TRC honors 'Alumni Star' Christy Frazier-Moore

Three River College’s inaugural “Alumni Star” is described as a stellar example of everything college officials hope for their students to achieve in life.

“This is our first time recognizing an alumni star, and I cannot think of a more worthy candidate to be our inguaral star” than Christy Frazier-Moore, said TRC president, Dr. Wesley Payne.

Frazier-Moore, a 1998 graduate of TRC, was honored with a reception Saturday afternoon at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center.

As Christy Frazier-Moore accepts the Three Rivers College Alumni Star award, she speaks to those attending a reception held Saturday afternoon  in her honor at the Tinnin Fine Art Center. DAR/Michelle Friedrich

“It’s a little overwhelming to be honest … it’s very humbling to get this award,” Frazier-Moore said. “I think that if you surround yourself with great people, you can achieve great things.”

Frazier-Moore thanked everyone for attending to “celebrate Three Rivers because I think that’s what (the day) is all about.

“It’s about the college and what the college does for our community and our students.”

Growing up in Eminence, Frazier-Moore said, she had a lot of support and encouragement from her family of friends, many of whom were in attendance.

“Little did I know when I came up here all those years ago” with a passion for volleyball where it would lead, said Frazier-Moore, who attended TRC on a volleyball scholarship.

Frazier-Moore said Coach Christa Childress “took me under her wing and helped me in so many ways. … She yelled a lot at me and made me run, but she also encouraged me when I needed it.”

While Frazier-Moore’s loves volleyball and the education she received at TRC, both of which are “so important” to her, they are not what set TRC apart.

Instead, she said, it is the people, the staff.

“I can tell you across the State of Missouri and other states throughout the United States, there is no staff and faculty that have heart like they do here at Three Rivers,” she said.

In her two years at TRC, Frazier-Moore said, she developed a “lifelong love and relationship” with “these people who invested in me and gave so much to me and those around me.

Sen. Doug Libla (right) presents Christy Frazier-Moore with resolutions from the Missouri Senate and Missouri House of Representatives Saturday afternoon in honor of her being chosen as Three Rivers College's Alumni Star recipient. Looking on is TRC president, Dr. Wesley Payne. DAR/Michelle Friedrich

“They are what makes this college great and sets it apart. So, thank you to that staff and coaches for doing what you guys do” and to those in the community who support the college and its students to “help propel them for greatness.”

In presenting Frazier-Moore the award, Payne said, the college “takes seriously its duty to its students to do our very best to help them prepare for their future and to reach their dreams and make their goals a reality.

“I can tell you Christy is a stellar example of what we are hoping each of our students achieve and grow into.”

From Frazier-Moore’s time at TRC to the stories “we have heard from people who have worked with her, from people that you’ve worked for and people you’ve worked with, she exemplifies all of the traits that you would like to see in an alumni,” Payne explained.

Frazier-Moore’s contributions to the community were what led the selection committee to choose her for the award, according to Michelle Reynolds, TRC director of development.

“This is an award we created for an up-and-coming alumni who reflected positively on the college and showed their investment in the greater community,” Reynolds said.

Everyone attending the reception “knows how active Christy is” and how enthusiastic and driven she is for the causes that are important to her, said Reynolds.

In meeting Frazier-Moore the first time, Reynolds said, she was told the woman was a “go-getter.

“She’s definitely proved that since then. … She has a passion for Three Rivers and everything she is a part of.”

It was Frazier-Moore, according to Reynolds, who came up with an idea for a new way to raise funds for the college — the Excellence Fund.

Reynolds said there are times during the year when instructors may need “something to really enhance the educational experience for their students.”

Maybe it’s a mannequin or a science lab kit, and the instructors can apply for grants from the Excellence Fund, Reynolds said.

“The fundraiser really allowed us to enhance what we were providing them” to the students, she said.

Frazier-Moore, Reynolds said, also is a very active part of the Endowment Trust Board and currently serves as its secretary.

By honoring Frazier-Moore, she is “an example to our current students,” Reynolds said. “It shows our current students and our recent graduates what is possible after earning your education from Three Rivers College.”

State Sen. Doug Libla also presented Frazier-Moore with a resolution from the Missouri Senate, as well as one from the Missouri House of Representatives on behalf of Rep. Hardy Billington.

“I especially enjoy being here,” said Libla. “ … I’ve seen the work you do and what a great alum you are for Three Rivers and how you’re making a big difference in the business community and here.”

Libla recognized that Frazier-Moore is a good volleyball player and a good athlete, but “more importantly what a great example you are for all the young women … you’re making a difference.”

In presenting the resolutions, Libla said, he wasn’t going to read them because it would “take too long. Your accomplishments are just amazing.”