Connor Wademan (left) accepts a proclamation from Kaskaskia College Board Chairman Bill Hawley on Monday recognizing Wademan’s service to the board as student trustee. Photo by Steven Stilt.
The Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees saluted its outgoing student trustee at Monday night’s meeting and welcomed the board’s student trustee for the 2025-2026 school year.
Board Chairman Bill Hawley read a proclamation during the meeting recognizing Connor Wademan for his contributions to the board over the past year as student trustee.
College President George Evans says Wademan represented KC well during his time on the board.
“He was here. He was a champion. He was a good representative of the student body as a whole. He represented himself very professionally in public, you know, and the fact that he showed up and expressed interest and really wanted to learn more about the different facets of how the system operates, not only as a whole but how the college operates, just kind of is a testimony to his character.”
Wademan, who is a 2023 graduate of Carlyle High School, plans to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and to go into the field of dentistry.
“I’m going to SIUE. I’m going to major in biology, with a medical science concentration and a minor in (chemistry). I’m going to be a pre-dental major, really, is what it is. The dream is to go to Alton School of Dental and become a dentist, and hopefully practice in the same area that I am now.”
Meagan Mahlandt, a 2024 graduate of Centralia High School, took the oath of office as the board’s new student trustee. In addition to the KC Board, Mahlandt is involved with Student Congress and the Engineering Club.
She says she previously had a positive experience taking part in a Student Advisory Committee meeting with student trustees from around Illinois, which helped her make the decision to run for trustee at KC.
“So we met with different student trustees from different community colleges, and we got to talk about different policies and how they improved their community colleges, and I want to be a part of that, too.”
Mahlandt is pursuing her associate’s degree in engineering science at Kaskaskia College. Following her time at KC, she plans to attend SIU Edwardsville to complete her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
