Kathleen Lees

3 weeks ago | stljewishlight.org | Kathleen Lees

Dodi Taylor, the manager of Jewish community engagement at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, is all about health; she has a master’s degree in nutrition and even teaches yoga. In addition to her role at the Federation, Taylor also works as the life enrichment coordinator at the Jewish Community Center, where she organizes events, along with programming and skill building opportunities for individuals with special needs.

1 month ago | stlmag.com | Kathleen Lees

The tragedy was unthinkable. In 2019, MaryJane Rabier lost her first child 25 weeks into her pregnancy due to complications from early onset pre-eclampsia. Her son, Luca, lived for 12 days. Rabier got to hold him only once, while he was attached to a tangle of wires. Even with the support of her husband, Seth, Rabier recalls feeling alone as she tried to figure out how to complete her family, while the risk of a tragedy like this happening again still loomed.

2 months ago | stljewishlight.org | Kathleen Lees

Brothers Tom and Rick Pernikoff have been playing music together since they were children—a fascination that grew from driving in the car with their mother, who cranked up Motown on the radio, to learning different instruments in high school, like bass and guitar. “I wanted to be in a rock band like Led Zeppelin,” Rick recalls.

2 months ago | stlmag.com | Kathleen Lees

Some high school courses help students gravitate toward future job roles. Kirkwood High School is providing authentic field experience. The school’s advanced marketing course, co-taught by Bryce Bunton and Zach Kirk, is bridging the gap between school and the real world by providing students opportunities to share their ideas with local businesses and receive genuine feedback from the owner.

2 months ago | stlmag.com | Kathleen Lees

Inaccessible physical environments continue to constrain many individuals with disabilities. The St. Louis-based company We Hear You, however, is opening new doors to accessibility solutions—literally. We Hear You, which received recognition from Arch Grants in 2023, initially developed an AI-equipped American Sign Language Translator to provide ASL translation in public places.