How a Marathon Petroleum Grant Empowered a Future Teacher of the Year

Associated Press

09-05-2025

Key Points
Marathon Petroleum's commitment to St. John the Baptist Parish is already making a big impact for teachers in less three years since a major investment was made. In 2022, the company's Garyville refinery provided St. John the Baptist Parish Public School's (SJBP) with a $350,000 workforce development grant to help non-certified educators in the parish earn their full certification.
That investment, which set out to cover the full cost for approximately 120 teachers, helped remove a major financial barrier for those looking to grow professionally, boost their pay and build stronger classrooms.
Teachers like Diashiki Snyder-Brown, who says the grant, along with a strong desire to achieve her dreams, helped turn a leap of faith into a thriving career.
'I love it,' Snyder-Brown said. 'This is the first time I feel like I wake up ready to go to work every day.'
Snyder-Brown left her job in business to pursue a longtime dream of becoming a teacher. In August 2022, she was just beginning the certification process. Even then, her passion was clear.
'I show up every day and give it my all,' she said. 'I focus on what matters, teaching one student at a time, one class at a time and doing what I can to make a difference.'
Snyder-Brown is now a fully certified teacher at East St. John Preparatory Academy, where she teaches 7th grade math. She was recently named the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year in St. John the Baptist Parish, the district's top honor.
For the district's leadership, this kind of impact is exactly what the program was meant to spark.
'With partners like Marathon coming together to do what truly makes a difference, the impact has been invaluable,' said Dr. Kimberly Gales-Johnson, Chief of Staff for the school district. 'This is an investment in our teachers, our students and our entire school system, and one that will benefit us for years to come.'
Dr. Jaimee Williams, the district's Chief of Academics, agrees, especially as the program also opens doors for paraprofessionals and support staff to earn associate degrees and grow into teaching roles of their own.
'Supporting their career growth benefits them and our students. It's a win-win,' Williams said. 'When staff feel invested in, student performance rises too.'
According to Gales-Johnson, one of the biggest challenges to certification is cost. Without support, many educators simply don't or can't pursue it.
'That's why this matters so much,' Gales-Johnson said. 'Certified teachers are more likely to stay in the profession and stay right here in St. John Parish. This is a life-changing investment on many levels.'
The workforce development program builds on the Garyville refinery's continued support for education in the parish, especially after Hurricane Ida in 2021, as part of a larger effort to help the community rebuild.
Snyder-Brown hopes her story encourages others to take a similar leap.
'During the pandemic, I felt lost and unsure of what I wanted to do,' she said. 'This program and Marathon's support gave me the push I needed. Less than three years later, I'm Teacher of the Year. It's an incredible feeling, and I'm excited for what the future holds.'
Joining Snyder-Brown are nine other educators who've become fully certified during the 2024–2025 school year alone, with more than 40 others currently enrolled in the scholarship-like program, a number the district hopes will continue to grow.
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