Faith Boudreaux knows herself very well. When the 22-year-old from Erath graduated from high school, she had some clear objectives.
She knew she wanted to study at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her dad had attended the University and she grew up wearing Ragin’ Cajun red and driving into Lafayette for football games.
“UL Lafayette’s always been like our college in my family, so I never had to guess where I might go, I always knew it would be UL Lafayette,” she says.
She also knew she wanted to major in kinesiology and work with athletes.
However, to achieve her goals and ultimately thrive, Boudreaux would have to adapt to a few changes in her plans.
Early on, Boudreaux realized the kinesiology concentrations that lined up with her interests required a lot of biology classes and she could tell that subject might derail her entirely.
“I started in Pre-Professional Studies to be a physical therapist, but I knew biology was just not for me at all,” she says.
Boudreaux briefly changed her major to Child and Family Studies to pursue being a health coach but that wasn’t the right fit either. Kinesiology still beckoned to her, so she visited the University’s website and looked at every concentration offered under the School of Kinesiology.
As she sifted through the program options, one by one, she could instantly tell which ones were not going to work for her, until she found the Health Promotion and Wellness online program.
“I looked at the course requirements and the instructors, and in my head, I was like, ‘Yes, that’s the one. Go do it.’ And I absolutely love it,” she says.
Finding her place
The smooth transition to online learning surprised Boudreaux. Originally, she had been set on studying in-person.
“I wanted to be on campus; I wanted that full experience,” she says. “But once I started, I realized how much I love online learning.”
At the start of each semester, Boudreaux would download the new syllabuses and map out readings, projects and due dates in her planner, so she never lost track of responsibilities.
She became known for her organizational skills and time management so much that when the pandemic moved in-person classes to virtual classrooms, Boudreaux’s friends reached out to her for guidance on the adjustment.
“Some of my friends on campus asked me ‘How do you make this work?’ and I said, ‘Buy a planner. I will write it all out and show you how to color code it, then you can do the rest,’” she says.
Boudreaux found it much easier to speak with instructors online than it had been navigating office hours in person.
“I feel like the professors working with online students have good time management with us and with answering emails. I felt like whatever I needed, whatever it took, they would help me figure it out,” she says.
Room to grow
The flexibility and independence of online learning meant Faith was able to take on three internships during her senior year: Girl Scouts of Louisiana, Louisiana Public Health Institute's Tobacco-Free Living campaign, and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns athletic department.
“Because of the freedom I had not being in the classroom, I’m able to expand my skills and work in other areas,” she says.
Boudreaux found working in nonprofit organizations particularly illuminating.
“I’ve been able to learn marketing skills, people skills, networking, and collaboration,” she says, “It’s all going to be so useful in sports, since everything revolves around making those genuine connections with people.”
Next up for Faith is graduate school. She’s been accepted to a Sport Hospitality Management program, which will also be online.