Whenever someone asks me where I’m from, and I tell them that I’m an international student from Perú, I always get the same question: “Why, of all places, did you choose Louisiana?”
The short answer is that my family and I visited New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana in 2021 and loved it here. That year, I was also applying to colleges in the U.S., so I applied to LSU, got in and here I am.
The long answer is my love letter to Louisiana.
Since my first visit here, I’ve always loved this state. The people, the culture and the traditions are unmatched. I’ve visited 11 states in the U.S., but none of them beat the hospitality and southern charm found in the Deep South, especially Louisiana.
I chose Louisiana because I wanted to be immersed in American culture. Although it’s common for students from Perú to study in Florida, New York, Massachusetts or California, I wanted a different experience.
People talk about diversity a lot, and believe it or not, Louisiana has a diverse and deep culture. Sure, it might not be a melting pot of various cultures like what you may find in New York or California, but it’s the culture of Cajuns, Creoles, gumbo, crawfish boils.
It’s also the culture of Mardi Gras mambos, king cakes, stately church steeples and haunted voodoo mansions. Louisiana is bursting with a culture worthy of being shared with the world. A culture that made me want to be a part of it.
Louisiana is also loud and proud of its broader American culture, which is another thing to admire. Here people love football, pick up trucks, cowboy boots and tailgates. People are also proud of their roots and country. They speak with thick Southern drawls and care deeply about their land, which is filled with farmers, fishers and hunters.
I also think it’s an indisputable fact that Louisiana has the best food in America. Coming from Perú, a country globally recognized for its gastronomy, I was surprised to discover such a delicious cuisine here. Some of the best dishes are jambalaya, etouffee, beignets, boudin balls, po’boys and charbroiled oysters. And the list goes on and on.
But my love for all of the things above never would have happened had I not visited Louisiana; that first visit changed everything for me.
It was in Baton Rouge that my family and I first started hearing about “LSU this” and “LSU that.” I remember us asking people, “What is LSU?” replied by, “Y’all don’t know? It’s Louisiana’s flagship university that just won the national championship.”
Football is something people deeply care about in the South. Little did I know that a year later I’d be deeply caring about it, too, and would eventually storm the field of Death Valley as the LSU Tigers beat the University of Alabama.
And here I am, almost four years later, starting my senior year as a tiger with beautiful broad magnolias around me, amazing food, the kindest people that a person could ask for and a place that I can now call my second home.
For these reasons and countless more, I’m proud to share why I chose LSU, and why this place is so special to me. Forever L-S-U.
Isabella Albertini is a 24-year-old mass communication senior from Lima, Peru.
