By Chloe Ogier
The Scene staff
A new scholarship is available to St. Louis Community College students in honor of the late Mason Dare, a former Forest Park student and business manager for The Scene student newspaper.
His mother, Katherine Miller, established the scholarship for students on all STLCC campuses, but with preference given to those at Forest Park, where Dare “found his stride.”
“My whole point is just to give a student the confidence of not letting the monetary piece be a deterrent,” Miller said. “… So making sure all your books, your fees, your class work can all be paid for, and you can just focus on the studying part.”
Dare enrolled at STLCC in 2021. He later switched from attending classes on the Meramec campus to Forest Park and got his job at The Scene in the fall of 2024.
Dare died at age 23 the following January. The cause was unknown, according to his mother.
Dare was a valued member of The Scene staff, going above and beyond the requirements of his position, writing stories and taking over Campus Chatter for a few issues, according to Faculty Adviser Teri Maddox.
“He was just a good guy,” she said. “Cheerful, outgoing, willing to take on any challenge. We still talk about how much we miss him.”
Dare and two other staff members once posted a full report on a shooting west of the Forest Park campus before any other St. Louis news organizations.
On April 12, The Scene won the Best in State award in the Missouri College Media Association’s annual contest. Three of the awards (news writing, photo page and website) were achieved with Dare’s help.
Dare had planned to follow in the footsteps of his mother and pursue a career in banking.
He wanted to transfer to a four-year university and major in finance after completing his associate’s degree at Forest Park.
Last month, Miller said she wanted to establish a scholarship in his name because she felt that STLCC was where he found his enthusiasm to finish school and move on to the next level.
“So when he passed away in January of this year, I felt a really good way to honor him and his achievements would be to set up this scholarship to help other kids who
might need some help finishing the degree,” Miller said. “And for those kids who really want to finish, this would help them financially get to the next step.”
The scholarship is designed to cover tuition, fees, books and other supplies for one semester, depending on the recipient’s needs.
The scholarship can be renewed, as Miller’s goal is to ensure a student is able to complete his or her desired degree.
To learn more about the scholarship, students can go to the STLCC website, open the “Tuition” dropdown menu, select “Scholarships,” then “View and Apply to Foundation Scholarships” and search for “Mason Miller Dare.”
“I tried to be inclusive, not just making it towards just one specific major or focus or anything because I think there’s probably a lot of qualified candidates that could use the little extra boost to get to the finish line,” Miller said.
The deadline to apply for the first Mason Miller Dare Memorial Scholarship Fund is March 28, 2026.