From Campus to Career: Alumni share how their high school experience prepared them for their career
Posted on 09/14/2024
As outlined in the Mehlville School District Portrait of a Graduate, the district’s goal is for alumni to possess a wide range of values and skills to help them lead successful professional and personal lives by being creative and critical thinkers, self aware, persistent, communicators, and ethical and global citizens. We spoke to 10 recent alumni about their career accomplishments and how their experience in the Mehlville School District prepared them for life after graduation.
Meghan Miller, Mehlville High School class of 2018
As a senior at Mehlville High School, Meghan Miller enrolled in the MyPath program. Several of her family members worked in education, so Meghan wanted to see what it would be like to be a teacher.
Miller shadowed a teacher at Hagemann Elementary School and realized that while she didn’t want to have a career as a teacher, she wanted to make a positive impact on student learning. That’s how she found educational architecture.
Miller now works as an interior designer for a firm in Kansas City. She does acoustical treatments, space planning, picks out furniture and facilitates conversations between designers, educators and students.
“The fun part of what I get to do every day is solve problems and find creative solutions that benefit teachers and students,” said Meghan. “I get to help facilitate learning from the background.”
She credits the connections she was able to make during MyPath and overcoming the challenges she faced in the class with preparing her to enter the world.
Miller’s advice for current students: “Feel confident that it’s okay to fail. It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. There are people out there who are willing and wanting to help students and to help people find their direction in life.”
James Bragg, Oakville High School class of 2022
While attending Oakville High School, James Bragg enjoyed science and metals classes where he got to learn how to work with his hands. As a student, Bragg built a barbecue pit, night stands and signs.
After graduation, Bragg attended Ranken Technical College to pursue a career in welding. He now works for Airzone Company. He is a fabricator to help produce air rotary systems.
He credits learning to work with his hands and his math courses at OHS with helping to prepare him for his future.
“At the time, I didn’t think that I’d use math, but I use geometry and math every single day at my job,” said Bragg. “Taking the geometry class really helped me in the long run.”
Bragg’s advice for current students: “Always do the best you can at everything you do, no matter what the job is.”
Dr. Sejla Turnadzic, Mehlville High School class of 2016
While attending Mehlville High School, Dr. Sejla Turnadzic was involved in the honor society, Student Council and took biomedical science courses through Project Lead the Way. Following graduation, she attended the medical program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The past two years, she’s been doing her residency in anesthesia at Stanford University.
“I like anesthesiology because you get to see your effects immediately,” said Dr. Turnadzic. “You get to keep people alive and keep them comfortable, which is a big thing that isn’t talked about in medicine. A lot of the things we do are very painful. It’s very gratifying to be able to take some of the pain away.”
Dr. Turnadzic’s advice for current students: “Try to put yourself out there and talk to as many people as possible in different careers. Try to reach out to people and ask for mentorship. It’s incredibly helpful and useful throughout your entire career to have people that you know. While it can be awkward to reach out to people, I find most people are more than happy to show you around or talk to you about their jobs.”
Melina Delkic, Oakville High School class of 2013
Melina Delkic found passions as an Oakville High School student that followed her into her career as a journalist. She was involved in the German and Spanish Clubs, as well as Student Executive Council. Through her entrepreneurship class, Delkic started a baked goods business. Her products were sold in local grocery stores.
Following graduation, Delkic attended Georgetown University where she studied English with a minor in journalism. She says being in the nation’s capital during that time led to exciting internships, including covering the 2016 presidential election.
After college, Delkic had an internship with The New York Times and worked as general assignment reporter for Newsweek. She later returned to The New York Times where she has worked for the past seven years as an editor and reporter. She’s covered business, breaking news and international news, as well as some general assignment reporting.
“Getting to find different passion projects through my English classes, like finding out what I like to read and what kind of writing was exciting to me, ended up being a really great guide to my career,” said Delkic. “Getting to take responsibility for different initiatives and events in high school was a great way to become independent and learn the impact of your actions and planning when you see it out in the world.”
Delkic’s advice for current students: “Remember that nothing is a golden ticket. Pursue something that you have passion for and something that you could see yourself doing. If you’re going to study something and work in it every day for years, you better enjoy it a little bit. You want to get to a place where you’re at least a little bit excited about the things that you’re doing at work.”
Nick Bognar, Mehlville High School class of 2010
While attending Mehlville High School, Nick Bognar enrolled in the culinary arts program at South Technical High School. He had worked in his mom’s restaurant, Nippon Tei, in West County, and wanted to pursue turning that passion for restaurants into a career.
“I’m thankful for all of the people from my time at Mehlville High School who realized I had something unique going on with cooking. A lot of them really encouraged me to do that, which was really cool,” said Bognar.
Following successful stints as a chef in restaurants in Austin, Texas and Cincinnati, Ohio, Bognar returned to St. Louis to run the family restaurant. It was there that he won his first James Beard Award. He has since opened iNDO in Tower Grove and relocated Nippon Tei to The Hill, rebranding as Sado.
Bognar’s advice for current students: “Meet some people who are doing what you want to do, and try to find out as much about what it actually means to do the job as you can. Meet people and professionals in that sphere and ask questions. There’s good and bad in any industry. You have to understand the reality of a job before you decide to do it for the rest of your life.”
