Title: Program Assistant
Company: Morgan State University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Lauren J. LaPorta, Program Assistant at Morgan State University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in Higher Education.
Ms. LaPorta currently serves as a program assistant at Morgan State University, a role she has held since 2023. In this capacity, she contributes to the Center for Instructional Research and Scholarship, where she is instrumental in designing faculty instruction and supporting the development of effective teaching strategies. Her responsibilities extend to the Career Center, where she mentors first-generation college students, guiding them through their academic journeys and helping them navigate the challenges of higher education. Additionally, Ms. LaPorta is engaged with the College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies Center, assisting in the redesign of online curricula tailored for nontraditional students returning to school.
As an adjunct professor on campus, Ms. LaPorta continues to teach three courses, engaging directly with students and facilitating meaningful discussions on topics relevant to their lives. She is committed to fostering safe and respectful dialogue among her students in all learning environments.
In addition to her full-time responsibilities on campus, Ms. LaPorta serves on the women, gender and sexuality studies advisory committee and as a representative and former student ambassador for English. She is also active with the Triota Academic Honor Society. A significant highlight of Ms. LaPorta’s tenure at Morgan State University has been her involvement with the Faculty Institute, where she led a team of 15 to design training facilities and instructional modules for faculty use. She successfully integrated social and emotional learning activities across the faculty and introduced a new module focused on effective communication with Generation Z and Generation Alpha students. This initiative included sharing insights into generational learning styles and embedding these approaches into campus culture to support positive outcomes.
Outside the classroom, Ms. LaPorta has been serving as a program director at Altair Education Consulting, LLC. Since 2023, she has overseen educational programming and supported institutional clients in developing inclusive curricula and mentorship initiatives. In addition to managing educational programs for diverse student populations, Ms. LaPorta has been instrumental in designing curriculum and professional development workshops.
Among other noteworthy roles, Ms. LaPorta served as an AVID staff developer at the AVID Center in Baltimore from 2021 to 2023, where she provided professional development for educators to advance student achievement through research-based instructional strategies. Between 2019 and 2023, she excelled as an assistant equity coordinator at Pikesville High School in Pikesville, Maryland. In this position, Ms. LaPorta promoted diversity and inclusion initiatives within the school community, working to ensure equitable opportunities for all students.
From 2017 to 2020, Ms. LaPorta was a lead curriculum writer on a contract basis, developing educational materials that supported differentiated instruction across various grade levels. She was also an instructor at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University between 2015 and 2018, where she taught advanced courses for gifted learners. Ms. LaPorta spent the first decade of her career as an English teacher with Baltimore County Public Schools, starting in 2013. During this period, she taught middle and high school students, striving to create engaging learning environments that prioritized students’ needs over data-driven metrics. Her experiences in public education motivated her to pursue policy reforms to ensure students are recognized as individuals first.
Ms. LaPorta’s academic background reflects her commitment to inclusive education and curriculum development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in adolescent English education from the State University of New York at Cortland, awarded in 2012, and a master’s degree in creative writing from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, earned in 2017. Ms. LaPorta’s credentials also include a 2015 certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Throughout her career, Ms. LaPorta has maintained active membership in several professional organizations, including the National Council of Teachers of English, the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance, the National Council for the Advancement of Standards, and the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association in the South. Beyond her professional commitments, she is civically engaged as a volunteer with Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc. Ms. LaPorta also serves as a sergeant-at-arms for Alpha Phi Omega, is involved with the Karaoke League as both a board member and a team captain, and supports organizations such as Liberation Libations, the Baltimore Transformative Learning Collective, LLP, and various LGBTQIA youth initiatives.
Ms. LaPorta attributes her success to a lifelong love of reading and exploring imaginative worlds. This passion fueled her belief in endless possibilities and alternative perspectives throughout her career. Inspired by early aspirations to become an actress or lawyer, before ultimately choosing teaching, Ms. LaPorta credits formative experiences, such as serving as a school safety officer in sixth grade, with shaping her path toward education.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Ms. LaPorta is mindful of her position as a white educator within a predominantly African American institution and actively seeks opportunities to learn from colleagues with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Looking ahead, she plans to launch a podcast following completion of her advanced degree. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in intercultural, multicultural and diversity studies at Morgan State University. Her doctoral research focuses on developing curricula that better represent diverse classroom populations. Furthermore, Ms. LaPorta intends to publish research on inclusive approaches to young adult literature and queer representation, pursue postdoctoral research, engage in public speaking, expand her platform and ultimately work in politics, focusing on education reform, policy initiatives, supportive student environments and addressing global challenges.
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