One of her long-range plans is to work with children on the spectrum as a psychiatrist or therapist, and Jhamoireanne Mitchell says Upward Bound (UB) EC is proving to be instrumental in getting her there. 

“College readiness is the core foundation of the program,” said Mitchell, a junior at Cahokia High School with a 4.1 GPA. “I learned so much about college that I did not know.” 

Mitchell, who has been an UB student since she was a freshman, plans to major in psychology and minor in neuroscience. “I want to enrich people’s mental health,” she said. “It’s a passion for me.” 

Regarding her immediate goals, she has set her sights on Kenya. Mitchell was recently named as a Faces of America scholarship winner through the St. Louis-based Quest Scholarship Fund and the American Field Service-USA in New York. 

Quest helps highly qualified St. Louis area students have the opportunity to study abroad. Students must be active in high school, have a high-grade point average, internship experience, community service hours and undergo a stringent interviewing process. UB encouraged Mitchell to apply for the scholarship in 2021. She will leave for the three-week abroad trip in June. 

“I am so excited about going,” said Mitchell. “I will be involved in community service work such as helping give out food and water. I will also do something to help with climate change. I can’t wait!”

For some, being surrounded by books all day could be boring, but not for avid reader and book enthusiast LaAris Crumer. 

Crumer is the library operations associate circulation lead at the SIUE East St. Louis Learning Resource Center (LRC). She has worked at LRC since September 2018. 

“I love to read,” said Crumer, “so being surrounded by books all day is the ideal work environment for me.”  

Crumer is responsible for processing all purchased items for the LRC collection, including fiction and non-fiction books, children’s books, DVDs and audiobooks. Crumer oversees all circulation-related procedures, including helping patrons find their next favorite book and ordering items from other Southern Illinois public libraries through the Illinois Heartland Library System. In addition, she assists patrons on computers and provides support as it relates to LRC events and services. 

“I like that the LRC provides the community with free access to such services as printing, copying, scanning, faxing and Notary Publics,” said Crumer. “I love serving East St. Louis, which is rich in history and community. Our patrons have welcomed me with open arms, and getting them to laugh while helping them with library services is a wonderfully fulfilling experience.”

The SIUE Office of Online Services and Educational Outreach (OSEO) created a presence at the SIUE East St. Louis Center this spring, according to Mary Ettling, OSEO director. 

“We really want to learn more about our colleagues on the East St. Louis campus and about the community,” said Ettling. “Over the coming weeks, we hope to learn about people’s ideas and understand what they would like to see on campus.” 

OSEO is located in the Director’s Office. It is alternately staffed by Ettling and other OSEO staff, as well as Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, director of SIUE’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center. 

The goal is to have a rotation of OSEO staff from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. “We expect to be fully staffed by fall 2022,” said Ettling. 

The decision to come to the East St. Louis campus resulted from outcomes specified by the SIUE Anti-Racism Task Force and the University’s strategic plan. 

“They both emphasize repairing and strengthening the relationship with East St. Louis,” noted Ettling. “This made us reflect on our role in serving the East St. Louis campus community, especially as we are finishing our unit's diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan.” 

“I want to be a part of meaningful, positive change on the East St. Louis campus and in the community,” she added. “I’m grateful to Dr. Staples for allowing us this opportunity. I hope we have a permanent presence.”

• The East St. Louis Center for Performing Arts will begin its After School Summer Enrichment Program on Monday, June 6. For more information, click this link. 

• Collinsville Upward Bound Math and Science Summer STEM Precollegiate Academy Begins
  • Residential Program (30 students live on campus at SIUE) June 5-17
• • June 8 STEM Career Day
    • Professionals from STEM fields will come to meet with the students in a round-table style rotation
  • Meridian Society Grant with the Department of Anthropology and Geography June 13-17
    • Students will go to the SIUE dig site, participate in a real college class, learn to use drones 
  • Six students will be attending a symposium in Hollywood, California on animatronic robots (June 3-6), and implement the curriculum June 21-23 
    • SIUE Foundation Grant paid for the symposium 
    • Council for Opportunity in Education grant paid for the animatronic robot curriculum
  • June 27 begins our 3-week summer camp sponsored by the SIUE STEM Center's National Science Foundation Grant
    • Students will create their own research project in environmental science, come up with their own hypothesis, collect data, and present their findings in July during our end of the summer ceremony 

Dr. Keith Ware is SIUE’s East St. Louis Center’s New Associate Director

SIUE East Louis Learning Resource Center Prepares the Community for Careers 

SIUE and SIUC Recognize East St. Louis Native, Rev. Joseph Brown, in Sankofa Celebration

SIUE Celebrates, Shows Appreciation for Faculty and Staff

SIUE UBSA Students End the Year with Accolades

SIUE UBMS Students Celebrate End of Year Achievements, Prepare for Summer

Mobile Dental Care Brightens Smiles of SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School Students

East St. Louis Residents Star in their Own Story, Courtesy of SIUE’s TRHT

SIU System Welcomes Holocaust Survivor and Former Peace Corps Director Walter Blass

SIUE East St. Louis Center’s Impact on Display During Chancellor Minor Engagement Sessions

SIUE’s Dr. Timothy Staples Welcomes Positivity Bench to Campus from The Gateway IL Chapter of The Links Inc.