Abbey Poirier of St. Martinville is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s overall Spring 2026 Outstanding Graduate.
Poirier is among eight award finalists who was recognized Friday, May15, during Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies.
Each spring and fall semester, deans from the University’s academic colleges nominate a student as Outstanding Graduate. Nominations are based on leadership, scholarship and service. An Alumni Association committee interviews candidates and selects one to receive the overall award.
In addition to being the spring semester’s overall honoree, Poirier is the Outstanding Graduate Finalist for the College of Education & Human Development. She is an elementary education major. Her GPA is 4.0.
Her honors baccalaureate thesis – “The School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Crisis in Education and Justice” – addresses fairness and justice in education.
Poirier has presented research at numerous university, state and national conferences, including the University of Louisiana System Academic Summit, the Educators Rising National Conference and the SUNY New Paltz Undergraduate Art History
Symposium.
As part of her teacher residency, she worked with fourthgrade reading and science students, applying research-based practices. Poirier will teach elementary students and pursue graduate studies in education. Her long-term goals include working in leadership roles in education.
She is the daughter of Barry and Erica Poirier.
