forward to vindicating his good name,” said Schleiffarth to the Post-Dispatch.

Regardless of Joshi’s professional reputation, the extent of damage dealt by his actions remains to be seen and his sentence is yet to be served.

Last year, the Center for Community Engagement and Service announced that the end of Make A Difference Day was upon us. As SLU students mourned the loss of the beloved day, the Center wasted no time to begin a new project – the 1818 Grant Program.

The 1818 Program “is a way to empower students and create their own community engagement experiences,” said Bobby Wassel, Assistant Director of the Center.

Although new, the response to the Grant was much higher than expected. While the Center planned for around 30 applicants, 53 groups submitted their proposals since it opened in early September.

The decision process was not an easy one. A committee of faculty and students chose their top 18 applicants, then the Center approved a final 18 from their choices. According to Wassel, the hardest part was that only one of every three applications got approved.

Some of the grant-winning 18 groups include a pollinator program that builds 20 different bee gardens at elementary schools across St. Louis to help the bee population and also educate the youth of the growing bee problem; a similar project is of three engineering groups who teamed up to create a robotics class for students in the Ville neighborhood.

These students “rarely have access to any sort of STEM education or fun robotics things to kind of create a sense of wonder and awe in robotics and engineering” said Wassel.

Wassel is currently getting the same sense from his job after starting the Program. “I’ve been here 13-years, and this is unequivocally one of the best programs that we’ve had here at SLU. Certainly, one that is giving me so much energy and joy,” about meeting with the students and talking about their anxiousness to begin working.

“It reminds me why I love working here and why I love SLU students,” he proudly said.

The 1818 Grant Program not only gives Wassel and his team a reason to feel passionate about their work, but SLU students get to finally be the change they wish to see in their community.