Elliot Bridges: LAGCOE SLCC Endowed Scholarship Recipient

Apr 29, 2020

It takes firm dedication, unique qualifications, and strong passion to win a scholarship two times in a row. This is the case of Elliot Bridges, the recipient of the 2020 LAGCOE Endowed Scholarship at South Louisiana Community College. An Eagle Scout, the highest rank achievable in the Boys Scouts of America, Bridges was named the 2016 Scout of the Year of the Boys Scouts of America Evangeline Area Council. This is an honor bestowed upon scouts by adult leaders of each troop and voted on by the head officials within the council. Winning Scout of the Year sets Bridges apart for his leadership, commitment to teamwork, and problem solving skills.

After graduating from New Iberia High School, guided by his wish to become a problem solver, Bridges enrolled in the Industrial Technology program at the South Louisiana Community College. Initially, he planned on pursuing Petroleum Engineering, “but I wanted a more hands-on program. The Industrial Technology Program offered me that: the hands-on, the prevention of reworks, and much more,” said Bridges, who enjoys the fact that he will still be providing support to the petroleum engineering industry.

Upon his graduation in May of 2020 with an associate degree in Industrial Technology, and after earning the CPT certification over the summer, Bridges plans to transfer to the Industrial Technology Program at UL Lafayette and finish his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology with a minor in Business.

When asked about the impact winning this scholarship has had on his life, Bridges said, “It took the burden away from having to worry about where is the money coming from and who is paying for it. If you add up all of the costs since I have been here [at SLCC], LAGCOE paid for half of it.” Bridges also works in a Broussard fabrication shop where he helps as a shophand. “I like the inspection side of welding, so working at the fabrication shop helps me get some welding experience,” mentioned Bridges, who, upon graduation, would like to enter the field of quality assurance and control. 

The South Louisiana Community College Endowed Scholarship Fund was started in 2016, when LAGCOE made a $15,000 irrevocable gift to the SLCC Foundation to start an endowed scholarship. It qualified to be matched by the Louisiana Board of Regents and a sum of $15,00 was added to it. Since then, the scholarship has been awarded three times. In 2018 the scholarship went to Cody Rabalais, in 2019 to Elliot Bridges, and in 2020 to Elliot Bridges for the second time.