Editor's Note: This story was posted at a later date and backdated.

Southeast alum Tricia Reinhart has blossomed from seeds sown by others, many coming from her time as a student in Cape Girardeau. Reinhart returned the favor at the Power of Women Expo and Luncheon this year, as the main speaker, sowing in the same encouragement and words of wisdom.

Reinhart’s presentation was titled “Seeds of Intention”.

After Reinhart spoke, the Power of Women Scholarships were recognized.

Scholarship recipients are Taylor Alexander, Renee Bailey, Sydney Driscoll, Rachel Fox, Shannon Kobal, Mahala Landeros, Sarah Monteiro, Michelle Otte, and Sadie Roy.

The expo before the lunch had booths from businesses and organizations from the Southeast community. Amanda Shreve, marketing manager at SoutheastHEALTH was asking women “what are your greatest strengths” and having them write it down on a leaf and then place it on the tree cutout and let it flourish.

This year SoutheastHEALTH wanted to do something that was interactive, so they tied their booth it in with the seeds of intention theme. “We are trying to empower women by having them think deep about what are their strengths and then together as a group we are building our roots,” Shreve said.

Student ambassador Grace Lester was invited to attend the expo and luncheon to represent college women.

“I think it’s important to surround ourselves with influential women from the area,” Lester said. It’s really exciting to meet all of these inspiration women who we look up to as role models.”

“What I plan to share with you today are stories of great people who helped plant the seeds of a young girl 40 years ago,” Reinhart said at the beginning of her speech.

She said that her presentation was about all of the people who impacted her time at Southeast and how they motivated and pushed her to stay in school and accomplish her goals.

“As a student here I had many seeds of intention planted in my life that dramatically affected the trajectory of my life and the way that I went, the plans for my career, my academic success and simply my ability to graduate in four years without any debt,” Reinhart said.

Reinhart talked about the women at the financial aid office who encouraged her to apply for scholarships, the Tri Delta alumna who paid her dues, her boss at the bookstore who let her study in between customers and the professor who encouraged her to take a business internship.

“I now seek a life to help others, I seek a life to make others great, I seek a life to share knowledge. Said in another way I simply seek a life to share my talents; to spread a seed,” Reinhart said.

Scholarship recipient, Fox feels honored to have received the Power of Women Scholarship.

“I am so incredibly thankful and honored to have received this scholarship,” Fox said. It’s an amazing feeling to be recognized for hard work, and I am thankful to attend a university that is so willing to support it’s students, especially women.”