Pattonville High School college & career preparation coordinator/counselor Michelle Luraschi was named the 2023 Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) Presidents’ Service Recognition Award recipient. The award was presented to her during the MOACAC annual conference.
“To fully understand the monumental impact of Michelle's efforts on behalf of MOACAC, you must first understand the colossal commitment she has at her own institution. Michelle accomplishes more in a week than most people do in a month, or so it seems. She appears to single-handedly keep everything working in her College and Career office for a caseload of 400+ seniors, while ensuring that all students' needs are met. Michelle annually organizes a bus tour for students at her school to ensure they have an opportunity to see a variety of college campuses; she collaborates with other schools in the area to host career fairs for students not planning the direct route to college, and last year, seeing a need for access to information on HBCU institutions, an HBCU information night was organized with five HBCUs being represented. Like everything Michelle is involved in, she handles the details from start to finish--contacting colleges, organizing the venue, promoting the event, getting students registered, and moderating the event. This is just a tiny sampling of what Michelle does regularly as she works to ensure that each individual student gets the specific help they need depending on their post-secondary plan.
Michelle is regularly involved in helping educate others in the profession by sharing her knowledge at MSCA conferences, partnering with St. Louis Graduates or MOCAN on presentations, or presenting annually at the MOACAC conference. Michelle serves on the St. Louis Graduates Professional Development Committee, where she helps plan and present free professional development workshops for college and career counselors and professionals.
Michelle has also been a dedicated and vital member of the MOACAC organization. As a co-chair of the Regional College Fairs committee for three years, she helped coordinate one of the largest annual MOACAC endeavors. In 2020, when we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, the college fairs had to be completely revamped to a virtual format. Michelle worked with her co-chair to plan, organize, and implement the Show Me My Future virtual college and career planning sessions. In an era where we could no longer meet face-to-face for college fairs, Michelle used creativity, flexibility, teamwork, and leadership to make sure all of our students still had ways to get the information they needed for college and career planning. Michelle is truly the definition of SERVICE in this profession she willingly serves students, fellow professional colleagues, and members of MOACAC. Congratulations, Michelle!”
PRESIDENT’S SERVICE RECOGNITION AWARD
Created in 2005, this award recognizes MOACAC members with more than five years’ service who have provided strong and consistent leadership to MOACAC. The recipients are individuals who have dedicated much time to the association. More than one award may be given each year. The recipients will be decided by the three Presidents (President, President-Elect, and Past President) with the President having final approval.
President's Service Recognition Award
- 2023 Michelle Luraschi - Pattonville High School
- 2022 Mark Nothum - Saint Louis University
- 2021 Erin Stein - Notre Dame de Sion High School
- 2019 Peggy FitzGibbon - Visitation Academy; Drew Griffin - University of Central Missouri
- 2018 Todd Burell - Southern University Illinois-Edwardsville; Karen Verstraste - Webster Groves High School
- 2017 Joann Elliott - MOACAC Executive Assistant
- 2016 Charlie Hungerford - Southwest Baptist University
- 2015 Rob Lundien - Staley High School
- 2014 Mark Clynes - McKendree University
- 2013 Andrew Wright - Missouri State University
- 2012 Jamie Staggs - Western Illinois University
- 2011 Heather Henning - University of Missouri
- 2010 Ramon Blakley - Saint Louis University
- 2009 Whitney Carr - Drury University
- 2008 Katherine Louthan - Maryville University
- 2007 Scott Hill - The Barstow School; Julie Kampschroeder - Pattonville High School
- 2006 Beth Brasel - Lafayette High School
- 2005 Stephanie Thomeczek - Westminster College
