Thrive Academy’s perfume-making STEM event inspires Baton Rouge students

At Thrive Academy in Baton Rouge, the boundary between a beauty aisle and a chemistry lab blurred recently when students crafted their own perfume and discovered the science behind the scent, 225 Magazine reported. The hands-on activity, held during a Girls’ Night Out STEM event, revealed to many students that creating a fragrance relies on the same chemical principles used by professional chemists in industrial laboratories. It was a small moment of discovery that encapsulates a much larger effort by ExxonMobil Baton Rouge to make science, technology, engineering and math feel immediate and relevant to local students, showing them that STEM fields connect directly to everyday life.

The initiative arrives at a critical moment for Louisiana’s capital region. As industries such as energy, petrochemicals and advanced manufacturing become increasingly technology-driven, employers across Baton Rouge need workers skilled in engineering, data analytics, environmental science and other technical fields. ExxonMobil’s partnerships with local schools, universities and community organizations aim to close the gap between raw talent and real opportunity, ensuring that students can trace a clear line from classroom lessons to the high-paying careers waiting in the region’s industrial corridor.

“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always evenly distributed,” said Rory Denicola, an advisor with ExxonMobil Baton Rouge’s Public & Government Affairs team. “By expanding access and removing barriers, we can help more students discover their potential and pursue futures they may not have previously imagined.”

The company reaches students through multiple channels designed to make abstract concepts concrete. Through a partnership with STEM Baton Rouge, ExxonMobil hosts STEM Saturdays, where students engage with science and engineering concepts through live demonstrations that transform abstract theory into visible results. The company also participates in the Bayou Classic STEM Fest, which draws more than 500 students each year. This November, ExxonMobil employees will bring interactive experiments to Scotlandville High School in recognition of National STEM Day, continuing the push to demystify technical fields and help students understand the range of opportunities available in science and technical careers.

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For Tara Bazille, a socioeconomic advisor with ExxonMobil Baton Rouge, the most rewarding aspect of the outreach is watching students visualize themselves in fields that once felt out of reach. During the recent event at Thrive Academy, she saw students connect the dots between mixing scents and professional chemistry, a realization that reframed STEM as something present in their daily lives rather than distant and intimidating.

That exposure can alter a student’s entire trajectory. Bazille recalled a high school student who approached her at a Saturday event to deliver an elevator pitch about ExxonMobil’s high school internship program. He knew she served as a co-lead for the program and took the initiative to explain why he wanted an opportunity to learn more about STEM careers. He was ultimately selected for the program, where he gained industry experience and valuable mentorship that demonstrated how early, hands-on exposure and mentorship can help students recognize possibilities beyond their initial expectations.

The economic implications stretch far beyond individual success stories. By supporting STEM education, the region builds a pipeline of workers capable of driving long-term economic growth in an era when petrochemical and manufacturing jobs increasingly demand technical literacy. When a student understands that the perfume they wear involves chemistry, or that engineering solves concrete community problems, the range of career possibilities expands dramatically.

“STEM education is a shared community responsibility,” Bazille said. Companies can offer resources, mentorship and career exposure, while teachers, families and community groups can nurture curiosity and assist students in exploring new opportunities.

Through linking students with experiences, mentors and routes to higher education, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge aims to help the next generation picture what is achievable and develop the abilities needed to reach it.

The effort reflects a broader recognition that the region’s future prosperity depends on matching its abundant talent with accessible pathways into technical fields, a shift that could redefine who gets to participate in Baton Rouge’s industrial economy for decades to come.

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