Campus embraces New Orleans evacuees
Date 10/13/2005 12:00 AM | Topic: NewsAdmissions recently welcomed students Gina Sexe and Heather Brody to campus, following their relocation from the devastation in New Orleans.
Gina Sexe, ('07) now a non-traditional student at Luther, evacuated her home in New Orleans with her son Justin before Hurricane Katrina hit, thinking she would be gone for only a few days.
Sexe, who was looking forward to starting her education at Tulane University on Aug. 31 was unable to start because of the devastation.
The storm hit New Orleans on Aug. 29. Sexe said that she was impressed by the proactive measures the city took to make sure everyone evacuated the area.
Initially, Sexe was not overly concerned about the predicted storm. A friend of the family had said that only if the storm was rated over a three was there real danger.
"I just grabbed what I needed for a few days," Sexe said. "I even worked the day we evacuated, and I thought it was a little adventure."
Sexe and her son stayed further north in Osceola, Mo on Sunday night. This was the night before the hurricane hit New Orleans. During the night, the storm worsened.
"It was like something from Dante's 'Inferno.' It was a complete shock because it kept getting worse," said Sexe.
Sexe and her son watched the devastation from Perryville, Mo where they had met relatives. They were in Perryville for two nights before they started heading for Decorah.
Sexe's aunt and uncle, Betty and Cal Anderson, live in Decorah. The Andersons did not hesitate to have the two stay with them until they found an apartment to rent.
"My aunt and uncle have always talked about what a great school ... [Luther] was," Sexe said. "When it became apparent that I couldn't go back [to Tulane], I enrolled here.
"I went down to admissions, and they were so great and helpful to me. I was able to start on the first Monday of classes," said Sexe.
Her five-year-old son, Justin, goes to Sunflower daycare. Sexe commented that he loves it there and is making many new friends.
So far, Sexe said that it has been a challenge for her to focus on schoolwork because of the devastation in New Orleans.
However, she says, the relocation to Luther has been a positive experience.
"All the students are friendly and nice. The teachers are open and committed," said Sexe.
She is a junior and is working towards a double major in accounting and business management.
Heather Brody ('08) was a student at Tulane University. Brody's mother did research on several other colleges her daughter could attend until Tulane is up and running again.
Since Brody's mother lives close to Decorah and formerly did videography work at Luther, it was a suitable place for Brody to temporarily enroll.
Brody commented that the sequence of events happened fast. Hurricane Katrina hit on Monday, she started looking for schools on Tuesday, and by Wednesday she was in Decorah.
Brody went to school in New Orleans, but her family was not located in New Orleans.
"I was just mad about the whole thing," said Brody. "The fact that everything, clothes, friends and everything, is just gone."
Brody commented that the Tulane culture is completely different from that of Luther. According to Brody, Tulane has a more relaxed attitude than Luther.
"One thing I've noticed here is the library is a really popular spot," said Brody. "In Tulane, people hang out a lot more."
"When I came in this year as a sophomore, it was hard to mesh with it all because everyone had their group of friends already and I had to start all over," Brody said.
Brody grew up in the Midwest and was in the area for the summer, but she is anxiously waiting to go back to Tulane for the first day of classes, Jan. 16th.
"Even though the city won't be fixed, I am excited to go back because it's home."
"I want to contribute when I get back. I actually want to be in the city and help it be rebuilt," Brody said.
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Andrea Jennings
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