The bond between a mother and son is always strong, but for Louisiana State University of Alexandria senior Kasha Dominigue and her son, Gabriel, the bond is much more than that—it is the pursuit of excellence.
“When my son was insistent in following in my footsteps, I immediately began the search for higher education as I knew I needed to set an example,” said Kasha.
Originally from Carrizo Springs, Texas, Kasha moved with her family to Lafayette, Louisiana at a young age. Since then, the Louisiana law enforcement officer, Emergency Medical Technician, and former Marine has moved to Baton Rouge and is currently pursuing an online criminal justice degree at LSUA.
As a mother, Kasha wanted what was best for her son, so she required Gabriel to attend college. After one semester, Gabriel approached Kasha saying, “I want to be like you,” so he left college to join the United States Marine Corps, just as she had done 24 years prior. This is what pushed Kasha to achieve her goal of finishing her degree.
As Kasha prepared to start college, Gabriel prepared for Marine boot camp. Upon completion of boot camp, Kasha continued to encourage Gabriel to move toward his own academic achievements.
Kasha is currently wrapping up her time at LSUA as she completes her final two courses. Gabriel, continuing to follow Kasha’s example, has recently applied to LSUA as he has seen the great experience his mother has had at the university.
“From the beginning of my inquiries into the LSUA program, I found that the department head, Mrs. Beth Whittington, not only reached out personally, but had real experience which made the process less daunting. My Anti-Terrorism Professor, Dr. John Marks, had a candidness that would motivate anyone to keep pushing through to educational success. My Constitutional Law Professor, Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Innerarity is P.O.S.T. certified and an active member in law enforcement, which allowed for current scenario-based applications of the learned content. I am very appreciative of all of those at LSUA,” said Kasha.
Kasha is looking forward to not only her graduation but also seeing her son graduate.