Builder. Musician. Instructor. Jacob LeBlanc wears a lot of hats — often at the same time.
The 22-year-old is also a three-time University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, a Master of Science in Systems Technology, and a Master of Business Administration.
LeBlanc enrolled at just 16 and was recognized as an outstanding graduate twice — first for the College of Engineering as an undergraduate and then as the University’s Outstanding Master’s Graduate. 
Always a Ragin’ Cajun
UL Lafayette was a natural choice, he says, for its proximity, quality, and family ties.
“My two grandmothers, mother, and two sisters all came here. Put simply, everyone in my family that went to college went to UL,” he says. “Furthermore, I wanted to pursue an engineering-related field and I was aware of the great reputation that its College of Engineering had.”
Earning a master’s degree was always part of LeBlanc’s plan, he says. Once at UL Lafayette, that plan crystalized as LeBlanc met graduate students enrolled in the M.S. in Systems Technology program.
“I got to meet several of the graduate students that were going through the Systems Technology program, who all spoke fondly of the program and the classes they were taking,” he says. “They also had very interesting and diverse research topics.”
LeBlanc’s research ultimately examined how municipal wastewater treatment facilities could be more sustainable by generating their own energy using microbial fuel cells.
“One of the key takeaways I have from the Systems Technology program is noticing that everything is improvable,” he says. “This program is applicable to a wide variety of industries; any type of system can be broken down into processes that can all be analyzed and streamlined for improvement to save time, money, and effort.”
Turning ‘Degree’ into ‘Degrees’
UL Lafayette’s Systems Technology program is the only one of its kind in the South. The program is 100% online and designed for students who want to advance in energy, manufacturing, chemical production, construction and other fields.
Students can enroll full time — 9 credit hours per semester — or part time, depending on their schedule and goals.
“The program is very flexible,” LeBlanc says. It can be pursued while working a full-time job, while living on a different continent, while serving as a graduate assistant, etc. As such, it has a broad range of students, from working professionals to those just finishing their undergraduate years.”
LeBlanc says although he had to adjust to the format and pacing of online courses, the flexibility of the online program ultimately allowed LeBlanc to work multiple jobs while simultaneously pursuing his MBA.
“Once I got into the routine, classes went smoothly, since I got into the habit of allotting large reading and writing assignments over several days,” he says. “It was rare that I would ever get home before 7 p.m., so there were just a few hours each day to complete the work. I knew better than to sacrifice sleep, which would only decrease my productivity.”
LeBlanc says his strategy included printing his reading material to read during any gaps in the day when he wasn’t near a computer. He tackled smaller assignments — quizzes and forum discussion responses — in his few evening hours. Meanwhile, larger assignments such as essays and projects were typically relegated to the weekend when he had more time to focus.
“With online classes often being broken up into weekly modules, I would be able to open up the week’s module at the beginning, get an overview of what needed to be done for the week, assess the workload, and allot the workload throughout the week taking into consideration my schedule for that week,” he explains.
LeBlanc says accelerated courses offered in the MBA program also made his course load more manageable. He was able to enroll in two, full-term systems technology courses and two, half-term MBA courses. Although he’d complete four courses a semester, he could focus on three at any given time.
From Student to Instructor
Since 2018, LeBlanc has served as an instructor at South Louisiana Community College. Upon completing his master’s degrees, he’s also become an instructor at UL Lafayette. LeBlanc says his experience as an online student helped him pivot to remote teaching as part of the response to COVID-19.
“I was well prepared to teach online by having experience taking online courses,” he says. “My students have commented how well they enjoyed the organization and consistency of the modular format, and I was glad to have been exposed to learning online so that I would be capable of teaching online.”
LeBlanc’s role at UL Lafayette has extended beyond teaching to advising undergraduate students and participating in the re-accreditation process through which Industrial Technology earned a six-year ATMAE (Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering) accreditation.
Normally, spring and summer would mean LeBlanc would be playing accordion with one of his bands several times a month while working in residential construction. With those activities restricted, LeBlanc says he’s turned his attention to practicing bass guitar and keyboard, and building frames for his pen and ink drawings.
LeBlanc says he’s still weighing future possibilities, including an academic career.
If he does pursue his Ph.D., LeBlanc says it’ll be from the same University where he earned his first three degrees.