Toi Hall, Oakville High School class of 2007
After graduating from Oakville High School, Toi Hall studied to be a medical assistant before pursuing a career in fashion. Her career exploded when several of her prom dress designs went viral on social media. She’s now the CEO of her own fashion label. Her hand-sewn pieces have been featured in runways in Los Angeles, Vancouver and New York City, including at New York Fashion Week.
“I’ve always had an eye and a special touch for putting things together,” said Hall. “When COVID hit, it made me go more into what I wanted to be, and that’s when I decided to go to school.”
Hall studied interior design and has since worked with Pottery Barn and Fulford Homes. She’s now a showroom designer with countertops for Cambria.
Hall’s advice for current students: “If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are things we all don’t know. Build that resource to where you feel like you elevate your brain, elevate yourself and keep striving to go higher. The overall goal is to achieve something, so never be afraid to ask and keep pushing. Don’t give up, and trust the process.”
Julie Oehler Kelly, Mehlville High School class of 2010
By sophomore year at Mehlville High School, Julie Oehler Kelly knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field since she enjoyed her physiology and biology classes.
After graduating from the University of Missouri - Columbia with a nursing degree, she began her career as an oncology nurse. She has also spent time working in the pediatric operating room and the operating room at several Veterans Affairs hospitals. Julie is now sharing the knowledge she’s gained from a decade of work as a nurse educator at a hospital in Kansas City.
She says she learned valuable lessons at MHS beyond those in the classroom.
“During my time at Mehlville, I met all kinds of different people from different backgrounds,” said Kelly. “Mehlville’s student population is diverse, so you can learn about different cultures and how not everyone thinks the same way. That set me up for college and the rest of my life.”
Kelly’s advice for current students: “Enjoy your time in high school. It goes by fast. Take advantage of the opportunities presented and get involved. Getting involved and having a close group of friends with common interests was really great during my time in high school.”
Javier Duren, Oakville High School class of 2011
Javier Duren attended Oakville High School at an exciting time for the basketball program. Duren led the Tigers to a final four appearance his sophomore year and an appearance in the state championship game his junior year. His success on the court and in the classroom earned him the opportunity to play basketball collegiately at Yale University, where he studied economics.
Duren got to live his dream of playing basketball professionally, playing two years in Europe and for three NBA G League teams before hanging up his sneakers, transitioning from the basketball hardwood to the dirt of the baseball diamond.
“Me being a hometown kid born and raised in St. Louis, everybody is a Cardinals fan,” said Duren. “When the opportunity to work for the Cardinals presented itself, I felt like it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Duren worked for the Cardinals as their manager of video operations. When the team was looking to acquire players through trades, free agency or the draft, it was Duren’s job to make sure they had game footage on all of those players, so decision-makers in the front office could make the best decision possible to help the team be successful. He also worked to make sure game footage of minor league players was recorded.
Duren has since left the Cardinals organization and now works at Signify Wealth, where he helps athletes, celebrities and entertainers manage their finances, combining his background in finance and sports.
Duren’s advice for current students: “For so many people, it’s hard to accept themselves. They wish they have traits that maybe somebody else has. I’m a firm believer that whatever is for you is exactly for you. There are problems in this world that won’t be solved unless you bring your authentic self into that problem.”
Briana Ward, Mehlville High School Class of 2018
Briana Ward was an involved student at Mehlville High School. In addition to being a multisport athlete, she was a member of the National Honor Society, French National Honor Society and Konnect Club.
“My experience at Mehlville really helped me to learn to advocate for myself,” said Ward. “Communicating with teachers and asking questions and getting the help you need so that you can succeed and excel in classes is very important.”
Ward wanted to step outside of her comfort zone after high school, so she attended the University of Central Missouri to major in actuarial science and mathematics. During her senior year at UCM, she got an internship at eMoney USA in Kansas City. She turned that internship into her first job after graduation. Ward now works as a data analyst. Ward now works as a data analyst on loan origination and underwriting.
Ward’s advice for current students: “Take the opportunities that come your way. If I hadn’t taken the opportunities that came my way, I wouldn’t have gone to the same college that I did, and I may not have gotten the same degree I did. If I hadn't applied for internships, I wouldn’t be working in the field I’m in now. When opportunities come, take them, because that opens doors.”
Donald Rabin, Oakville High School Class of 2015
Donald Rabin was heavily involved during his time at Oakville High School. In addition to playing flute in the band, Rabin was in the leadership class and served as a Tiger mentor. He says those experiences still help him today.
“One of the most impactful parts that is different and unique compared to other states I’ve lived in thus far, is the character education at Oakville High School,” said Rabin. “Those resources to be a better person have helped me to be the person I am today.”
After attending Truman State University, Rabin earned his masters at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He’s currently studying for his doctorate in musical arts and masters in arts leadership at the University of Houston.
In addition to being involved in many different orchestras and fellowships during his various stops, Rabin has also found ways to give back to his community through music. He organized a benefit concert featuring musical artists from all 50 states to raise money for three charities in Chicago. He has also partnered with the city of Houston to help promote health initiatives through music. Rabin also currently plays music for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Rabin’s advice for current students: “Be involved. Go outside of your comfort zone and experiment with different types of things you never really thought you would step your foot in. It helps you to build your character and establish a sense of growth.”