Seniors celebrated graduation a little early Wednesday with a crawfish boil hosted by the LSU Alumni Association. The event has been held since 1998 as a going-away party for all graduating seniors, said Jason Mabile, director of the event and of the Touring Tigers Program, which organizes travel groups for alumni. Seniors paid $15 and received a T-shirt, crawfish, seafood jambalaya, drinks and other foods from sponsors as part of the celebration. “It’s nice to have one big hoorah before we leave,” said Kasey Hughes, marketing senior. As mechanical engineering senior Brian Reichard put it, “Crawfish boils are always a good way to get people to go to things.” Reichard said he has a job lined up in Houston once he graduates with an underwater pipeline laying company. He said he is already a member of the Alumni Association so he can keep in touch with the University. “If I move far away, I need to have some purple and gold around,” he said. Chelsea McCoy, consumer science senior, has also joined the association. She said, “It’s been a part of my life for so long, and I want it to continue to be a part.” Farrar Langlois, who will graduate in management and attend the University of South Carolina, said she was grateful the event was held. “It made you feel like you’re part of the LSU community and won’t be forgotten when you leave,” she said. Cliff Vannoy, Alumni Association senior vice president, congratulated the seniors and encouraged them to join alumni clubs in their area. “No matter where you live after you finish LSU, there’s an LSU alumni club near you,” Vannoy said. Alumni clubs are located across the world, from Germany to Japan to Venezuela and in many states around the country. Vannoy said he wants to ensure that students keep in contact with the University and other alumni to network and stay involved. He said, “Don’t forget us because we definitely won’t forget you.”
—–Contact Claire Ohlsen at [email protected]