Appreciating our Veterans: Louis Raprager
With Veterans Day this Wednesday, we are recognizing Cypress College student veterans who have done so much in the service of our country and are having a great impact here at home. We are pleased to feature a few of our on-campus leaders this week, including Louis Raprager III, who served in the U.S. Navy and is now Chair of the Inter-Club Council at Cypress, overseeing 30+ on-campus clubs.
A Long Beach native, Louis attended Paramount High before enlisting in the Navy in 1999. With a long family lineage of military service, Louis was compelled to keep up tradition. Unlike his forebears, however, he chose sea life over the army. His service includes deployments in the West Pacific and a flight deck post on the USS Abraham Lincoln – the “Mission Accomplished” aircraft carrier. After many years of service, in which half was spent at sea, Louis turned his focus to his educational goals. He first enrolled at Cerritos College, but switched to Cypress after hearing about the reputation of the Hotel, Restaurant and Culinary Arts program. His experience here has been overwhelmingly positive, “The Culinary Arts program is fantastic. The faculty are top-quality and very caring, and all the instructors are supportive of us veterans. It’s just a great environment… same for Cypress all-around. It’s a beautiful campus and solid community.”
In addition to his full-time studies, Louis is ICC Chair, a position in which he oversees and supports each of the College’s 32 student-run clubs. Under his leadership, club engagement has notably increased. The campus is more vibrant in part because of Louis. Also of note, Louis has made a lasting difference on a broader scale. This year the District is observing Veterans Day on the actual date of commemoration (instead of extending the weekend) in part due to Louis’ efforts. Now, our large number of student veterans can take advantage of opportunities in the community without missing class on their day of national recognition.
In what free time remains, Louis is with his young son. He also works part-time in promotional activities at the Angels Stadium, where he aspires to eventually become Director of Food and Beverage Services.
Louis Raprager III.
