LaPrep's foundational impact felt as STEM enrichment program celebrates 1,000 graduates

LaPrep's foundational impact felt as STEM enrichment program celebrates 1,000 graduates

SHREVEPORT - When 45 local middle schoolers crossed the stage upon completing the LaPrep program at LSU Shreveport in early July, the seven-week summer enrichment focusing on science and math topics traversed an impressive milestone.

More than 1,000 middle schoolers have poured their creativity into classes centered around science, math, engineering and technology since the program started in 1992.

The initiative aimed to encourage middle schoolers, particularly female and minority students, to pursue math and science degrees.

The core structure of classes in logic, algebraic structures, problem solving and engineering remain more than three decades later, but the topics have expanded to areas like computer science, immunology and organized sport.

Students are challenged and pushed in ways traditional education cannot, and LaPrep alumni wear the distinction like a badge of honor and often point to the program's seminal impact.

"I am super appreciative of this program that allowed me to stay focused during my summers as a kid," said Victoria Carroll-Fisher, who now lives in Houston. "I graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a chemical engineering degree and then an MBA (Master of Business of Administration) from LSUS.

"LaPrep truly helped me meet a lot of great people that I have kept in touch with to this very day."

Janet Nguyen Le is one of the original participants from the early 1990s, back when students could participate for three consecutive summers instead of the current two-summer cohort structure.

The pediatrician based in Plano, Texas, said she uses skills learned through LaPrep daily.

"LaPrep helped me gain more knowledge in the science and math fields and taught me critical thinking skills," Le said. "It also helped me to build relationships and memories that shaped me as a person.

"It's wonderful that this program continues to shape more generations to come."

Founder Dr. Carlos Spaht, an LSUS math professor who was named U.S. Professor of the Year in 2007, wanted to expand interest in not only math and science but engage students in thinking critically in these areas.

"I just wanted them to think it's a loving, caring and nurturing educational program, and when the students attend, they know without a doubt that they can receive a college degree," Spaht said in a 2013 interview with Red River Radio. "Then they go for it."

Spaht started recruiting by visiting local middle schools personally.

Senior pastor Keswick Durden of GreaterEverywhere Church is one of the teenagers Spaht found in Caddo Middle Magnet as part of that inaugural 1992 class.

Durden described himself as a troubled teen with an unstable home life surviving in the most impoverished parts of Shreveport.

"LaPrep changed the trajectory of my entire life - there wasn't a single aspect of my life that it hasn't touched," Durden said in his LaPrep graduation keynote address in 2023. "The summers I spent on campus - it feels like home to be back here.

"I was severely struggling academically at the time, but it wasn't because I lacked the intellectual capacity. I lacked an environment stable enough for me to learn outside the house. Dr. Spaht saw something in me that I hadn't yet saw in myself, and he was the catalyst that forever changed the way I saw myself and the world around me."

After his time as a student, Durden remained connected to the program by volunteering as an assistant.

That ownership from volunteer assistants and teachers as well as support from LSUS faculty has been a key factor in the program's success and longevity.

Anastasia Douglas, who is close to finishing degrees in business and communications at Northwestern State, experienced LaPrep as a middle schooler and returned to serve as an assistant while in college.

"LaPrep has helped me build a strong foundation by equipping me with skills across different subjects that continue to benefit me in college," said Douglas, who's also authored a book "How to Survive Middle School." "It helped me grow socially by learning how to engage and collaborate effectively with my peers.

"Having the opportunity to return as an assistant and guide students the way I was once guided was an experience I will always cherish. LaPrep is an incredible program that lays the groundwork for student success in higher education, and I will always appreciate the impact it has had on my educational journey."

Helping others has always been a mark of LaPrep graduates.

Finding oneself is just as important as developing or fostering a STEM interest.

While Lee Meadows originally viewed the summer program as a punishment, he said LaPrep taught him to think differently.

"That's where I realized I had something in me - where I learned being a 'geek' wasn't something to hide, it was a gift," said Meadows, who's spent the past five years working as a Microsoft cloud solutions architect. "We were loved, challenged, supported.

"LaPrep wasn't just a program. It was a launching pad."

That launching pad failed to launch in 2022 when Spaht retired from his LSUS faculty position.

Initiatives don't always survive a leadership transition, but Spaht tapped and cultivated a new math faculty member in Dr. Irina Ilioaea.

Ilioaea assumed the leadership mantle and propelled the program forward, offering one cohort in 2023 before returning to full strength in 2024 with two cohorts following the 2022 hiatus.

She said she sees some of herself, an eager learner back in Romania who loved to compete in math Olympiads, in the LaPrep middle schoolers.

"I remember learning about the program during my interview at LSUS (in 2020) and loving the idea, and then Spaht proposed the idea of me taking over when he was about to retire," Ilioaea said. "He thought I'd be a good fit because I was strong enough to run the program and impact the kids.

"It was overwhelming at first because I didn't have experience in teaching middle school kids or administrative experience, but I am definitely more confident now in my fourth year. I will forever be grateful that Dr. Spaht gave me this opportunity."

Through its courses, guest speakers and field trips, LaPrep has played a foundational role in propelling its graduates to college and exciting careers in a variety of fields.

The program is poised to continue impacting local youth, and at no cost to families.

That's possible through the generous support of companies like SWEPCO and the Caddo Parish School Board and nonprofits like the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, the Grayson Foundation, and the LSUS Foundation.

To learn more about LaPrep or its partner programs GetSet (fourth-fifth grade) and LaPixel Academy (high school), visit the LaPrep webpage.