Builder. Musician. Instructor. Jacob LeBlanc wears a lot of hats — often at the same time.
The 22-year-old is also a three-time ýƽ graduate, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, a Master of Science in Engineering & Technology Management, 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
ýƽ 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 ýƽ,” 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 ýƽ Lafayette, that plan crystalized.
“I got to meet several graduate students going through the engineering technology program. They all spoke highly of 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 generate their own energy using microbial fuel cells.
“I began noticing that everything is improvable,” he says. “This program is applicable to a wide range 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’
ýƽ Lafayette’s Engineering & Technology Management 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 done with a full-time job, living on a different continent, serving as a graduate assistant, etc. There's a broad range of students, from working professionals to those just finishing their undergraduate years.”
LeBlanc says the flexibility of the online program ultimately allowed him to work multiple jobs while simultaneously pursuing his MBA.
“Once I got into the routine, classes went smoothly. I made it a habit to breakup large 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 he would print his reading material for any gaps in the day when he wasn’t near a computer. He tackled smaller assignments — quizzes and forum responses — in his few evening hours.
Meanwhile, larger assignments like essays and projects were typically relegated to the weekend when he had more time to focus.
“With online classes often being broken up into sections, I'd open the module at the beginning of the week, get an overview of what needed to get done, assess the workload, and allot the workload throughout the week, considering my schedule,” he explains.
LeBlanc says accelerated courses in the MBA program also made his course load more manageable. He was able to enroll in two full-term engineering 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 begun instructing at South Louisiana Community College. Upon completing his master’s degrees, he’s also become an instructor at ýƽ 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 remotely with my experience taking online courses,” he says. “My students said how much they enjoyed the modular format, so I was glad to have been exposed to learning online before teaching online.”
LeBlanc’s role at ýƽ 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 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.