Baker may be the last place you’d expect to run across a New York City-born, Boca Raton, Fla.-bred, former rowing team captain. But after graduation, Lucas Spielfogel applied for a Teach For America position and ended up in the Capital Region.
“I selected, ‘Put me where I’m most needed,’ and they sent me to Baker Middle,” he recalls.
Spielfogel underscores the challenge of his work there. “Being a teacher was the hardest thing I’ll ever do,” he says. “I think it’s the hardest job there is.”
Yet Spielfogel stepped up to the plate, earning “Teacher of the Year” both years he taught at Baker Middle. He served as the basketball coach and, through fundraising, took a group of eighth-graders to Washington, D.C. It was their first time on an airplane.
These outside-the-classroom experiences were the most impactful of his two years as a teacher, Spielfogel says. So when Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, which is committed to holistically preparing under-privileged teens for long-term success, approached him about coming on as its executive director, he knew the fit was right.
Spielfogel has since doubled the number of students at BRYC. Seventy BRYC graduates have entered four-year institutions, sixty-five of whom are still in school.
“We’re investing in talented youth most people in our city don’t know about,” Spielfogel says. “These young people are going to become game-changers.”
LUCAS SPIELFOGEL
Mentor: His parents and siblings
Age: 25
Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.
Education: BA in history.
Who is your mentor or inspiration for your business/professional life?
“My parents, brother, and sister-in-law have always been supportive of me in every possible, imaginable situation. They’re unconditionally loving. I couldn’t ask for better parents or family.”
What is the most important thing you learned?
“Of all the things you do throughout the day, every single person you interact with needs to feel like you value them tremendously.”
