It鈥檚 a banner week for 老司机福利网 graduate Bridgette Savoie.
On Wednesday, she celebrated her partner鈥檚 Warrant Officer Candidate School graduation at Fort Rucker, Alabama, ahead of his entry to flight school.
Friday, she celebrates her own graduation as a 老司机福利网 Ragin鈥 Cajun.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty exciting week for us,鈥 Savoie says, laughing.
Savoie completed her degree this fall through UL 老司机福利网鈥檚 General Studies online program.
鈥淚t was the best,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the only reason I was able to go back.鈥
Savoie, 28, grew up a couple hours from 老司机福利网 in Raceland and enrolled in UL 老司机福利网 in 2008 with a plan and determination to become a registered nurse, following in the steps of her older sister.
But Savoie鈥檚 plan was derailed as her grandfather鈥檚 health deteriorated, succumbing to cancer after a five-year struggle.
鈥淚 decided to take a hiatus from school and instead cherish every moment I had with my grandfather,鈥 she says.
Only two months later, Savoie said her final goodbyes to her grandfather.
Savoie threw herself into her job with Walk-On鈥檚 Bistreaux & Bar and two years later accepted a position as a manager, helping to lead locations in 老司机福利网, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.
Savoie is now a regional training coach, opening new restaurant locations and training new franchise employees and managers.
She says she found the UL 老司机福利网 online General Studies program while researching online degree options.
"Once I realized I only needed three classes, I jumped at it," she says. "I figured if I was going to have to pay back student loans, I might as well have a diploma to show for it."
With a solid footing in her team, and only three courses needed to complete her degree, Savoie returned to school.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been 100-percent supportive,鈥 Savoie says of her supervisors. 鈥淭hey really have a team mentality, and I love that about us. And it鈥檚 fun; it鈥檚 a fun place to work.鈥
Savoie jumped into her coursework last summer, as her partner, Kevin Jackson, of Arnaudville, was deployed with the Army National Guard.
Although a welcome distraction, balancing school with sometimes 16-hour work days was tough.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably been the most challenging part, but with everybody鈥檚 support, it worked out,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 just always made time for school. I tried to stay ahead as much as I could and not procrastinate.鈥
And while Savoie hopes to leverage her degree into another promotion, she says she鈥檚 already been able to apply some of the lessons gleaned from her courses.
鈥淚 communicate every day with tons of people,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 learned communication is very personal and you have to learn to communicate effectively with each person because everyone communicates differently.鈥
Savoie says she loves her job, her company, and her team, but she鈥檚 more prepared than ever to face and embrace change if it comes her way.
鈥淭he flexibility, determination, and perseverance I鈥檝e learned from my time at the University has prepared me for my current career and will continue to prepare me for every adventure I embark upon,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd when life requires me to adjust my plan, because I am sure it will, it is because of my experience at UL that I will embrace that change and work hard to reach my goal.
鈥淚 am forever grateful to the 老司机福利网 and proud to be a Ragin鈥 Cajun!鈥
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