Alumni Stories, Parent Stories
Hatcher Family
The de Paul School has been a life-changing thread running through multiple generations of the Hatcher family. Keisa Hatcher is a proud graduate of the de Paul school and now mother to 5 de Paul alumni.
She recalls her own childhood, when her parents first suspected a learning difference: “My parents asked me to read for them. I recited the story perfectly from memory, but I was holding the book upside-down.”
When Keisa’s parents had her evaluated and learned she had dyslexia, they enrolled her at The de Paul School. Keisa describes her 1st through 8th grade experience at de Paul as a “safe haven” where she was able to grow at her own pace and gain confidence to succeed in high school and beyond.
Years later, as a single mother of four daughters, she began noticing similar learning challenges in her children. Remembering her own journey, she enrolled them at de Paul—despite financial sacrifices—and found it to be the best investment she could make.
The personalized attention, research-informed approach, and supportive environment allowed each child to develop their strengths and overcome challenges. This led all four girls to excel in both high school and college and then onto successful careers in fields from kinesiology and nursing to teaching and design.
When her youngest son later attended de Paul, the same nurturing community helped him build resilience through personal loss and become a thriving high school student-athlete.
Keisa credits de Paul with shaping not only her children’s futures but also her own career as a social worker and nonprofit leader focused on educational equity and emotional well-being for students and families in Louisville.
She says the school provided her family with a lifelong “toolbox” for success—teaching them how to adapt, persevere, and give back. Today, she proudly says that de Paul didn’t just educate her family; it changed the trajectory of their lives.
