Over the past 14 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with many Southeastern CMPS
students between Envoc’s CMPS 383 class as well as students who have worked part-time
with Envoc while they are still in school. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their
dedication, professionalism, and eagerness to learn. The Students have consistently
demonstrated a strong work ethic and a genuine enthusiasm for their roles. These young
professionals have not only met but often exceeded my expectations. Their contributions
have made a positive impact on our projects, and they have seamlessly integrated into
our team, quickly becoming valuable assets. In fact, the overwhelming majority of
students who work with us part-time transition into full-time employees post graduation
which has been a tremendous success in our recruiting efforts. I appreciate the effort
Southeastern has put into nurturing such promising talent and look forward to continuing
our partnership for many years to come! — Robert Schroeder

 

Calvin Fabre earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Southeastern Louisiana University.
Upon graduation, he began his career writing software for offshore, deep-water oil
rigs in harsh environments. During that time, he pioneered an automated data replication
system over satellite connections and email between installations in Brazil, Mexico,
Norway, Egypt, Scotland and the U.S. All this was done before the proliferation of
the Internet. Calvin Fabre currently serves as President of Envoc (pronounced “Invoke”),
a Louisiana-based corporate software development firm. He founded Envoc in 1997 with
the goal of writing customized software specifically tailored for a business’s unique
needs, in short – “software you can’t buy off the shelf.” He leads a 16-person creative
and software development team that sees a client’s brand from creation through consumption
whether in web, print, media, corporate dashboards, portals, or mobile applications.

       ” ‘Well, class: Would you buy it?’ That was the question asked of my peers
by the late Dr. Bill Curran to my Computer Science 411 Software Engineering class.
He was referring to the final software package our team created using tools of the
late 1980’s. Looking back, this question applied to much more than a 9-week senior
project, but to all of the deliverables I would learn to build in the next few decades
of my career in computer software development. The training he and the other faculty
at Southeastern Louisiana University provided prepared us for more than the next set
of classes. It prepared us for our careers and gave us the ability to produce goods
and services of value that would further enrich the world of software — software
that would make for an enjoyable day at work for its users.

     As our class of Computer Science students progressed through its prerequisites,
we came to enjoy the challenges the faculty threw at us. We frequently occupied their
offices during office hours, which we saw as playgrounds for further learning – learning
the rules of logic, understanding the insides of compilers, accessing their large
repositories of knowledge and experience, and hearing their personal stories. They
instilled in us the importance of creating works of value — works that others would
deem worthy enough to ‘buy.’ If a college curriculum could provide you with life lessons,
training and empowerment that would affect the rest of your life, as well as others,
‘Would you buy it?’ You bet.” 

 

Chester (Chet) Parrott earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree from Southeastern Louisiana
University. He was hired immediately by Amedysis, Inc. upon graduation and is also
pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at LSU. He also received job offers from Hewlett
Packard’s Public Sector Cyber-Security consulting group, United Airlines Corporate
Security Division, IC Synergy International, and LP (Security Consulting).

“I started this program thinking that a degree was a piece of paper that was required
for me to have job security doing consulting. I was wrong.

    The Computer Science program, through its curriculum, professors, and rigor have
completely revolutionized the way that I approach problem solving, professional behavior,
communication, and the direction of my career. It has inspired me to push my education
and experience beyond just “working” into that of a life-long learner that is eager
to give back to the community.

     It has also reversed my opinion of Louisiana in general. I was completely eager
to leave the state and take a very high-paying position with another company that
offered me a position. I realized that our state is the most “ground-level” sort of
investment we can make at this point in our career. New York City, Washington D.C.,
Dallas, Silicon Valley, Austin TX, and any number of other technological and power
hubs started at the same point we are now.

     It was my Louisiana History class that made me realize how the state never really
recovered after the Civil War and what gains we might have made were crippled by Hurricane
Katrina and the outflow of companies and resources that resulted. After the ghost-state
that was left behind, we’ve seen the state morph into a place where low housing costs
and tax benefits are a boon to startup technology companies. We are growing in ways
the state has never done before.

      It is this knowledge that I gained from my “Piece of Paper”: the best investments
are not always monetary. I choose to remain because I am investing in myself, my family,
and a community that I have the opportunity to shape with my actions. It is here I
will have a chance to make a difference; thus, here I will stay.”