By Steven Stilt
The Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees on Thursday welcomed its new student trustee for the next year and commended the outgoing student trustee.
Taking the oath of office as student trustee for 2026-2027 was Andolini Gray of Centralia.
Leaving the board is Meagan Mahlandt, a 2024 graduate of Centralia High School. Board Chairman Bill Hawley read a proclamation honoring Mahlandt for her service as a trustee.
College President George Evans says Mahlandt was an exemplary student trustee with strong communication skills.
“Meagan was a true champion,” Evans said. “She’s a classic student who works almost full-time, getting an engineering degree, but she took her role as a trustee very serious and that’s all you can ask of somebody who is in an elected position. She was a strong communicator. She represented us on the state and national level, was not afraid to ask questions, was not afraid to solicit questions from me or statements from me, but also it was very clear that she had the confidence level to represent not only her position but Kaskaskia College in front of our elected officials in Springfield and in Washington, D.C.”
Evans adds that he’s looking forward to working with Gray over the next year.
“Andolini, I know she has a strong passion for the arts, and I think she’s going to represent the student trustee position very, very well. I haven’t gotten to know her as well as I have Meagan, which is usually par for the course, but looking forward to working with her and helping to show her the ropes, but also to understand the political side of things and how much of an important position it is to be a representative for the students at Kaskaskia College and not to take that lightly.”
Gray is a graduate of Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School and is studying criminal justice
