Baton Rouge Youth Coalition

Behind every program, every Fellow, and every win is a group of people that extends well beyond our team. Five of our board members are rolling off at the end of this fiscal year, and we want to make sure they get their flowers. Ted James , Laura Poche, Rae Vasquez, Corey Wilson, and Linda Orlansky Posner — thank you for your time, trust, and investment in our Fellows!

And to Linda, thank you for your nearly nine years of service. You have seen BRYC through some of its most defining chapters, and we'll be forever grateful. 💚

⚖️📚Did somebody say future lawyers?⚖️📚

Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Jones Walker Pre-Law Scholarship!

- Tyari Heard, Liberty ’17, The University of Chicago ’21, and will attend Southern University Law Center this fall
- Savannah Fort, Liberty ’26, Spelman College ’30
- Kaitlyn Bradford, BRMHS ’22, LSU ’26
- Monasia Charles, Scotlandville ’19, LSU ’23, Loyola University Chicago ’27

With the scholarship now in it’s fifth year, it has provided over $50k total in scholarships for 14 different pre-law students to help these students in their path toward finishing law school. Thank you to Jones Walker LLP for your consistent partnership toward helping the next generation of legal professionals achieve their goals.

Congratulations to BRYC Alum Aarinii Parms-Green on graduating from Xavier University of Louisiana, Class of 2026, and receiving the Albert Fraenkel II Enterprise Award!

Aarinii made history as the first Xavier student to graduate Summa Cum Laude across three majors: Political Science, Psychological Science, and History. 👏

She was also honored with the Dr. Regina Benjamin Award for Public Service, the Exponential Excellence Research Award, and was recognized as the 2025 Truman Scholar of the Year. 🎓

Congratulations, Aarinii! We are incredibly proud of your hard work, achievements, and lasting impact.

We're proud to congratulate our CEO Lucas Spielfogel on his continued recognition in the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report's Capital Region 500, a fixture on this list since its inception.

Under Lucas's leadership, BRYC has been recognized as one of Baton Rouge's best places to work since 2020, winning the top honor in 2022, earned national recognition as one of the best nonprofits to work for three years running, expanded access to college and career pathways for thousands of students across Louisiana, and attracted investment from some of the country's most discerning philanthropists.

What defines Lucas isn't the recognition. It's his heart and intentional coaching of our team and Fellows, which has helped to build an organization that leads with education equity and life-long learning.

Congratulations, Lucas. BRYC is better because of you.

Besties are made at BRYC. Apply by 11:59pm on Sunday, June 14th at thebryc.org/apply to meet them!

One last congratulations to our amazing class of 2026 and their accomplishments.

We couldn't be prouder of what our Senior Fellows accomplished this school year!

That's a wrap on our Class of 2026 graduation posts.

Congratulations to all 135 Senior Fellows — we're proud of every one of you.

More graduates from our 2026 class!

Congratulations to these graduates from Liberty Magnet High School🎓

Know an 8th–11th grader in Baton Rouge who should be in BRYC? Tag them on this post.

Applications to become a Fellow are closing soon — thebryc.org/apply.