2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 4
Every school year is different—some are better, others
are worse. The 2020-21 school year can be looked at
as the latter. LSU has gone through a lot during the
last caldendar year. We’ve lost loved ones, we’ve seen
our society divided and we’ve gone through a oncein-a-lifetime pandemic that forced us apart and tested
the strength of every individual within our wonderful
community. Life has truly thrown everything it can at LSU.
It’s important to remember the good times during these
hardships, however. Over the last year, we’ve seen the
LSU community come together like never before. We’ve
begun to understand each other and assisted each other
on the road to healing. Despite everything life has thrown
at LSU, we have reasons to celebrate. The University has
begun making positive changes on all fronts in order to
make the campus a more inclusive space for individuals
from all walks of life. Although we may not have been
physically side by side through it all, we came together
and grew closer during these times.
This is not the first bad year LSU has ever endured.
Every year presents its own unique challenges, but there
have been some particularly bad ones. The school was
temporarily closed just over one year after opening due to
the beginning of the Civil War in the United States. Now,
LSU is welcoming its largest and most diverse freshman
class ever to its campus this year. In the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center
was converted into a hospital that treated around 5,000
New Orleans evacuees. Some of those evacuees attend
the school now and are well on their way to changing the
world. The point is, as hard as this year has been for many
students, we got through it. We got through it together.
The LSU community is incredibly resilient. Our passion
and drive simply cannot and will not be put down. Our
spirit is undeniable, our fight is endless and our resiliency
is Unrivaled.