In St. Louis, For St. Louis

As the 2025 legislative session kicks off, the Office of Government & Community Relations at Washington University in St. Louis has launched an advocacy program as well as an online map demonstrating WashU’s impact across the state.

Flint Fowler, a strong champion for St. Louis’ young people and a WashU alumnus, will receive the annual Rosa L. Parks Award at the 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis. Fowler retired in December from Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Louis, where he served as executive director for 28 years. During his tenure, he helped the organization grow from a single location to 11 sites in the region offering about 14,000 young people programs in leadership, academic success, career readiness, the arts and sports. 

Two summers ago, Angela Chen joined the first class of the Washington University Rural Scholars Academy, a free program that introduces talented high school students to all that WashU and St. Louis have to offer. Next fall, she is set to return — this time as a first-year student on a full-ride scholarship.

WashU will once again partner with Greater St. Louis Marathon, a St. Louis tradition that features a marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, 10K, 5K and 1-mile family fun run. The 2025 race will take place April 26 in downtown St. Louis. 

Illustrator Carson Ellis, sculptor Beatriz Cortez and architect Rahul Mehrotra are among the internationally renowned creative professionals who will discuss their work for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis this spring. These events are free and open to the public.

Eight floors up in the nondescript Security Building in downtown St. Louis, a small legal team has been engaged in public service work for over two decades at the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. Last summer as part of the WashU St. Louis Fellows Program, Jordyn Ederer ‘26, a Goldman Fellow, worked out of the firm’s book-laden office on North Fourth Street and interned under the guidance of Bruce Morrison, the General Counsel of Great Rivers, and a WashU Law alumnus. Great Rivers is Missouri’s only public interest law firm focused on tackling the environmental and public health crises facing people in Missouri and Southern Illinois through legal avenues.

The St. Louis Fellows Program is a flagship initiative of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement which advances Washington University’s commitment to be in St. Louis and for St. Louis. This six-month competitive fellowship prepares WashU students for lifelong civic leadership through an experiential curriculum and local internships focused on advancing mission-critical work that moves the St. Louis region forward

Learning a sport typically starts at a young age. Parents often give their child a ball, a bat, a racquet, or a glove to help build their interest in athletics. Kids swing and miss or throw in the wrong direction, but they often get to hear words of encouragement from those at a practice or game to keep going. But it’s not that easy for everyone. Some children have challenges that they must overcome and do so on a daily basis. One group in particular are those children who are deaf and/or hard of hearing. Luckily some have the opportunity to attend the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) here in St. Louis. Part of their education is learning about physical activities and sports. That is where the Washington University in St. Louis men’s tennis team has been able to make a connection and give back to the community.

Each summer, the Sam Fox School’s Office for Socially Engaged Practice works to place students in 12-week fellowship roles with community partners through the CityStudioSTL program. The fellows and firms intentionally focus on community-driven projects in the St. Louis area, often partnering with area nonprofits to strengthen the region while providing students the opportunity to experience the city beyond WashU’s campus.

Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the Brown School, has received a three-year, $463,654 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to study and improve the health of refugees in Missouri. Naseh’s project, titled “Structural Barriers and Health Outcomes of New Missourians,” will focus on identifying and addressing the challenges refugees face when seeking initial assistance. The goal is to develop and test community-led solutions to improve health outcomes for newly resettled refugees across the state.