On the road to his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree, Isaiah Helaire moved from Lafayette to Georgia to Hammond and then back to Lafayette.
Helaire was working full time as an assistant branch manager for a loan company and ready to finish his degree. A friend recommended Helaire look into the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration, which had just launched an online bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree program.
Helaire was one of the first students to enroll in the online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management, with 36 hours between him and his degree. For many students, that杏吧专区檚 the equivalent of three or four semesters.
He finished in two semesters as an honor student with a 3.64 GPA.
杏吧专区淚t definitely was not easy. My advisor recommended taking two classes if you杏吧专区檙e working full time. I took six while working full time, so it was definitely challenging,杏吧专区 Helaire says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 definitely a balance to have fun but also realize you have to be dedicated. It has a lot to do with being determined to see this through and complete the degree.杏吧专区
Helaire leveraged his progress toward his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree into a job offer for his current full-time position, which he says provided additional motivation to push through.
Earning a management degree through UL Lafayette meant Helaire was able to learn from faculty with years of industry experience and knowledge, along with specialized training in online teaching.
This semester, Helaire had to face additional challenges as more students moved online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Helaire says faculty members like Catherine Chauvin made his time as a UL Lafayette online student positive.
杏吧专区淪he was on top of her stuff. She always had everything from day one there and ready to go for us,杏吧专区 Helaire says. 杏吧专区淪he was one of the main instructors that incorporated group projects even though we were online, which I thought was amazing. She did an amazing job of making us feel connected to other students.杏吧专区
Helaire had planned to walk with his fellow graduates during Spring 2020 commencement at the Cajundome. With the shift to a virtual commencement, Helaire says he杏吧专区檒l listen for his name remotely. He杏吧专区檒l hold on to his robes and cords to potentially walk later this summer.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 tough because it杏吧专区檚 not going to feel the same, but opportunities are presenting themselves,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 want to walk in the next one; I杏吧专区檓 trying to stay positive for that. I do appreciate the virtual graduation, and I think that杏吧专区檚 the closest thing we could have done.杏吧专区