Stories from the Field

Where the Boxes Go
LumenSparQ does not keep what comes through its doors for long. A school refreshes its 1:1 program, and the Chromebooks it no longer needs restart

The LumenSparQ Empowerment Scholarship
Her volleyball teammates named her the glue. That is how the indoor team at Da Vinci Communications High School described Mahalet Yonas, their captain. Not

I Stayed on the Train
There is a difference between reading about someone’s work and standing in the room where it lives. Last fall, we wrote about Alouette Cervantes-Salazar, the

From Soil to Table: How Four 8th Graders Grew a Garden and a Community
Every so often, a project comes along that is quietly profound. It doesn’t try to solve the world’s biggest problems in one sweep. Instead, it

A Quiet Hum in Redondo Beach
There’s something remarkable about walking into a room where everyone is focused, engaged, and at ease, all at once. That’s exactly what greeted us at

Elizabeth Sanchez and the Power of Community Voice
Elizabeth Sanchez grew up in Los Angeles, the daughter of immigrants and the granddaughter of a Bracero Program participant whose stories of migration and perseverance

Micah’s Move: Building Community Through Chess
We’re excited to welcome Micah as our newest SparQ. At just 13 years old, Micah founded the Check Mates Project, using the game of chess

2025 Annual Report
We are excited to share the LumenSparQ 2025 Annual Report, a reflection on a year shaped by connection, collaboration, and care across our Los Angeles

A Place to Belong
For many students, higher education is about far more than classes and credits. It is about navigating complex systems, managing uncertainty, and finding a place
