August Jennewein, ShaQuina White And Chelsea Receive UMSL Hero Awards

University City MO

05 April, 2022

7:22 AM

Description

Press release from the University of Missouri-St. Louis: March 25, 2022 University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellor Kristin Sobolik and her cabinet continue to recognize the exemplary efforts of staff and faculty members from across campus by bestowing the UMSL Hero Award on up to three individuals each month. This month's honorees are August Jennewein, campus photographer in University Marketing and Communications; Chelsea Nollau, interim director of Executive Events; and ShaQuina White, academic advisor in the College of Education. August Jennewein A couple photos displayed on the wall at his cousin's Easter luncheon where a few UMSL employees were in attendance led Jennewein to the university. "They saw photos of mine on the wall and asked if she could give them my name," Jennewein said. "My cousin said, 'Oh, he's in the next room having a ham sandwich.'" The subsequent interaction led to freelance work for Jennewein and eventually a position as campus photographer. Joining the university all seemed to fit together for Jennewein, who calls it "almost a spiritual thing." A year before, almost to the day, his father had passed away after months in hospice. Jennewein, who'd been working in the story department at Paramount Pictures and trying to become a screenwriter, had been thinking about returning to Los Angeles. "It feels in some way that my dad opened the door," he said. "When I got offered the full-time job, it was like, 'Here's this dream job that I hadn't even dreamed of yet.' Getting paid to do photography and work at a university. It's this great world where so much life and energy and creativity come together. I've enjoyed playing my part." In the 16 subsequent years, Jennewein has captured the images of countless UMSL community members. He especially enjoys meeting students, learning about their unique stories and helping share them. Working on UMSL Magazine has been another highlight. "You get total freedom for your stories," he said. "You don't have to worry about the dimensions of your pictures because they don't have to fit on to the web. They can be anything. That's always fun." UMSL Magazine Editor Jessica Rogen noted his devotion to his photo assignments and making the best photograph for the magazine and beyond in her nomination of Jennewein. "He's one of the hardest workers I've ever met," Rogen wrote. "For example, during the Alumni 5K, Augie brought his bike to campus so he could quickly position himself along the course for multiple angles. The amazing results captured the fun spirit of that day, and we ended up using one for the inside cover of the magazine. There are so many Augie stories like this." Being a Hero Award recipient came as a surprise for Jennewein. "I appreciate it," he said. "It's a good recognition. Actually, my mom and my siblings really enjoyed it even more because they see it in the eyes of how we present it, which is really cool." Chelsea Nollau Know that every time Nollau attends an event, she's analyzing every single detail, thinking about what she can use and what she might have done differently. "If somebody approaches me with an idea for an event, that's a great opportunity to look at other events and be like, 'What did they do that was great or really engaging or cool, and kind of borrow that,'" she said. "But I'm always quick to remember that I don't know the full story behind their event. I know the work that goes into it, so I respect what they've done, regardless of what I might have done differently." Nollau, who currently serves as the interim director of Executive Events, got her start in event planning while working in development at a nonprofit. Over time, she came to realize she didn't enjoy the fundraising aspect but loved the relationship building and engagement that came with events, as well as seeing them out, start to finish. This press release was produced by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author's own.