It杏吧专区檚 a banner week for 杏吧专区 graduate Bridgette Savoie.
On Wednesday, she celebrated her partner杏吧专区檚 Warrant Officer Candidate School graduation at Fort Rucker, Alabama, ahead of his entry to flight school.
Friday, she celebrates her own graduation as a 杏吧专区 Ragin杏吧专区 Cajun.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 a pretty exciting week for us,杏吧专区 Savoie says, laughing.
Savoie completed her degree this fall through UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 General Studies online program.
杏吧专区淚t was the best,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 the only reason I was able to go back.杏吧专区
Savoie, 28, grew up a couple hours from Lafayette in Raceland and enrolled in UL Lafayette in 2008 with a plan and determination to become a registered nurse, following in the steps of her older sister.
But Savoie杏吧专区檚 plan was derailed as her grandfather杏吧专区檚 health deteriorated, succumbing to cancer after a five-year struggle.
杏吧专区淚 decided to take a hiatus from school and instead cherish every moment I had with my grandfather,杏吧专区 she says.
Only two months later, Savoie said her final goodbyes to her grandfather.
Savoie threw herself into her job with Walk-On杏吧专区檚 Bistreaux & Bar and two years later accepted a position as a manager, helping to lead locations in Lafayette, 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 Lafayette 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.
杏吧专区淭hey杏吧专区檝e been 100-percent supportive,杏吧专区 Savoie says of her supervisors. 杏吧专区淭hey really have a team mentality, and I love that about us. And it杏吧专区檚 fun; it杏吧专区檚 a fun place to work.杏吧专区
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.
杏吧专区淭hat杏吧专区檚 probably been the most challenging part, but with everybody杏吧专区檚 support, it worked out,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 just always made time for school. I tried to stay ahead as much as I could and not procrastinate.杏吧专区
And while Savoie hopes to leverage her degree into another promotion, she says she杏吧专区檚 already been able to apply some of the lessons gleaned from her courses.
杏吧专区淚 communicate every day with tons of people,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 learned communication is very personal and you have to learn to communicate effectively with each person because everyone communicates differently.杏吧专区
Savoie says she loves her job, her company, and her team, but she杏吧专区檚 more prepared than ever to face and embrace change if it comes her way.
杏吧专区淭he flexibility, determination, and perseverance I杏吧专区檝e learned from my time at the 杏吧专区 has prepared me for my current career and will continue to prepare me for every adventure I embark upon,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淎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.
杏吧专区淚 am forever grateful to the 杏吧专区 and proud to be a Ragin杏吧专区 Cajun!杏吧专区
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