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Current
Articles
Volume 9, Issue 1 Department honors distinguished alumna, outstanding graduates, and faculty 2007 Distinguished Alumna: Brenda Comeaux-Trahan Spousal abuse counseling center discussed at NABJ luncheon Alumnus wins Emmy for public service campaign Broadcasting alumnus documents Louisiana tragedy Broadcasting class collects data on radio listeners CNN recruits Communication interns Qatar University sends faculty envoy to UL Lafayette Alice Ferguson enters doctoral program Chief engineer Michael Gervais earns degree Alumni Profiles |
Alumni Profile: Leah Dishong
Originally hired as a contract worker, her accomplishments landed her
a full-time position in July 2007. She developed this program from conception
to implementation and now promotes it to the community through a newsletter
and annual reports for both the Corrections Department and the Sheriff's
Office. Her title is manager of the Leadership and Resiliency Program
at the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office.
This Outstanding Master's Student in her first
year at UL-Lafayette, originally came to Louisiana from Indiana with
her husband who had recently found a job in the area. Dishong, a former
television anchor and news director, had been considering returning
to school to pursue a Master's Degree in Public Relations, and when
she learned that UL Lafayette had a nationally-ranked program, her decision
to return became easy.
While at UL Lafayette, she was awarded
an assistantship to teach in the broadcast sequence, where she was able
to share her news experience with undergraduates.
In her position at the Sheriff's Office, Dishong
says she has been fortunate to utilize her strengths in communication
and the solid educational background she received while at UL Lafayette.
She credits her master's degree for
her professional success and her desire to continue to learn and grow
professionally.
Dishong lives in Broussard with her husband, daughter, and cats.
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Most
people don't expect a master's degree in public relations to
land them in the sheriff's office, but after learning what Leah
Dishong does for a living it's easier to understand. Dishong, who
graduated in Communication in 2005 now manages two juvenile programs,
supervises 15 employees, and spends her day building relationships with
the Lafayette public school system and other community groups. Under
Dishong's leadership, a program that began with 25 children has
since grown to more than 200. 
Annual
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