Jakelynn Ammons will always be remembered as a bright light in the lives of those who knew her.
The Value of Hard Work: Four New Business Scholarships Recognize Work Ethic, Character
Mon, 06/16/2025 - 8:29amAl A. Gonsoulin, ’65, strongly believes in providing students with an opportunity to attend college — especially those with exemplary character and a strong work ethic.
He saw an opportunity to make a difference for these students at his alma mater and acted upon it. Last summer, Gonsoulin generously gave $2 million to support four $500,000 scholarships for students enrolled in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration: three undergraduate scholarships and one graduate scholarship for hard-working students with various levels of academic achievement.
The Alton & Evelyn Gonsoulin, Sr. Scholarships, named for Gonsoulin’s mother and father, have an unconventional 4-tier structure. This unique approach ensures awards for undergraduate students within each of the following three GPA cohorts: 2.5-3.0, 3.0-3.5, 3.5-4.0 and a final cohort for graduate students.
“Through these scholarships, I hope to reach students at all levels — those who have drive but who need a little extra help,” Gonsoulin said. “I want to reach the students with drive, character and work ethic.”
After graduating from the UL Lafayette, Gonsoulin used his business degree to build a career in the oil and gas service sector. Throughout this time, he said he noticed a continual theme that it is not always the “A” students who end up running companies, but rather the “C” students because they know how to work hard, take risks, fail forward, and do what it takes to succeed.
He founded Sea Mar, Inc., a marine transportation firm, which he led and operated as CEO for more than 22 years. He built the company into a sizeable fleet of modern offshore service vessels before selling the company to Nabors Industries in 1999. After the sale, he continued to operate the company for several years, while also maintaining a meaningful involvement in the industry through major investments in Nabors, McDermott International and other leading companies. Gonsoulin purchased controlling interest of Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. in 2001, which he managed as Chairman and CEO until his retirement in 2019. Today, he serves as the CEO of Gonsoulin Enterprises, Inc. and a trustee of the Gonsoulin Charitable Trust in Missouri City, Texas.
With a goal of encouraging students, “meeting them where they are,” and a passion for strengthening the education system, the New Iberia native is making it possible to award up to 730 scholarships over a 10-year period. Nearly 500 sophomores, juniors, and seniors with GPAs ranging from 2.5 to 4.0., will be eligible, as will 230 graduate students.
In addition to grades, scholarship recipients will be selected based on solid work ethic, extracurricular and community involvement, and exemplary character—something Gonsoulin says his parents helped to instill in him.
“In many ways, I was blessed with really good parents,” Gonsoulin shared. “My father was tough but fair. He taught me never to quit, to be early for meetings as a sign of respect, and to be a good listener because that’s how you learn. Good character is critical because your reputation is all you have.”
Through the gift of these scholarships, Gonsoulin hopes to encourage students not just to get good grades, but to truly learn. He wants them to find out what they are good at, discover something they enjoy, build a strong work ethic, and learn priorities like faith and family along the way.
To learn more about how you can make a positive impact on education through supporting an existing scholarship or creating a new one, contact the UL Lafayette Foundation via phone at (337) 482-0700, email at ulfoundation@louisiana.edu or online at the UL Foundation's website.