The Leadership Awards 2016

The Leadership Awards, which were held on April 25, 2016, gave the opportunity to honor the efforts of the people and organizations that make up student life here at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Our very own Lead Ambassador, Eric’el Johnson, won the Student Leader of the Year Award. Eric’el is a part of the UMSL/Washington University Joint Engineering program, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Along with being a lead UMSL Ambassador, Eric’el is involved in the Golden Key International Honor Society, Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association, Engineering Student Advisory Board, and the Society of Future Engineers.

Another great accomplishment was the Associated Black Collegians (ABC) winning three awards at this event including Organization of the Year, Best Cultural Awareness Program, and Best Community Building Award. ABC has been on UMSL’s campus since 1968 with the sole purpose of uplifting, promoting, unifying, and enriching socio-cultural well-being of black students, and above all nurture academic achievement while creating a welcoming environment for all students to participate.

Congratulations to Eric’el, ABC, and all of the other award recipients. UMSL is doing some great things and we are proud to be a part of that!

Hispanic Latino Association

UMSL’s very own Hispanic Latino Association, HISLA, hosted their one-of-a-kind Salsa Night on March 16th. They also hope to host it again next semester. This event was exhilarating for all, no matter what level of experience you had. Various forms of Latin dance were introduced, from merengue to flamenco. The instructor was concise with her instructions, energetic and fun. It was amazing to see such a diverse group of students spinning, dancing and laughing together. One of the main goals for HISLA is to promote awareness of Hispanic culture here at UMSL. They encourage all students to join HISLA on the Triton Sync portal. This organization is meant for students of all nationalities to get together and embrace the Hispanic culture. HISLA truly represents one of the many admirable attributes UMSL stands for: diversity.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Are you doing research? Do you want people to know about it? Golden Key International Honour Society hosts the Undergraduate Research Symposium each year in the spring semester. At the event, participants have the opportunity to do a poster or oral presentation on their individual research, scholarship, or creative work to faculty, staff, other students, and various guests. Work from all disciplines are welcome. This year’s symposium is April 29th in the MSC Century Rooms A and B as well as MSC 316.

Ambassadors at the Botanical Gardens: Jane & Whitney Harris Lecture

One of the really cool parts about being an UMSL Ambassador is all the great events you get to work. And every once in a while we get to work at event venues around the city! This year's Jane & Whitney Harris Lecture took place at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. For the ambassadors this means greeting our VIPs before the event, monitoring the lecture, and meeting some amazing people. It also gives the ambassadors a chance to walk around the gardens before the event starts. Here are just a few pictures from the super fun night we got exploring the gardens and enjoying this year's lecture! Quick tip: St. Louis City/County residents enjoy free Garden admission on Wednesday and Saturday mornings before noon with proof of residence!

 We're not always the most serious crew during our "off time"!

Who's Who Among Students

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges is a national award given to outstanding campus leaders for their scholastic and community achievements. Each year, the UMSL Office of Student Life selects students to award for our campus’ Leadership Awards. Eligible students must be nominated by a peer or a faculty/staff member. The nominator must complete a form with general information about the nominee and a small essay stating the reasons why this student should be awarded. After selections are made, UMSL hosts a banquet to honor these students. This year’s Leadership Awards Banquet will be held on Monday, April 25th at 6:30pm in the Millennium Student Center Century Rooms. Congrats to our fellow students who will be receiving awards, we hope to see you all there!

2016 Women Trailblazer Recipient

Congratulations, to our fellow UMSL Ambassador Eric’el Johnson. If you did not already know, Eric’el was recently honored as a 2016 University of Missouri– St. Louis Trailblazer!

Eric’el was honored alongside: Brendolyn Bailey-Burch, Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris, Stella Markou, and Aladeen Stoll.

Eric’el is a part of the University of Missouri– St. Louis Washington University Joint Engineering program, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Along with being a lead UMSL Ambassador, Eric’el is involved in the Golden Key International Honor Society, Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association, Engineering Student Advisory Board, and the Society of Future Engineers.

The Trailblazer ceremony was held Wednesday, March 23, 2016. This year’s theme was “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.”

Once again, congratulations to Eric’el and the other women of UMSL honored in this amazing event.

Monthly Meetings

One benefit from being an ambassador at the University of Missouri- Saint Louis is that the program will allow you to develop your communication, leadership, and professional skills. As part of your promise to the organization, you are required to attend monthly meetings. The meetings are usually one you would run to, instead of away from. Of course, we are kept up to speed with all the things that are going on within the organization, but we are also learning things that can be kept with us long after we retire the red vest. Our meetings usually teaches us how to properly tailor our resume, send emails, have a professional online presence, and so much more. The relationships that are made during our meetings, with the other ambassadors and the university, are one that would have you singing that you are a university ambassador and you are proud!