Abigail Soudelier

For Abigail Soudelier, leadership is about more than your achievements; it's about fostering connections, empowering others, and making a lasting impact. These values shape her journey as she prepares for a career in human resource management. 

Inspired by the HR role models in her life, Abigail is excited by the opportunity to lead in a dynamic field that involves working with people and recognizing their role as a firm's most valuable asset. She is especially interested in how HR professionals can help organization’s adapt the evolving hybrid and remote work models to ensure that employees feel involved and valued regardless of location.

To build a strong foundation for her future, Abigail has balanced academic excellence with hands-on leadership, seeking advice from professionals to gain actionable insights that will help her stand out in the job market.

"At the LSU Career Expo, I asked some companies how a student can stand out; one of the recruiters told me that analytics might be helpful. When going into HR, especially if you work in a big company, you deal with a lot of big data. And while you may not be cleaning it, sorting it, and making these tables, it's really important to know how to read and apply it. I think those classes are going to help me in the workforce."

Abigail uses her considerable campus involvement to sharpen her leadership, communication, and administrative skills while creating opportunities to "make a pretty large university feel smaller" by helping fellow students find their niche. Currently, she serves as president of LSU's Society for Human Resource Management chapter, executive director for Greekwide Student Ministry, and vice president of operations for Pi Beta Phi Women's Fraternity. Hundreds of students benefit from Abigail's leadership. She and her fellow officers facilitate speaker events, professional development opportunities, networking, and other activities to promote volunteerism and build strong communities. She also helps others develop their own leadership skills. 

It's little wonder that Abigail lists collaboration as the most valuable skill she developed at LSU. 

"One of the most valuable skills I've learned in the business college is how to collaborate with other people, whether in my class group projects or through organizations, doing case studies, or student presentations. Learning how to work with numerous types of people is a critical skill."

This summer, Abigail will expand her HR expertise through an internship with Halliburton, gaining valuable insights into the oil and gas industry. She sees this opportunity as a chance to deepen her understanding of the field and a potential stepping stone toward returning home to build her career in Houston.

As she heads into her final year at LSU, Abigail remains focused on becoming a compassionate HR leader who strengthens organizations and helps individuals discover their passions and potential.