Finding students’ “best fit” has been Kimberly Merrill’s forte for more than 17 years.
Merrill serves as dual credit and early college counselor at University City High School, and some students she is helping guide to graduation and college in 2024 were born the year she began her work with the University City School District.
“Over the last 17 years, I have directly impacted over 2,000 students within the St. Louis Metropolitan Area with direct school counseling services to assist them as they navigate through their secondary academic journey,” Merrill said
“This includes assisting students with finding their postsecondary ‘best fit’ by exposing them to various college and career opportunities, internships, and resources.”
For her dedication to students’ futures, Merrill is recipient of the 2024 Southeast Missouri State University Counselor of the Year award.
“I am truly honored,” Merrill said of the recognition.
Merrill displayed her talent and enterprise during the October 2023 National College Attainment Network Conference (NCAN) in Dallas.
A 2023 NCAN College and Career Readiness Fellow, presented four of her cohorts a bag of materials and asked them to make a bracelet with a three-letter word based on the beads they were given.
After a few minutes, two were able to make the bracelet according to her instructions because they had the necessary materials in their bags. One fellow had the string to make the bracelet, but not the beads. Another had his bag so tightly closed that he spent much of the allotted time simply trying to open it.
To tie the activity to college and career readiness, Merrill reminded the audience that some schools have the resources they need, some have more than they need, some have no resources, and some have the resources but not the time.
“What can you do with what you don’t have? You can’t use what you don’t have as an excuse to not do the work,” was her message.
Merrill thanked Khadija Tejan and Amber Mitchell, the respective 2023 and 2019 SEMO Counselors of the Year “for thinking about me.”
“They are a part of my village of college and career professionals who are doing amazing work throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area.”
Tejan serves as Riverview Gardens School District college and career coordinator and Mitchell is the college and career counselor at Hazelwood East High School.
Gary Spiller, U. City School District executive director of student services an innovation, said Merrill “works tirelessly with our scholars and their families to identify postsecondary opportunities and create avenues of access for them to fulfill their goals and dreams.”
“She is amazing in her role of helping students with their academic, personal, and career development.”
Merrill holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) focused in Geography from Northwest Missouri State University and Master of Arts in Professional School Counseling & Teaching
The SEMO Counselor of the Year award is a testament to high school counselors throughout the region who help find the right colleges and universities for respective students, and financial assistance to help cover expenses.
Nearly $2.8 million in scholarships were awarded during the 2023 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala.
More than $15 million in scholarships have been awarded in the nearly four decades the Salute has been celebrated.
The St. Louis American Foundation’s 37th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education will take place on Saturday, October 12th at America’s center. Go to stlamerican.com for tickets and more information.
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