“We have a community that needs direct investment. We have a community that needs more affordable housing,” she said. “So I not only have a passion for these areas, but I have the skills.”

Jaqueline (Jami) Cox, a rising senior at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, has done all the above. Following the fatal shooting of a middle-school classmate late in 2009, and the devastating effect it had on the community, Cox decided something had to be done.

Picky Eaterz captured first place and the $4,500 top prize during the Delmar MainStreet Pitch Competition on Saturday November 25, 2023 at Delmar Divine. Front from left are Paris Rollins, Picky Eaterz owner, and Jami Cox, Delmar Main Street co-chair of economic vitality committee...

Cox, from St. Louis, Missouri, is majoring in public policy studies and minoring in Chinese language studies ..She will be Vanderbilt’s second Schwarzman Scholar. The Schwarzman Scholars program was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

This class of young professionals from 25 states will participate in series of sessions with USGLC leaders and special guests to immerse themselves in global policy issues.

And a new coalition, Reform St. Louis, has a vision for how the process should look in St. Louis. The group’s biggest goal? To return redistricting power to the people, via an independent citizens commission. “This is a very important time to have this conversation in the city,” said Jami Cox...