THIBODAUX, La. – Leonard Guedry Jr. has contributed $23,000 to the Nicholls Foundation to create an endowed scholarship in honor of his late daughter Leslie Guedry. The Leslie Elaine Guedry Memorial Endowed Scholarship is meant to benefit an Ascension Catholic or Assumption High School graduate who is pursuing a degree in communicative disorders.
Leslie Guedry was described by her parents as a “miracle baby.” Despite her medical complications, Leslie strove to be an overachiever. She completed her degree in speech pathology and worked as a speech therapist for Assumption Parish Schools for 14 years until a brain hemorrhage forced her to retire in 2010. She sadly passed away two years later and was buried with her two Westie pups, Emmitt and Luke, who provided her with joy and peace during their time together. Leslie left behind her “second family,” two wonderful rescue pups, Eddie and Emma, who were both adopted by her father. She is dearly missed by her family who hope to keep her memory alive with this scholarship.
The recipient of the Leslie Elaine Guedry Memorial Endowed Scholarship must be enrolled as a full-time student at Nicholls and pursue a degree in health sciences with a concentration in communicative disorders in preparation for a career in speech pathology or a graduate program in speech-language pathology or audiology. In addition, the recipient must be a graduate of either Ascension Catholic or Assumption High School, maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and be of either junior, senior or graduate student classification.
One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded per year, with $500 dispersed in the fall and spring semesters. Recipients may reapply each year. The scholarship will be awarded to the best-qualified applicant who meets the criteria above and will be selected by the Nicholls Scholarship Committee and a Guedry family appointee.
This award may be increased as the endowment grows. To learn more about contributing, visit nichollsfoundation.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 7, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Payton Suire
Media Relations & Publications Coordinator,
985.448.4141 or payton.suire@nicholls.edu