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Student Profile
Hurricane Katrina
New Orleans students land at CBS
Katrina Jones was surprised to learn that a hurricane headed toward
New Orleans shared her name. But that, of course, was just the beginning.
In the coming days and weeks, she had to get used to hearing or seeing
her name every time she tuned into TV and radio news or looked at a newspaper.
What are the odds? Katrina Jones, a displaced student from New Orleans,
shares a name with the hurricane that sent her back home to Minneapolis
and CBS.
Jones, who grew up in North Minneapolis, was beginning her third year
at Xavier University in New Orleans when the hurricane struck. She opted
to leave the city soon after evacuation was ordered, flying back to Minnesota
and returning to her family’s home in North Minneapolis. Within
a few days, she realized she couldn’t go back to Xavier, so she
enrolled at the College of Biological Sciences. She now plans to apply
to the University’s College of Pharmacy after she completes her
undergraduate work.
Katrina Jones was one of six students who landed at CBS after Hurricane
Katrina closed their schools. A total of 50 New Orleans students are
now attending University of Minnesota colleges. The U helped ease their
transition with expedited admissions and tuition waivers.
Jennifer Bosworth, a New Orleans native, was attending the University
of New Orleans. She and her roommate left the city on Sunday morning,
joining a long line of traffic headed for Texas. After the storm, Jennifer
met other family members at her aunt’s house north of Lake Pontchartraine,
where they spent nine days without electricity or running water. Her
parents’ house, in east New Orleans, survived, but her grandmother’s
house was destroyed. Upon learning that her school would be closed indefinitely,
Jennifer came to the University of Minnesota with her roommate, who is
from Edina.
Now living with her roommate’s family, Jennifer hopes to return
to New Orleans next year and graduate in spring 2007. After college,
she plans to become a marine biologist. She feels very fortunate, but
says she is still somewhat in a state of shock. Some of her friends,
who are now scattered around the United States, opted to take a semester
off rather than resume school elsewhere.
"New Orleans is my home. It was very upsetting to see it destroyed and to think
that it might be gone forever," she says.
Jesse Peterson, a Minnesota native, had just begun a Ph.D. program at
Tulane University Medical School when the storm struck. He and his girlfriend
headed out of town on Sunday, with Jesse on his motorcycle and his girlfriend
driving their car. After hours of grueling traffic and a two-day wait
in Texas, they headed back to Minnesota. Jesse drove his motorcycle the
entire way. They returned during Hurricane Rita to pick up their belongings.
"It may sound foolish, but there was no traffic whatsoever," he says.
Jesse says he will miss the weather and culture in New Orleans, but that
things are going well for him at the U, where he is now in a Ph.D. program
in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics.
"The other students welcomed me into the program and have been very friendly."
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