LAGCOE Awards Future Energy Professionals Scholarships; Abbeville’s Michael LaCour one of our Acadiana-area recipients

LAFAYETTE – LAGCOE is proud to announce the winners of the Future Energy Professionals (FEP) scholarship. Recognizing the importance of collegiate majors from disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), LAGCOE has created this scholarship in an effort to attract professional talent capable of maintaining a high level of technical proficiency within the oil & gas industry. The scholarships are awarded to goal-oriented students planning to enroll into a Louisiana College in pursuit of a STEM-centric Degree.
Four Acadiana-area high school students were selected as recipients of this award: Meaghan Thibodeaux, Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish; Michael LaCour, St. Thomas More Catholic High School; Parker Cormier, New Iberia Senior High School; and Brandon Mitchell, Pine Prairie High School.
The scholarship entitles each recipient up to $1,000 per semester while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in one of the STEM fields at a four-year Louisiana university or college or up to $825 per semester while pursuing a technical degree or certificate at a two-year Louisiana community college or technical school. The winners were honored at a reception, hosted by LAGCOE and Community Foundation of Acadiana on Thursday, May 31, 2018 at the Lafayette Science Museum.
Meaghan is a recent graduate of Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish and will be attending Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. in the fall studying Biological Sciences. “Since a young age, I have excelled in my math and science subjects. The material always seemed to register and make sense in my mind, and because of this, I have always known that I would want to major in a field that contained both,” Thibodeaux said.
Michael is a recent graduate of St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, La. and will be attending University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Lafayette, La. in the fall studying Chemical Engineering. “Before attending LAGCOE 2017, I had a very minimal understanding of the oil and gas industry. I did not know that so many companies could privde so many different services for the oil discovery, refining and distribution process. I want to make an impact on this industry by using my love of chemistry to help this growing industry,” LaCour said.
Parker is a recent graduate of New Iberia Senior High School in New Ibera, La. and will be attending L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever, La. in the fall, studying Integrated Product Technologies. “I want to have a jump on those entering the oilfield, so I’m choosing to attend college in pursuit of an Associate’s Degree, which will help me to start in a better position and have the knowledge to be productive an asset to the company that I will work for,” Cormier said.
Brandon will begin his senior year at Pine Prairie High School in Ville Platte, La. and will be attending South Louisiana Community College in Lafayette, La. following his graduation in May 2019, entering into the Oil & Gas Production program. “I decided to pursue the production side of the oil and gas industry because I feel that I could be the most valuable in that area. After college, I see myself climbing the ladder in the oil industry, making contributions to the industry and providing a nice living for my family,” Mitchell said.
LAGCOE Future Energy Professionals Program is supported by the LAGCOE Education Fund, a Fund at Community Foundation of Acadiana. The program was established to encourage and support future industry professionals to pursue technical positions, which literally fuel our world. Included are projects, which work to support the middle, secondary, and higher education and STEM curriculum.  
LAGCOE is a nonprofit energy industry organization focused on educational programs and a technical exposition & conference. LAGCOE’s mission is to cultivate economic growth of the energy industry by facilitating domestic & global business development and fostering the energy workforce pipeline.