In 2009, BRF partnered with Southwood High School, the Caddo Parish School Board, LSU Health Shreveport, LSU Shreveport and participating biotech companies to create the Biotechnology Magnet Academy at Southwood High School. The four-year academy has grown to over 200 students and targets those who are traditionally underserved in STEM education, including women, minorities, individuals from low-income families, and those who are first-generation college bound. Students enter the program as freshmen and complete a rigorous curriculum that far exceeds Louisiana requirements for basic high school curriculum, with a focus on math, science and technology courses.
An added benefit to Biotech Academy students is the College Navigator. In 2011, BRF hired the first College Navigator to serve at Southwood High School amongst the Biotech students. The College Navigator works with students beginning in their freshman year to create a roadmap of college and career goals, encouraging students to achieve post-secondary education and eventually to obtain quality careers. The College Navigator assists with course selections, submitting college applications, and completing scholarship and financial aid applications. The program provides ACT test preparation classes and assistance with ACT testing expenses and offers one-on-one counseling for students and parents when needed. The College Navigator has been instrumental in helping students understand their post-graduation options and encourages all students to apply to at least one college or university, and one scholarship source.
Ella Kennen stepped into the College Navigator role in 2021 at Southwood High School. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a master’s in industrial/organizational psychology from Louisiana Tech University, Kennen began her career in Shreveport as a research associate at LSU Health Shreveport. Kennen has most recently been an instructor to middle and high school students, developing curriculum for courses in engineering, robotics, finance, ACT prep, and speech. After living in such far-flung places as England and South Korea, Kennen was ready to roll her sleeves up in Shreveport once more.
“As someone who started their career in healthcare research, I feel especially prepared to help students in the Biotechnology Magnet Academy at Southwood High School,” said Kennen. “My career has taken me to three different continents and four other states. I’ve returned as an unabashed, but open-eyed, fan of Shreveport. I love helping students and parents ‘start with the end in mind’ so they can map out their path to meet their future objectives. By helping these students prepare for their futures, we’re changing the future of our city.”
With the Navigator’s help, the number of students choosing to pursue higher education has remained high at Southwood’s Biotech Academy.
Over the past four years, an average of 88 percent of Biotech seniors planned to attend a two- or four-year college or university. Graduating students who were college bound in Caddo Parish and statewide in 2020 were 60 and 54 percent, respectively.
“Education is one of the ways we can build a better future for our region,” said BRF President and CEO John F. George Jr., M.D. “BRF, through the College Navigator, has been a proud supporter of helping Southwood High School students think about their futures and make plans for attending college. Fostering a knowledge-based economy is part of our mission, and we look forward to seeing more students achieve their dreams.”
Of the 232 students currently enrolled in the Biotech Academy, 73 percent are minorities and 58 percent are females. Over the past three years, an average of 50 percent of academy participants were first-generation college bound.
The education of our future science and technology workforce is an important component of BRF’s mission to diversify and grow our region’s economy. To learn more, visit brfla.org/edventures.