Michelle Abadie, daughter of Brian Abadie of Chalmette and Marianne Abadie of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., is a Katrina evacuee that pursued her dream to become a teacher. She is the Alumni Association’s Outstanding Graduate for the Fall 2009 semester.
The elementary education major was the Outstanding Graduate from the College of Education.
Each semester deans from the eight academic colleges nominates a student as an Outstanding Graduate based on leadership, scholarship and service. A selection committee with the Alumni Association interviews each candidate and selects one for the overall award.
Abadie along with Justin Hernandez, Arts; Brittany Taylor, Business Administration; Lauren Delcambre, Engineering; Mary Ann James, General Studies; Phillip Nevels, Liberal Arts; Shawntel Smith, Nursing; and Michelle Noel, Sciences were this semester’s honorees.
Being a model student, Abadie holds the title of most outstanding senior in the College of Education for the 2008-2009 school year and has been on the Dean’s List every semester since 2006.
Abadie has received the TOPS Honors Award, UL Lafayette COE Avec Souci Endowed Scholarship, UL Lafayette Centennial Scholarship and the Alexander Haig Endowed Scholarship. She has maintained a 3.948 GPA throughout her college career, and has still found time to contribute to the community and university.
A tireless worker, Abadie has participated in professional development workshops sponsored by A+PEL (Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana) and Kappa Delta Pi. She has served the university as a member and officer in organizations such as the Delta Iota Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, UL Lafayette Chapter of Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization, the UL Lafayette Chapter of A+PEL.
After Hurricane Katrina, she worked to rebuild houses in her home parish of St. Bernard and worked with children who were affected by the disaster. She has contributed to the Lafayette community as a volunteer at the Special Olympics, Walk for Hope and Autism Awareness, Woodvale Elementary Math Day and the college’s team at Relay for Life.
After graduating, Abadie plans to teach at Joseph Davies Elementary School, where she completed her student teaching experience in St. Bernard Parish. Her future plans include enrolling in the master’s and then doctoral programs in Educational Leadership. She is considering the possibility of becoming a principal.