Ms. Stacey Malacara '08

Stacey Malacara exemplifies what it means to be an engaged member of the community. Based on her family’s history, that should come as no surprise. Stacey’s grandfather was very active at the Spanish Center in Racine, Wis.; her aunts and uncles founded Racine’s Por La Gente Association to promote athletics and education among Latino/a youth; and Stacey’s parents volunteered as teacher assistants and coaches.

In high school, Stacey was involved in the Teen Peer program. At Parkside, she joined Gamma Alpha Omega (GAO) sorority and helped develop the GAO PALS and ROSAS mentoring programs for Latinas in elementary through high school.

As the mother of a young daughter and someone who worked full time, Stacey’s experience at Parkside could be described as nontraditional. Even with those commitments, she maintained active and meaningful volunteerism in the community and on campus.

Stacey is a Leadership Racine 2012-13 graduate and helped design Born Learning Trails at Racine’s North Beach and in the city’s West Park. Born Learning Trails create learning opportunities for children through communication, language, and literacy development.

Today, Stacey uses her role as a student finance specialist at Gateway Technical College to conduct financial aid and veterans benefits workshops throughout Racine County.

Sixteen years ago, Stacey encouraged a friend to enroll her young daughters in the GAO PALS program. In a nomination letter, that friend wrote of how PALS helped turn her girls into successful young women by stressing the importance of education at an early age: “This is proof of Stacey’s commitment to being involved in her community, and inspiring students to pursue a college education.”