Ritenour High School Senior Makes History at St. Louis Community College
Ritenour High School superstar senior Nadyah Majeed-Ali, who is dual enrolled at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley (STLCC-Florissant Valley), walked into a surprise celebration in the college’s STEM Academy on Sept. 9, 2024 after making history with academic honors that no other student had earned while still in high school.
Majeed-Ali was surprised with a certificate, honors cord and medal for earning the prestigious designation as STLCC’s youngest student who not only earned the status as a STLCC Honors Scholar but completed the rigorous requirements quicker than any other student in the history of the college.
“It is incredibly rare, in fact it’s not happened before, that a student completed all the requirements to become an Honors Program Scholar in just two semesters,” said Campus President and Chief Academic Officer of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley Dr. Elizabeth Perkins. “In STLCC history, you are the first student ever to do that, and that’s never been done by a junior in high school. We celebrate this tremendous occasion. This is such a big deal!”
During the 2023-2024 school year, Majeed-Ali finished four rigorous honors research projects in chemistry, sociology, Spanish and precalculus algebra on top of her honors coursework and maintained a 4.0 GPA. While she immerses herself in her academic endeavors, she also puts 100 percent into her extracurriculars -- playing on the RHS tennis and soccer teams, and volunteering with children at Wyland Elementary School, the Little Creek Nature Area in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, the St. Louis County Library Rock Road Branch and Hope Church.
Typically, high-performing STLCC students in the honors program take four to five semesters to earn the STLCC Honors Program Scholar designation. Nadyah will graduate in May with an associate’s degree and a high school diploma. She plans to attend Missouri S&T next fall and major in aerospace engineering.
“Living so close to the airport all my life, I’ve always been interested in how aircraft take flight while watching planes go over my house,” said Majeed-Ali. “I know I want to go into a career that has to do with aircraft or the fuel that propels them.”
Dr. Bruce Green, Ritenour’s assistant superintendent for secondary education and administrator of Ritenour High School, was among the Ritenour and STLCC leaders who surprised Majeed-Ali with some Ritenour bling. After presenting her with the gift, Dr. Green shared that her passion for learning is heartwarming to witness.
“It’s clear that Nadyah pursues her passion by diving into subjects that interest her and finding solutions to make this world a better place,” said Dr. Green. “There’s no greater joy than witnessing how students use their learning experiences to higher levels and apply them to the real world. I have no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more about Nadyah in the years to come and how she’s making a positive difference in the world. I’m humbled by her passion and her drive to pursue her dreams and commitment to giving back to her community.”
Also present at the surprise celebration were Majeed-Ali’s mother, Tammy Majeed-Ali, Ritenour Superintendent Dr. Chris Kilbride, RHS College & Career Counselor Cabrina Noonan, STLCC Honors Coordinator Elida Kraja, Emerson STEM Academy Coordinator Simon Langrehr and Dual Credit/ Enrollment Partnerships Coordinator Bailey Stock.
