LSU Computer Science Senior Conquers School, Raising Four Kids
November 7, 2024
BATON ROUGE, LA – Though Baton Rouge native Malana Fuentes grew up with the cards stacked against her, she has come out on the other side, hoping to inspire younger generations, including her own kids, that they can do it all if they want it badly enough.
Fuentes’ life was hard from the beginning, as she had asthma and lost her older sister when she was just a baby. Then, she was raised by her dad and stepmother before living with her half-sister, Tabitha, who was attending LSU at the time.
“My half-sister saved me in my teen years and gave me everything I needed to succeed,” Fuentes said. “She was a role model for me since she went to school and raised me. She’s my favorite person in the world.”
After graduating high school in 2010, Fuentes took a break from academics, unsure of what direction she wanted to go in.
“College right away wasn’t for me,” she said.
Instead, Fuentes started a family that has now expanded to three of her own kids and a “bonus daughter,” as she calls McKenzie. Her oldest daughter, Lydia, is 13; her daughters Jeana-Marie and McKenzie are both 11; and her youngest son, Malakai, is 10.
“Once my kids were old enough where I felt comfortable leaving them home alone after school, I decided I was ready to go to college and be a role model for them and show them that it doesn’t matter what they go through in life or what their status is; they can always succeed in anything they want and make themselves better as long as they want to be better,” she said.
Fuentes began attending River Parishes Community College in Gonzales, La., and then transferred to LSU in 2020.
“It was a very tough time,” she said. “I was trying to see if I could manage parenting and school. I went to RPCC for two semesters, then once I had enough credits to transfer to LSU, I did that.”
Fuentes chose to major in computer engineering at LSU.
“I always loved to break things apart and put them back together, and I’m an overthinker, so I pay attention to details, which matters in engineering,” she said. “I also like to solve problems. I’m the type of person where you have to tell me if you want a solution or just want me to hear you out because I will always try to give you the solution otherwise.”
Fuentes began struggling with her work-life balance studying for CE and being an active parent and wife.
“I wasn’t able to spend time with my family without compromising my studies,” she said.
She realized computer engineering overlapped with computer science, so she changed her major to CS with a concentration in cybersecurity. She is scheduled to graduate in May 2025 and plans to get her master’s degree at LSU, before finding a job in digital forensics and incident response and studying memory forensics.
Aside from her studies, Fuentes currently has three part-time jobs. She is a teacher assistant for the digital forensics course under LSU CS Department Chair and Professor Ibrahim “Abe” Baggili and LSU CS Ph.D. student Clinton Walker.
“Dr. Baggili’s digital forensics course is the whole reason I chose the cybersecurity concentration,” Fuentes said.
Fuentes is also an undergraduate research assistant under LSU CS Professor and LSU Cyber Center Director Golden Richard III, who she says is “amazing.”
“He inspires me daily in the same way I want to inspire future generations,” she said.
As if these jobs weren’t enough to keep Fuentes busy, she also cleans houses to make ends meet.
Fuentes hopes her kids see her hard work and realize they can do whatever they set their minds to.
“I have really good kids,” she said. “They all understand and see how hard I’m working. My husband has been amazing, working all the time to pay the bills so I can focus on school. I totally believe you can’t just tell the younger generation do better, be better; you have to show them this is how you can do it. There are many ways you can do it, but do it.”
Like us on Facebook (@lsuengineering) or follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram (@lsuengineering).
###
Contact: Libby Haydel
Communications Manager
225-578-4840
ehaydel1@lsu.edu
Latest College of Engineering News
- LSU Civil, Environmental Engineering Professor Assesses Impact of Sulphur Mines Salt Dome Cavern Collapse on Well WaterNovember 18, 2024BATON ROUGE, LA - The Gulf Coast is home to more than 500 salt domes, and at least 200 of those are located in Louisiana. While salt domes and their caverns can be beneficial, such as being used to hold petroleum reserves, they can also be a possible hazard should the caverns collapse. The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (LDENR) currently has its eye on two caverns in Sulphur, La., and have awarded a $156,602 grant to LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Frank Tsai to assess the impact a collapse would have on well water in the area.
- LSU, PNNL Research Team Study Microplastics in the AtmosphereNovember 14, 2024BATON ROUGE, LA - Microplastics are sub-millimeter-sized plastic fragments, similar to or smaller than the thickness of a human hair, that present a relatively new and increasingly prevalent type of environmental pollutant. In fact, they have been widely detected in the air we breathe and at altitudes where clouds form.
- LSU Engineering, Chance Maritime Collaborate on Uncrewed Underwater ResearchNovember 13, 2024BATON ROUGE, LA - In an old quarry near Lafayette, La., an uncrewed boat is dropping a remote-controlled robot down to the bottom of a lakebed before retrieving it and returning to shore. If a passerby stumbled upon this scene, he or she might think it was something out of a spy movie. Instead, it's a cutting-edge project that shows how advanced robotic systems can help monitor and protect marine environments, as well as inspect and maintain offshore infrastructure.
- LSU Computer Science Division Adds World-Class FacultyNovember 4, 2024BATON ROUGE, LA - Over the course of the last year, the LSU Division of Computer Science (CS) and Engineering has bolstered its faculty ranks with nearly a dozen talented academics and researchers with a wide breadth of expertise. It's a development indicative of a rapidly-growing major in the College of Engineering and a priority area for the university as a whole.
- LSU’s Calcea Johnson Publishes Groundbreaking Research in The American Mathematical MonthlyCalcea Johnson, an LSU environmental engineering sophomore, has achieved a milestone few undergraduates reach: publication in The American Mathematical Monthly, one of the field’s most respected journals.
- LSU Researchers Develop Groundbreaking Cancer-Detecting DeviceLSU researchers have developed a device capable of detecting cancerous tissues during surgery with unprecedented speed and accuracy. This technology could significantly reduce the likelihood of cancer recurrence and improve patient survival rates globally.