The Real News Louisiana

NATCHITOCHES – Understanding that some of her students might be struggling with food insecurity, Kerry Toups, director of clinical lab sciences and instructor at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever, created a satellite food pantry in a student lab closet.

“Many students face enormous pressure when returning to school balancing work, family responsibilities and schoolwork. When students attend school, they often work less hours, which reduces the financial resources available for food causing food insecurity for themselves and their family members,” she said.

Toups and her colleagues readied the space, which has clean cubbies and storage, and keep it stocked throughout the year. Another colleague wrote a grant to acquire a mobile cart to use as a traveling food satellite in classrooms and offices. Student organizations helped expand the service to additional classrooms and buildings on campus.

“Students felt empowered to talk about their use of the resources helping reduce the stigma and normalizing help-seeking behaviors in their peers,” Toups said.

Because of the initiative and unbeknownst to her, Toups was nominated by a colleague for a Promising Practice Award at the national level with the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). The award recognizes a person or institution at a two-year college that develops and implements a program or practice that is inclusive of a historically underrepresented group, promotes equity on their campus or encourages thoughtful contemplation of social justice. ACPA is the leading comprehensive student affairs association that advances student affairs and engages students for a lifetime of learning and discovery.

Toups, who is earning a doctoral degree in Adult Learning and Development at Northwestern State University, referred to the satellite food pantry initiative as a ripple effect of a review paper assigned by Dr. Laura Beth Norman in a Teaching Disadvantaged Learners class, a required course for Toups’ concentration area within the Ed.D. program.  The assignment had a profound impact on her awareness of student needs.

“Reading about the first-hand experiences of students in the research article made me think about my own students. I wanted to make sure they knew the resources that existed on our campus and that I would never judge them for using the campus food pantry,” she said. “I also wanted to provide a discreet way for students to slip items into their backpack without others noticing. The article shared one participants’ story of dodging into the closest bathroom to conceal the bag from the food pantry so no one, including her peers or instructors, would see her using the food pantry.”

At Fletcher, Toups teaches aspiring medical laboratory technicians and phlebotomists and medical terminology alongside general education classes for students thinking of majoring in health professions.  Student wellbeing has always been a priority for her at Fletcher, which serves a high percentage of students on Pell grants with many qualifying for the higher levels of assistance.

“During my first year as program director, our faculty met monthly with the director of Student Affairs to understand our student population, learn best practices in providing a supportive and inclusive classroom environment and discuss teaching strategies for neurodivergent learners. I became aware of the resources available to help students complete their program of studies fulfilling their goals,” she said. “Being aware of my student population allows me to better support my learners and become a connection to available resources on campus and beyond.”

Toups earned undergraduate degrees in microbiology from the University of Alabama and clinical laboratory science at Louisiana State University Health Science Center.  She worked in a clinical laboratory for over 20 years in regional hospitals in Louisiana and in the state’s public health reference laboratory.

“During the pandemic, I took an online yoga teacher certification and remembered how much I loved learning. In 2021, I began my graduate school journey. I completed my master’s degree in May 2023 in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of North Dakota and began my Doctor of Education in Adult Learning and Workforce Development at Northwestern State in August 2023.”

Toups also participated in Fletcher’s Falcon Academy for Leadership Advancement (FALA) which encourages members to set professional goals for themselves, and she was encouraged to pursue the doctoral degree by Fletcher Chancellor Dr. Kristine Strickland.  Fletcher and NSU have an articulation agreement in place that provides an affordable means for faculty and staff to continue their education while working. Toups said NSU’s Ed.D. program has advanced her knowledge of program accreditation, information useful during a recent self-study and site visit for the Medical Laboratory Technician program.

“I really enjoy the reflective practices of the program such as crafting our philosophy of education statements, demonstrating our individual learning achieved at the end of the semester and constructing promising practices for the classroom using the module materials,” she said.

“The Ed.D. program allows me to apply my knowledge from a course in real time demonstrating that my learning is relevant to my current work and impacts my current students,” she said. “I also feel a special connection to my learners since I am also a student dealing with my own deadlines in classes. I consider my professors in the Ed.D. programs as mentors helping me to grow into the best educator I can possibly be.”

Toups will graduate with her doctoral degree from NSU this December.

Information on NSU’s Doctoral program in Adult Learning and Development is available at
https://www.nsula.edu/program/doctor-of-education-in-adult-learning-and-development/

Information on Fletcher is available at https://www.fletcher.edu.