This weekend, Meredith Stroud will graduate from the College of Education with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Stroud also earned a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College. During her time at UMSL, Stroud was highly involved on campus as a Triton Leader, Orientation Leader and member of the Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
It’s a little surreal for Meredith Stroud to be back at Academy of Innovation at Remington, the K-8 school she attended growing up in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
Not so much walking the halls or sitting in a classroom – Stroud got used to that substitute teaching as a University of Missouri–St. Louis student and volunteering with a children’s theater group. Crossing the threshold into the teachers’ lounge was uncanny, but not as strange as becoming colleagues with her childhood teachers.
“Calling my teachers by their first names, that’s probably the weirdest thing,” Stroud said. “Some of the teachers, when I got their phone numbers, I put them in my phone as ‘Ms. So and So’ and ‘Mr. So and So.’”
Stroud will have plenty of time to get used to it this coming school year. After graduating this weekend with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and multiple certifications from the College of Education, as well as a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College, Stroud will assume a full-time role as seventh grade teacher at Remington.
In a happy coincidence, she’ll replace her own seventh grade English and social studies teacher, Lisa Kraemer. Without any hesitation, Kraemer remembered Stroud from her time at Remington. Those deep, long-lasting relationships are a product of the school’s unique structure and one of the reasons Stroud is eager to return to her alma mater.
“One of the really special things about Remington is that if you’re there kindergarten through eighth grade, you’re there for nine years,” Stroud said. “When I got to UMSL, I’d only been at two schools my entire life. I went to Remington and then Pattonville High School, so it has a really small-town feel.”
Stroud found a similar environment at UMSL, but she also worked to seek out new experiences by getting involved on campus.
During her time at the university, she worked as a Triton Leader and Orientation Leader, welcoming new students to the university. She was also a member of the Delta Zeta sorority and the Pierre Laclede Honors College Student Association, serving in leadership positions with both organizations. Additionally, her peers recognized her positive presence on campus and crowned her 2025 UMSL Homecoming Royalty.
Stroud’s academic success earned the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship as well as the Honors College Merit and Chancellor’s Merit Scholarships.
“Looking back at the things that I’ve done, it’s exciting because my freshman self would not have seen me here now,” she said. “I’ve grown so much.”
Despite a knack for teaching, Stroud was initially resistant to pursuing a career in education.
“There are a lot of teachers in my family,” she explained. “I was like, ‘Nope, I want to do anything but that.’ Over COVID, I watched too much ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘NCIS,’ and I thought, ‘I’m going to be a criminal profiler in the FBI.’ My junior year of high school, I was in a program called PALS – Peer Assistance and Leadership. I would mentor a freshman study hall and help them transition to high school. The teacher that led PALS, she said, ‘You’d be a really good teacher.’ I was like, ‘Nope, not doing it. Going into the FBI.’”
Her teacher was undeterred and informed Stroud about an UMSL dual-enrollment education course offered at Pattonville. Worst case scenario, Stroud would discover she didn’t like teaching but earn some college credit. But she loved the experience, which awakened a passion for education.
The dual-enrollment course helped put her on the path to UMSL, but a tour of the campus cemented her decision to become a Triton.
“A lot of other schools were like, ‘Oh, look at our buildings. This is our building. Look at a really cool building,’” Stroud recalled with a laugh. “Then at UMSL, my tour guide, she said, ‘At this place, I experienced this with these people.’ It was very people and human centered, so it felt a lot more meaningful.”
After enrolling, it wasn’t long before Stroud was conducting campus tours as a Triton Leader and creating meaningful experiences for prospective students. Eventually, she became an Orientation Leader, hosting events to build community with new students. Erin Hoffmann, associate director of New Student Programs and Campus Visits, noted her dedication to the work.
“In those positions, including as a lead in each, she played a vital role in creating welcoming, student-centered experiences for new Tritons and their families,” Hoffmann said. “Meredith has a natural ability to connect with others, and she consistently approaches her work with compassion, reliability and a calm, steady presence, even in fast-paced or challenging moments.”
Stroud’s propensity to connect with others drew her to the close-knit community of the Honors College. That’s where she found some of her closest friends, who eventually convinced her to get more involved with the college through the PLHCSA. They pointed out – rightly Stroud admits – that she was already attending all the group’s events and even staying afterward to help the clean-up efforts.
As a sophomore, Meredith Stroud packs a new mom kit during the MLK Week of Service.
As a junior, Stroud served as the publicity chair on the executive board and then later transitioned to service chair. This past year, she coordinated charity events to raise money for the United Way of Greater St. Louis, with donations going toward a relief fund to aid those affected by last year’s May 16 tornado. She also helped organize the annual Haunted Honors event, which earned the organization the 2026 UMSL Student Leadership Award for Best Overall Program.
The experiences on campus with the Office New Student Programs and Campus Visits and the Honors College were foundational for Stroud’s personal and professional growth. Through them, she gained confidence and learned to communicate clearly and lead with grace and humility. Those are lessons she’s been able to apply directly to her work in the College of Education.
She appreciated the ability to take education courses early in her degree program that took her into the field. Before student teaching, she gained experience with students by working with Dancing Classrooms, a nonprofit program that empowers youth and teaches respectful interaction via ballroom dancing.
“It was so funny to see them at the beginning of the semester,” Stroud said. “They would not look at each other, not touch each other. Slowly, you work with them on that. You start where they are, and then by the end, they’re like, ‘Hey, do you want to dance with me at recess?’”
Stroud’s student teaching experience at Remington reinforced how important it is to meet students where they are and build genuine relationships. It turns out, video gaming is the secret to bonding with a boy-heavy middle school class.
“The one thing they love is Fortnite,” Stroud said. “I just play Fortnite for fun, and I think I mentioned it on my get-to-know-you slide, and that was the turning point.”
Things didn’t always go so smoothly. But Stroud credited Clinical Educator Susie Staggs with giving her practical tools and strategies to use when she ran into roadblocks. Stroud said Staggs’ advice was crucial for her progression as an educator.
Stroud’s time in the College of Education and Honors College has more than prepared her to lead her own classroom this fall, but leaving UMSL is still bittersweet.
“I’m definitely a little bit nervous, but it’s an excited nervous because I’m happy and satisfied looking back on what I did at UMSL and how I spent my time here,” Stroud said. “I’m sad to be leaving it, but then I’m also excited about what’s coming next.”
