Princess Stormm is a media personality and the president of Will’s Way. On March 15, she was honored with a proclamation from
the mayor declaring it “Princess Stormm Day.” (Photo courtesy of Princess Stormm)

Hometown: St. Louis

Degree: BA in Communication, 2014

Current Position: Media personality and Will’s Way president

Fun Fact: When she’s not working, Stormm collects coffee mugs, though she doesn’t actually drink coffee.

Growing up in The Ville, Princess Stormm often heard the narrative that you need to leave St. Louis to make it big. After 15 years in the radio industry, she’s proving that isn’t true.

While studying communication at UMSL, Stormm landed an internship at Hot 104.1 – a local hip-hop and R&B station –where she first saw how her passion for radio could become her career. “I’d go to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, learning about media, then head straight to work on Friday, putting everything I’d learned into practice,” she recalls. “It wasn’t just theory – I was actually living it.”

Over the next decade, Stormm worked her way up at Hot 104.1 and its sister station 96.3 R&B, eventually becoming assistant program director. In addition to her own on-air work, Stormm oversaw music, events and giveaways while also collaborating with local talent to shape the station’s content. Here, she found her passion for highlighting emerging local artists – one she’s now translated into her work with the Midwest Music Summit, a day of education and networking for musicians, producers, songwriters and managers. This year’s summit was held on March 15, the same day Stormm was honored with a proclamation from the mayor declaring it “Princess Stormm Day.”

“I saw how much potential there was in our own backyard,” Stormm says. “When I shifted my focus to local talent, my career skyrocketed. I started connecting with producers, studios and artists right here in the city. Giving them a platform helped me grow, and it helped our community thrive. I’m passionate about seeing other artists thrive in this community and giving them a chance to be heard.”

In addition to helping local talent succeed, Stormm is deeply committed to giving back to her community. She hosts an annual drive for the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank and is also the president of Will’s Way, a nonprofit started by her mother that aims to make fitness fun for inner-city youth. She’s also the CEO of A Princess Within, a mentoring program that helps young girls embrace their self-worth and combat negative self-image, and is working to bring back St. Louis Women United, a brunch series that aims to empower women in the workforce.

UMSL provided crucial support as she followed her dreams, from an advisor who helped her find her passion to the many donors who funded scholarships and allowed her to graduate debt-free. Stormm – now an UMSL donor herself – is driven to give back and inspire the next generation of students.

“People who donated to UMSL made it possible for me to graduate without debt,” she says. “That’s why I feel compelled to give back – someone gave me a chance, and now I want to do the same for others. It’s all about paying it forward.”

This story was originally published in the spring 2025 issue of UMSL Magazine. If you have a story idea for UMSL Magazine, email magazine@umsl.edu.