STL Teaching Fellows to Hold Summer Celebration on July 14

Saint Louis University's School of Education will celebrate a milestone July 14 as the STL Teaching Fellows welcomes its largest cohort to date during its annual Summer Celebration & Induction Ceremony at Il Monastero.

The event, themed "Rise Up," will celebrate the accomplishments of current fellows while formally welcoming 24 new participants into the program. Within weeks, these new fellows will begin serving as full-time teachers in public and charter schools throughout the St. Louis region while earning their Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree.

This year's incoming class brings total enrollment to 43 active fellows across two cohorts.

The annual induction ceremony is a celebration of the partnerships that make the program possible. Students, alumni, school and district leaders, community partners, faculty, family members, and supporters will gather to recognize current fellows and welcome the newest cohort into the STL Teaching Fellows community.

"At its core, this event is about community," said Karissa Sywulka Mitchell, director of STL Teaching Fellows. "We're bringing together the people who make this work possible—our fellows, their loved ones, our partners, and the schools that trust us to prepare their teachers."

The celebration will also feature keynote speaker Dr. Kacy Shahid, an educational leader and author recognized for her work advancing excellence and equity in schools.

STL Teaching Fellows was created in response to one of the region's most pressing educational challenges: recruiting and retaining qualified teachers for public school districts and public charter schools. Fellows teach full time while completing graduate coursework as part of a supportive cohort. Throughout the program, they receive ongoing guidance from university supervisors, school-based mentors, and fellow cohort members navigating similar experiences.

"We've built a pathway that allows people to enter teaching without putting their lives on hold," Sywulka Mitchell said. "That's been a game changer for so many of our fellows."