BATON ROUGE – Former LSU student-athletes Alex Farrer and Brian Leveille were recently honored at the 2011 Academic Gala for excellence in academics. First honored in 2010, the Bengal Belles Academic Achievement Award recognizes student-athletes who are pursuing their graduate studies with at least a 3.0 grade point average while still competing in their respective sports.
The Bengal Belles were founded in 1996 with a mission to promote the academics of student-athletes, said Aimee Simon, Bengal Belles president.
“We know the commitments these athletes make to be the best in their chosen field of Academics requires much discipline,” Simon said. “The Belles congratulate recipients Alex Farrer and Brian Leveille on their success in the classroom.”
Farrer, a senior on the 2009-10 men’s basketball team, graduated in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, and completed his Master’s degree in Kinesiology in August 2010. While at LSU, he was a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a senior.
Levielle, is also a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, and was a senior on the 2009-10 men’s golf team. He served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years. He graduated in December 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Magna Cum Laude honors after only three and a half years in the LSU Honors College. He earned his Master’s degree in Finance in May 2010.
Both student-athletes are honored to receive this recognition from the Bengal Belles.
“This Bengal Belles Award is important to me because it shows for all the hard work I’ve done as a student-athlete,” Farrer said. “The unique thing about this award is that it recognizes those not only for their efforts on the court, but also in the classroom. I’m extremely honored to be recognized for excelling as a grad student, especially at a great school like LSU.”
Levielle is already seeing his hard work at LSU paying off in his professional career.
“With the perspective that comes from moving away from LSU and the athletics program, it has become even more clear to me just how much support I had from my team, coaches, the university, and affiliated organizations such as the Bengal Belles,” he said.
Farrer currently resides in New Orleans, and is pursuing a career as a basketball coach. Levielle is pursuing a career as an investment banking analyst, and currently lives in Houston.