ESA Alumni

Carson DeLarue ‘14 recently visited the Cade Campus to catch up with many of his former teachers and see the improvements. We loved hearing about the impact ESA has had on his life and the significance it played in his story. After graduation, Carson spent a year at the University of Alabama before transferring to Louisiana State University. He earned a Juris Doctorate from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2021 and began his career with the Attorney General's Office. In 2022, Carson joined the Associated Builders and Contractors of Louisiana, a statewide association representing merit shop industrial and commercial contractors, as Director of Governmental Relations. Today he serves as Vice President of Governmental Affairs, a role in which he lobbies lawmakers and state officials, manages two political action committees that support candidates in statewide, legislative, and judicial elections, and builds coalitions with industry partners. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife Kelli and their three boys.

Thanks, Carson, for sharing your story with us!

Read the full Q&A at the link in our bio.

Carson DeLarue ‘14 recently visited the Cade Campus to catch up with many of his former teachers and see the improvements. We loved hearing about the impact ESA has had on his life and the significance it played in his story. After graduation, Carson spent a year at the University of Alabama before transferring to Louisiana State University. He earned a Judicial Doctorate from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2021 and began his career with the Attorney General's Office. In 2022, Carson joined the Associated Builders and Contractors of Louisiana, a statewide association representing merit shop industrial and commercial contractors, as Director of Governmental Relations. Today he serves as Vice President of Governmental Affairs, a role in which he lobbies lawmakers and state officials, manages two political action committees that support candidates in statewide, legislative, and judicial elections, and builds coalitions with industry partners. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife Emily and their three boys.

Thanks, Carson, for sharing your story with us!

Read the full Q&A at the link in our bio.

Sadly we share that Randy Bernard '87 has passed away. After graduating from ESA, Randy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College and a Master of Arts from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A high school English teacher at both St. Thomas More High School and Lafayette High School before moving into administration, Randy was the Lafayette Parish School System’s Academic Specialist for secondary English Language Arts and Librarians. Over the past week, we've been touched to hear from members of our ESA community who had the privilege of learning from Randy.

Our prayers are with his wife Mona and their family. Find Randy's obituary at https://loom.ly/FAb5O1A

Reminder: A celebration of life for Lynn Blevins will be held in the Henton Chapel in Cade on September 19, 2026. Visitation will be held from 10-11am with a memorial service to follow. Lynn's family invites all of those in attendance to join them at LaFonda, one of Lynn’s favorite places, at 1:30pm, to do what she loved best—have a bite, enjoy a glass of w**e, and relish in the love and stories of friends.

Read more at https://esacadiana.myschoolapp.com/page/remembering-lynn-blevins

Grace Schwarz ’26 has been named a 2027 National Merit Semifinalist, along with two of our current seniors (head to Episcopal School of Acadiana for details). All three students earned semifinalist honors based on their 2025 PSAT scores, but Grace graduated from ESA a year early and has since moved on to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. We caught up with her to find out how things are going:

What are you studying now?

I am currently studying informatics with a concentration in cybersecurity. In informatics, we’re using the tools that coders build and managing those who use and create them. I’m also working on a research paper on biases of AI when translating scripture with a computer science and linguistics professor, a seminary professor, and possibly a rabbi.

What are you involved in outside of your academic courses?

I’m the president of ACM-W, a club that supports and advocates for women in computing fields. I’m the AI Strategy Consultant at Opportunity Machine, a local business incubator. I’m a member of my Church Council. I’m learning the shofar, I’m learning Ancient Hebrew, and I’m the Vice President of LAIC, a company dedicated to transparency with AI.

Who or what has inspired you as a learner?

I think what inspires me most as a learner is history. You look back maybe 100, 200, 500 years and people didn’t know half of what we know today. I’ve always just been interested in how the world works. It feels so empowering to know why, and when others ask, you know, and you can make sense of the world and use that knowledge to do great things. That’s why I love learning.

What made ESA a unique school to attend?

I don’t think I realized what made ESA so great until after I had graduated. Everything from encouraging different perspectives, to teaching us how to think for ourselves, to giving us the opportunity to grow and learn in our own time and ways. When you graduate and meet other people, you’ll see how you think differently, and are able to speak with people with different perspectives, recognize logical fallacies, write A+ essays without batting an eyelash - all because of ESA.

Read more about Grace’s amazing journey at the link in our bio.

Today’s alumni update features brothers Mateo Atwi ’15 and Tiago Atwi ’14, founders of US Frame Factory, a fast-growing manufacturing company located just around the corner from ESA.

After earning degrees in mechanical engineering— Mateo from Georgia Tech and Tiago from UL Lafayette—and gaining experience in the engineering industry, the brothers returned home with a vision to build something of their own that would have a positive and sustainable impact on their community. Today, US Frame Factory is helping meet the growing demand for cold-formed steel framing while investing in the future of Acadiana through innovation, entrepreneurship, and local manufacturing.

Their work has not gone unnoticed. As one of Acadiana's emerging business leaders, Mateo was recently chosen to participate in Acadiana CEO Roundtable, an honor that highlights the impact they are making in the region and the momentum behind their growing company.

Looking back, Mateo and Tiago credit ESA with laying an important foundation.

"ESA prepared us to approach problems creatively and people with grace. It also gave us lifelong friendships and instilled the morals, work ethic, and principles that continue to guide us today."

Their advice for future Falcons is simple:

"Dream bigger. Work harder."

We're proud to celebrate Mateo and Tiago and all that they're building here at home. Their story is a reminder that the lessons learned at ESA don't just prepare students for college. They prepare them to create opportunities, lead with integrity, and invest in the communities they love.

We’re proud to celebrate alumna and faculty member Jennifer Desormeaux Graycheck '01, whose work has been selected for the Louisiana Contemporary 2026 exhibition on display at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans until February 14.

Jennifer's journey with ESA has come full circle. After graduating in 2001, she earned a bachelor's degree in studio art from Sewanee: The University of the South and an MFA in photography from the University of Georgia before returning to Louisiana in 2010. Over the next 15 years, she wore many hats for ESA - visual arts teacher, volleyball and cross country coach, department chair, class dean, ExLabs co-founder, communications team member, and vice president of the Falcon Club Board - all while inspiring students to live out the school’s mission.

This fall, Jennifer returns to ESA as Content Strategist and Visual Arts Teacher to share the school's story while inspiring students through the visual arts.

Jennifer credits ESA with instilling the curiosity and courage that have shaped both her teaching and her artistic practice. Although the school is small in size, she says it has always made the world feel limitless. "No topic is ever too small to unravel or too big to conquer."

Now, having experienced ESA as both a student and an educator, she says her perspective has only deepened.

"There is often a reciprocal relationship that develops between teachers and students at ESA. As much as we are there to impart our knowledge and expertise to our students, our students are there stoking that fire within us and keeping our passions alive. My practice as an artist will always be influenced by the questions and challenges I ask of my students. I hope to model bravery in this way."

Jennifer's advice to future Falcons is simple: “Take risks. Be bold. Be open to constructive feedback. Put yourself and your work out there because at some point along the journey, someone will connect with what you are creating, and that part of the human experience is worth living for.”

We’re excited to welcome Jennifer back to ESA this fall. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Jennifer!