LeBlanc named overall Outstanding Master's Graduate for Fall 2024

Gabrielle LeBlanc was recently named the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s overall Outstanding Master’s Graduate. LeBlanc is among six award finalists who will be recognized Friday and Saturday during Fall 2024 Commencement ceremonies. Individual ceremonies for UL Lafayette’s eight academic colleges will be held at the Cajundome and the Cajundome Convention Center.

Graduate programs nominate one student as their Outstanding Master’s Graduate. Criteria include leadership, scholarship, service and research. The dean of the University’s Graduate School leads a panel that selects the top candidates. An Alumni Association committee interviews the finalists and chooses an overall Outstanding Master’s Graduate. 

In addition to being the fall semester’s overall honoree, LeBlanc is the Outstanding Master’s Graduate Finalist for the School of Architecture & Design in the College of the Arts. She is pursuing a master’s degree in architecture.

Research conducted by LeBlanc includes investigating sustainable strategies for interactions between humans and wildlife near the coastal community of Grand Chenier, La. Her master’s project, “From Icon to Inclusivity,” examined repurposing the abandoned Astrodome in Houston into an inclusive public space. 

She served as a builder, designer and public relations manager for the “House of Cards,” a small, one-room artist’s retreat designed and built in Arnaudville, La., by architecture students. LeBlanc plans to work as a licensed architect with a focus on community and collaboration.