Following the trend of Louisiana’s best educated, most of this year’s Leadership LSU graduating class — the University’s cream of the crop — are fleeing the state’s poor economy and limited opportunities.
Leadership LSU is a program that allows 25 selected students each spring to develop the skills to become leaders in their communities and play a role in shaping its future.
Despite all they have gained from the program, like most of this year’s graduates, this class still is looking for its first job opportunities.
“I am somewhat surprised that I don’t have a job yet mostly because I just always assumed that when it was time to take that step into the ‘real world,’ I would know where to step,” said Marcie Maxwell, a mass communication senior. “I feel like I’m in a state of limbo, not knowing what the day after graduation has in store for me.”
Norisha Kirts, a mass communication senior, elected to attend LSU graduate school after graduation instead of trying to find a place in a scarcely hiring economy.
“Originally, I started applying for graduate school because I didn’t think I could find a job, and at that point, I was still not certain on what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” Kirts said.
Others are aware of the poor job market.
“I would not be surprised if I do not find a job immediately after graduation considering the present state of the economy,” said Malonna Baudy, a mass communication senior. “In my field of public relations, I will have to venture out in order to find a well-paid job with benefits.”
      Many of this year’s Leadership LSU graduates are planning to leave the state for better opportunities. Christopher Kaleel, a mass communication senior, will head out of state after graduation to participate in Teach for America.
“I feel it is necessary to experience outside influences in an effort to bring fresh, innovative ideas to the table,” Kaleel said. “Only with increased knowledge and a broader understanding of the world around us will we then be able to begin to fix some of the issues we face here at home.”
Others said because of their chosen field, they have no choice but to leave the state.
“I do not have intentions of remaining in the state immediately after graduation,” Baudy said. “I want to become a publicist for entertainment and music artists; therefore, this area of the music industry is predominated in California, New York and Washington, D.C.”
However, a few, such as political science senior Bettsie Stapleton, want to stay in Louisiana to help change things here.
“Unlike most of my classmates, I am staying in Louisiana permanently,” she said. “Basically, Louisiana needs fixing, and while everyone else is running away from the problem, I have stood up and said, ‘Let it be me to fight the good fight.'”
Derrick Rogers, a mass communication senior, said although he plans to leave Louisiana after working here for a few years, Leadership LSU has inspired him to do something for this state.
“The one surprising thing that I’ve gotten from Leadership LSU is an interest in doing something to help the state — maybe helping out with the school system or working for a non-profit organization,” he said. “Leadership LSU has put a desire in me to attempt to do my part to help out the state, even if it’s something that I do on the side.”
Although they do not all have jobs lined up, these students said the benefits of the program go beyond having another bullet on their résumé.
Along with learning various leadership styles, LSU Leadership students had the opportunity to learn outside the campus, including how the state’s justice, health care and education systems operate, Kirts said.
“I think while attending LSU, it is very easy to live in a bubble and be unaware of what is going on in Baton Rouge, regardless of how much one may read the paper or watch the news on TV,” she said. “I think as a participant in Leadership LSU, I may have a little edge over other students who are uninformed in some of the issues that affect our state daily.”