UL Lafayette Alumni Association

Calling all Sigma Nu alumni! Join the Sigma Nu Alumni Chapter for a luncheon sponsored by Brent Mosing, Eta Nu #319 on Thursday, August 8 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 pm at the Alumni Center. Pre-registration is required, so secure your spot today so we know you'll be there! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3We2uNt

Get ready to step up your finances! The Alumni Association is partnering with local professionals for a special Financial 101: Virtual Series. These free classes offer a casual environment to learn about crucial topics that can empower you to make informed decisions with your finances. The best part? All sessions will be hosted on Zoom, so you can join no matter where you're located! Alumni, friends and family of any age are invited to attend. Learn more about the sessions being offered this summer and register today, Ragin' Cajuns! Our first session Home Mortgages 101 will be held on Thursday, July 25 with Monique McBride from Home Bank.

Register today! ➡️ https://bit.ly/4d63ObT

Calling all Colorado Ragin’ Cajuns! Join the Colorado Ragin' Cajun Club for a special happy hour at Post Brewing-Highlands Ranch on Sunday, July 28! This event is FREE to attend, but please register to secure your spot since space is limited. We can’t wait to see you there!🤟

Register ➡️ https://bit.ly/3LmcvTF

We love seeing your adventures this summer, Ragin' Cajuns!

If you’ll be traveling this summer, send us a message with a picture of you showing off your UL Lafayette pride during your trip for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts. 🤟

📷: Catherine Mier
📷: Sid Lalande
📷: Stephanie Arceneaux

Happy Fourth of July, Ragin’ Cajuns!🇺🇸

We loved seeing so many people in attendance at our recent trivia night hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and College of Engineering Alumni Chapters. Visit alumni.louisiana.edu to see the full list of events and activities we have coming up this summer!

It was wonderful day to honor one of our University’s trailblazers. Alumni and friends gathered this weekend to honor Christiana Smith — the first African American graduate from then Southwestern Louisiana Institute. The bridge located on the Alumni Center’s grounds was dedicated in her honor. Alumni, friends and over 20 of Smith’s family members were in attendance to celebrate her legacy that will live on for generations to come.

Special thanks to the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter for their hard work and dedication that went into planning this event! We’d also like to thank the Black Chamber of Commerce, UL Federal Credit Union, Dr. DeWayne Bowie and Simien and Miniex for sponsoring this event as well.

Recently, our Alumni Presidents Council met for a special pinning ceremony and dinner to honor outgoing president, Chris Richard. Thank you to all of our past presidents for their outstanding support and service to the Alumni Association! Merci! 🤟

Congratulations to Rose Hoffman Cormier on being named our 2024 Volunteer of the Year! This award, given annually by the president of the Alumni Association, recognizes a volunteer who has rendered outstanding service to the Alumni Association and the University throughout the year. Click below to watch Rose's surprise award presentation from earlier this week. Let's congratulate her in the comments below! 🤟

Rose Hoffman Cormier Receives the UL Alumni Association Volunteer of the Year Award The award was presented on Good Day Acadiana by Marc Mouton and Amy Armstrong.

Calling all artists! Join the UL Lafayette College of the Arts for their 2024 Juried Alumni Art Exhibition as part of their 30th anniversary programming this fall. Alumni are invited to submit artwork to be considered for the juried exhibition. Bradley Sumrall, curator of the Collection for the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, will be the exhibition juror. All UL Lafayette alumni are invited to participate in this exhibition! Learn more about the submission guidelines by visiting https://2024ulalumniartexhibition.artcall.org/.

This weekend, the Alumni Association is excited to partner with the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter for a special bridge dedication. The bridge located on the Alumni Center’s grounds will be dedicated to honor Christiana Smith, who was the first African American graduate from then Southwestern Louisiana Institute. We’d like to thank the Black Chamber of Commerce, UL Federal Credit Union, Dr. DeWayne Bowie and Simien and Miniex for sponsoring this event. We’d also like to thank the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter for their hard work and dedication that went into planning this upcoming event!

Welcome the new head coach of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball, alumna Alyson Habetz! Let's Geaux!🤟

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 🤟

Alumna and legendary Ragin' Cajun 𝗔𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘇 is our new leader!

📰 ragncaj.co/CoachHabetz

We want to see where you’re traveling, Ragin’ Cajuns! ✈️

If you’ll be traveling this summer, send us a message with a picture of you showing off your UL Lafayette pride during your trip for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts. We can’t wait to see your adventures! 🤟

📷: Mallory Ladd

Our campus is simply beautiful during the summertime. ☀️ What was your favorite spot on campus to soak up the sun, Ragin' Cajuns?

Happy Juneteenth! Today at noon the Stephens Hall chimes will ring 19 times in celebration of the liberation of enslaved Black people in the United States and in honor of the strength, resilience and achievements of Black communities.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the freedom of the last enslaved Black people in America. Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, with news that the Civil War was over and the enslaved were now free.

Alumnus Sam Riehl ‘18 has had a passion for building and design from an early age. At just eight years old, he began exploring his interest in metal work as a young blacksmith. Now, Riehl has grown his talents on a larger scale as a senior industrial designer at Sabin, an acoustic lighting company based in Chicago.

Read more about how Riehl used the lessons he learned at UL Lafayette to propel his career in the Windy City! 🤟

➡️ https://bit.ly/3VCGagi

A big thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered at our donation drive last week with the Office of Career Services and Office of Student Affairs. Your contributions made the donation drive such a huge success for our University community and for teachers across Acadiana. We're so grateful for your support, Ragin' Cajuns! 🤟

As you grow and branch out, don't forget about your Ragin' Cajuns roots.🤟

If you've recently moved or changed your contact information, make sure to update your information with us so that you can stay connected with the Alumni Association!

➡ http://bit.ly/ulalumniprofile

Looking for a fun night of trivia with fellow Ragin’ Cajuns? Join the College of Liberal Arts and College of Engineering Alumni Chapters for trivia night from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, at the Alumni Center. Get ready for an evening of brain-teasing questions with friends. We’ll also have light refreshments and prizes available as well! This event is free to attend, but please register in advance so we know you’ll be there, Ragin’ Cajuns! 🤟

➡️ https://bit.ly/45lshY9

Join the UL Lafayette Alumni Association, Office of Student Affairs and Office of Career Services for a donation drive this Friday, June 14 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Alumni Center!

We’ll be collecting items for the UL Lafayette Campus Cupboard and Career Closet — two resources that directly impact current students. We’ll also be collecting school supplies that will be distributed to new teachers in Acadiana. Visit https://bit.ly/3VpP7dE to view a full list of what we’ll be collecting during the donation drive. Thank you for your support, Ragin’ Cajuns! 🤟

The Ragin' Cajuns Waterski Team is turning the sport upside down! It has won four national championships in a row, for a total of 10.🏆 "The beauty of this team and what we've built is that the students deserve the bulk of the credit for their success, and I'm not talking only about on the water," says Ryan Gonzales, the team's volunteer head coach. "They're ambassadors. They help with recruiting, train and support each other, conduct community service and shine in the classroom, too."

Last year's championship team included student-athletes from nine countries – the U.S., Argentina, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Read more about the team’s dominance in La Louisiane Magazine: https://louisiana.edu/news/ragin-cajuns-water-ski-team-dominates-national-championship-winning-streak

Photos: Paul Kieu, Doug Dugas
Story: Charlie Bier

Thank you to everyone who attended our happy hour at the recent Teacher Leader Summit in New Orleans, hosted by the College of Education & Human Development Alumni Chapter. Educators from near and far got to reconnect with fellow Ragin’ Cajuns.🤟