Adam Daigle, B.A. 1995
Business Editor, The Acadiana Advocate
Adam works in The Advocate’s Lafayette office, which publishes the Acadiana edition
of the state’s largest daily newspaper. He writes about business topics, which range
from a restaurant or popular business opening or closing to issues relating to workforce,
real estate, agriculture and energy. He also sends out a daily e-newsletter each morning
with the latest business news for Lafayette-area readers.
Learn more about Adam:
Is there one thing or iconic place on campus that reminds you of your time spent at
Southeastern?
I spent more time during my junior and senior years at The Lion’s Roar office than
I did in an actual classroom. That’s the first place that comes to mind when I think
about being a student at Southeastern. Our office was on the second floor of East
Stadium, which was built as a dormitory and still resembled that years later. We published
weekly, which meant we crammed everything into Wednesday nights to make our Thursday
morning deadlines, often working well into the night. Once I went to my 8:15 a.m.
class on a Thursday without a wink of sleep. I would not recommend it.
What is your fondest Southeastern memory?
I was editor-in-chief at The Lion’s Roar my last two semesters, and that year our
paper won honorable mention at the Southeastern Journalism Conference, an annual meeting
of all colleges and universities in the southeastern U.S. It was an overall competition,
which meant our little department and staff of about seven matched up against some
of the biggest schools in the region with probably more students on their newspaper
staffs than Southeastern had journalism majors. I told people for years it was the
equivalent of a No. 15 seed beating a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. I had graduated
when the award was announced, but I was told our adviser completely flipped out when
our name was called.
Did a Southeastern professor inspire you? Who was that and how was that person inspirational?
I owe so much to two professors: Joe Mirando and Vic Couvillion. Dr. Mirando was so
good at pushing students along to get better and making it clear if your effort was
subpar. Some students got turned off by that, but it just motivated the rest of us
to get better. He was the one who helped me land my first freelancing job with the
Daily Star. Mr. Vic was incredibly patient with me with all my ideas and efforts.
In my early days when I was trying to learn sports photography and kept making mistakes,
he was incredibly patient and kept encouraging me. When I finally got it right, my
photos were the main photos on the front page of The Lion’s Roar. I will never forget
that.
How did your Southeastern degree prepare you for success in your career?
Southeastern gave me the opportunity to learn all facets of the newspaper industry,
which just made me a more well-rounded journalist. I don’t know if I would have had
that opportunity anywhere else.
What do you enjoy about your current position/profession?
My job is the best of both worlds, in a way. I have spent time in my career as a reporter
and other time as editor. In my current job at The Advocate, I wear both hats. I enjoy
interviewing people and telling stories, but I also enjoy handing off assignments
and watching other people’s talents blossom.
Has something about your Southeastern education surprised you since graduating?
After graduation I was kind of taken aback at how bigger doesn’t always mean better
in terms of the Southeastern’s journalism offerings. I have to be honest that I had
some envy at times of students at other schools who got to cover bigger things (football
games, for example) or were in a bigger city with a large daily newspaper. But being
in a smaller market gave me lots of opportunities I’m not sure I would have gotten
had I gone to LSU or UL-Lafayette or anywhere else. I learned so much at Southeastern.
What advice would you give to a driven college student about to enter the “real world”?
College graduates entering the real world should aim to outwork and outlearn everyone
in the room, especially if you’re working alongside graduates of bigger name schools.
It’s the most effective way to grow as a professional. Go in there and make a difference.
And find a mentor. Know what you want to be and find someone who does it right. Emulate,
ask questions, and emulate some more.
What advice should they ignore?
Don’t listen to the negative voices: Why are you still working? I wouldn’t worry about
that if I was you. They don’t pay me enough to do your job. The pay at my first job
was less than today’s minimum wage. My mom was the only one who told me not to worry.
The money will come, she said, and she was right.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My wife and I have four kids, ages 10, 8, 5 and 4. Sometimes I tell people parenting
is my full-time job and my newspaper job is my part-time gig. We recently bought a
32-foot travel trailer. Camping is the very best way to travel.
Do you have a fun or interesting fact that you would like to share about yourself?
For years after I graduated from Souteastern – I’m talking years, like 15, maybe 20
– I kept having the same dream: Southeastern checked its records, discovered I did
not take all my required classes and wanted its degree back. I can’t explain it