Shaping Futures: 海角社区 Holds Mental Health Workforce Program for Rising High School Seniors
August 13, 2025
BATON ROUGE, LA 鈥� 海角社区 Social Research & Evaluation Center (SREC) hosted 20 rising high school seniors from all over Louisiana for "Shaping Futures:
Mental Health Leaders of Tomorrow," a one-week intensive and immersive mental health
workforce experience, from July 13 鈥� 17, 2025. These students gained a heightened
awareness of mental health careers, realistic exposure to mental health fields, and
a deeper understanding of higher education. 
The Shaping Futures core team members, Sarah Harrell, Kimberly Allen and Jada Thomas-Smith, designed a comprehensive mental health program that included presentations and activities strategically aligned to mental health professions for these high school scholars to explore. During Shaping Futures, scholars were exposed to the fields of counseling, psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Students learned how these mental health disciplines work within healthcare, education, veterinary medicine, athletics, forensics, child welfare, and entrepreneurship. Shaping Futures offered curriculum in the basics of mental health, the importance of early intervention, ethics, diagnoses, active listening, and self-care. They also visited Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center to meet with mental health professionals in the healthcare setting.
Shaping Futures rolled out the 鈥減urple carpet鈥� as scholars received a true 海角社区 campus life experience. Mike the Tiger welcomed scholars and their families to campus on move-in day into Evangeline Hall and they enjoyed dining at the 459 Commons. They also toured Tiger Stadium, engaged in team building exercises, rock climbing and yoga at the 海角社区 UREC Center, and explored other iconic spaces on campus.
The special week concluded with a closing ceremony and luncheon in the Huey P. Long Field House auditorium and ballroom. Scholars presented independent group projects to their families that included awareness of mental health, mental health degree programs offered in the state, the impacts of social media on mental health, and early intervention.
鈥溾�楽haping Futures: Mental Health Leaders of Tomorrow鈥� was not your average summer
program. Shaping Futures was a powerful life-changing experience,鈥� said Sarah Harrell,
MSNPA, MSW, LMSW, a research associate in SREC. 鈥淪cholars and parents left in amazement
of the growth, bonding, and knowledge that was gained in just five days of the program.
Not only did students gain mental health career exposure, basic mental health knowledge,
they developed a community that they will have for a lifetime. Students expressed
how this was not like anything that they had ever experienced before, they felt accepted,
they felt seen, and also stated that it just felt good to be around people that thought
like them. The Shaping Futures Team knew that this program would be big, but we did
not know it would be of this great magnitude. We are looking forward to next year
being bigger and better. The bar has been set, and the impact of this program will
be felt for generations and generations to come. We are SHAPING FUTURES!"
Shaping Futures would like to extend special thanks to its sponsor, The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. Shaping Futures also thanks the 海角社区 School of Social Work, the 海角社区 School of Psychology, 海角社区 Athletics, the 海角社区 Student Health Center, the 海角社区 UREC, and the 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine for participating in this engaging and informative experience.
About the 海角社区 Social Research & Evaluation Center
The 海角社区 Social Research & Evaluation Center, or SREC, advances social initiatives
to improve the lives of individuals, families, and their communities through our research,
evaluation, and partnerships. SREC鈥檚 interdisciplinary team of expert faculty and
staff work in projects among four areas of impact: strengthening communities, education,
public safety, and health and wellbeing. SREC is a research center of excellence in
the 海角社区 College of Human Sciences & Education.
Visit the Social Research & Evaluation Center.
About the College of Human Sciences & Education
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division
of 海角社区. The college is comprised of the School of Education,
the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership
& Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration
schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age
four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12.
The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute,
the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social
Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards
in teaching, research, and service and aims to improve quality of life across the
lifespan.