Alumni Association scholarships show impact on students successes

The UL Lafayette Alumni Association is proud to help current students achieve academic success by providing them with scholarships. The Alumni Association’s scholarship program has been able to offer countless Ragin’ Cajuns relief from the financial burdens that are associated with the cost of attending college. This year, the Alumni Association awarded $107,300 in scholarships to 56 current UL Lafayette students. All scholarships are awarded to senior-level students with varying majors and concentrations. 

One scholarship recipient, Hannah Landry, was extremely grateful to receive an Alumni Association scholarship. Landry is currently majoring in industrial design and will graduate in Spring of 2020.  UL Lafayette was always her number one choice for school, and she has loved her experience here as a student. “It’s been my dream school for as long as I can remember,” said Landry. Landry initially heard about the Alumni Association’s scholarship program through an email stating that she qualified for this opportunity. Initially, she didn’t think that she would receive it but decided to take a chance and apply for one anyway.

To her surprise, she received a letter over the summer stating that she had received the Art of Giving scholarship from the Alumni Association. “I immediately squealed, jumped off the couch and ran around my house full of joy,” said Landry. The Art of Giving scholarship is awarded from the annual Art of Giving event, a fundraiser featuring beautiful works of art by some of Lafayette’s most talented artists. A portion of the proceeds from this event is dedicated to funding student scholarships. This scholarship impacts Landry’s college experience by not only relieving some of the financial burdens as a student but also reassures her that she is on the right path to success. After graduation, Landry hopes to find a job where she can design products that she loves. “Above all, I want to be happy, and I hope to make others happy through the things I design and the problems I solve,” said Landry.

Kennedy Lee is also a scholarship recipient. He is one of the recipients of the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter scholarship. Lee is currently an electrical engineering major and will be graduating in Spring of 2020. Lee always wanted to major in electrical engineering. Once he found out that UL Lafayette had one of the best engineering programs in the state, he knew that this would be his home for the next four years.

Lee also received an email from the Alumni Association stating that he could apply for the scholarship program. He thought that he had a good chance of receiving one, so he decided to apply. Over the summer, Lee received a call from a member of the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter informing him that he had received one of their scholarships! “I was really excited,” said Lee. Lee has applied for as many scholarships as possible to be able to pay for college. Receiving this scholarship has been extremely helpful to him, especially as he completes the last stretch of his education. After graduation, Lee hopes to attend graduate school for electrical engineering and eventually get his doctorate as well.

The Alumni Association is genuinely grateful to be able to help so many UL Lafayette students graduate through its scholarship program. Each student has a different story about where they came from or where they’re going. Together they all make up a part of our Ragin’ Cajun community, and the Alumni Association can’t wait to welcome them into our family once they graduate.

Photo: Members of the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter award their 2018 scholarship recipients.