We are proud to recognize Deidre Paris, a dedicated educator from J.A. Dobbins Middle School in the Paulding County School District, as our Educator of the Month for April 2025. Deidre’s passion for STEM education and her commitment to creating opportunities for students, especially young girls, are truly inspiring.
Paris’s Journey in STEM Education
Deidre’s passion for STEM is deeply rooted in both family legacy and personal experience. With a proud lineage of educators and engineers, including an uncle who served as the Dean of Engineering at Southern University and relatives who graduated from institutions like Northwestern and the University of Michigan—her interest in STEM was ignited early. A tutor from Purdue University further mentored and inspired her. It was there that she was introduced to the fields of electrical, civil, and chemical engineering. Working on engineering assignments and hands-on projects, Deidre discovered her love for electrical engineering—a path that would shape her future.
She went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern University, where she was named a General Motors Scholar, receiving full tuition and a summer internship at Delco Electronics in Kokomo, Indiana, working on heads-up display systems. She later earned a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering.
Dr. Paris’s career spans both academia and industry. She has held engineering roles at major organizations including General Electric, Boeing, NASA, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In parallel, she served as a faculty member at institutions such as Clark Atlanta University, Tuskegee University, and Savannah State University, teaching civil, electrical engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
A Day in the Life of Deidre Paris
Today, Deidre teaches engineering at Dobbins Middle School. Early in her teaching career, she faced a challenge familiar to many educators: getting students excited about STEM. Despite her efforts to make her classroom interesting and engaging, many students were initially reluctant to dive into technology and engineering.
That’s when Deidre partnered with LocoRobo. After receiving a grant, she purchased robots and curriculum materials and received training on LocoRobo’s software platform. This training made it easy for her to integrate robotics into her classroom, and the impact was immediate.
“LocoRobo’s training and support empowered me to seamlessly implement coding and robotics lessons, and the student response—especially from girls—has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Deidre shares. The results were immediate: students were excited, engaged, and eager to participate.
Building a STEM Program with LocoRobo
Through her collaboration with LocoRobo, Deidre launched a robotics club at Dobbins Middle School. She continues to implement more robotics lessons into her curriculum, expanding opportunities for all her students to experience hands-on learning in technology and engineering. Her next goal is to incorporate drones into her classroom, providing even more pathways for students to discover their interests. “Thanks to LocoRobo, I now lead a thriving robotics program and am expanding my curriculum to include drones and advanced engineering concepts,” Dr. Paris says.
“My ultimate goal is to inspire my students to pursue STEM careers and to equip them with the tools and confidence to succeed, just as I was once given the opportunity to do.”
Outcomes: Creating Pathways for Future STEM Leaders
Deidre’s work exemplifies the transformative power of access and encouragement. By creating an inclusive, engaging learning environment with the support of LocoRobo’s educational robots and STEM curriculum, she is opening doors for her students to pursue STEM fields who may not have initially considered careers in technology or engineering.
We are proud to celebrate Deidre Paris as our April Educator of the Month and are excited to continue supporting her mission to help students build real-world skills and pursue future opportunities in STEM.
