Katrina Smith
The Secret to Success: Challenge Yourself
Katrina Smith is a sophomore at Nerinx Hall. Her cumulative GPA
at the end of freshman year was 2.51 which she claims is not
acceptable and should have at least been a 3.00. Katrina is an
extremely bright young woman who believes in working hard and
pushing herself to be the best she can be. She is shy about
speaking in front of groups. She is generally very reserved and
introverted. Recently, her freshman counselor sought me out to, as
she said, "brag about Katrina". The counselor asked Katrina to
speak with a freshman class to give them the "secrets to success"
at Nerinx Hall. Katrina spoke to the students about the importance
of time management, doing homework, taking good notes in class,
and reading everything assigned. The counselor was impressed
with the content of Katrina's talk, but more impressed with her poise
and articulation as she spoke in front of the group. I spoke with Katrina
after speaking with the counselor. Katrina said she was nervous, but
wanted to challenge herself to do something she considers important
to her future success. As she is academically challenged at Nerinx, she
is personally challenging herself to improve her whole person. Although
immeasurable and intangible, Katrina's commitment to growth is extraordinarily relevant.

Jasmine Collins
Building Community: Social Justice with an Eye towards Diversity
Jasmine Collins, De La Salle class of 2005, is a senior at St. Elizabeth Academy. Jasmine is a naturally compassionate leader, who often takes on responsibility for leading without being asked. Many of the leadership opportunities Jasmine assumes coincide with her commitment to justice and equality. For example, this past year, Jasmine was chosen as one of 28 students (from a pool of 300 applicants) to participate in a program entitled Cultural Leadership: Understanding through the African American-Jewish Experience. The year-long program gave Jasmine the opportunity to work with a diverse group of young people on strategies to eliminate prejudice and intolerance in both the St. Louis area and around the country. The Cultural Leadership program allowed Jasmine, with other young leaders, to travel to Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New Orleans to participate in social justice service and awareness. Jasmine plans to use her interest, passion and knowledge of social justice issues to pursue a law degree, specializing in human rights. She is applying to a number of colleges and universities for next year, including Wilberforce University, Tuskegee University, Howard University and Ottawa University in Kansas.