It’s a hard time to be a New Orleanian.

With the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina recently passing, the city is reminded not only of what it has accomplished, but also of what massive work efforts are left to do. To add insult to injury, the southern-most suburbs of the Greater New Orleans area are only barely beginning to recover from the worst oil spill in American history. Ever growing and murderous, it was like a slap in the face to our already fragile and disappearing wetlands and a kick in the gut to the fishermen whose livelihoods were put on hold indefinitely. The moratorium on deep-water drilling, while seemingly concocted as a solution to Gulf Coast residents’ rage, put even more people – this time oil rig workers – out of work.

Being a student at Loyola only adds to our troubles. In May 2010, the New York Times published an article on job prospects for college graduates, and their findings were less than encouraging. They said that the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the unemployment rate for college graduates under 25 was 8 percent in April 2010. At the time, it was lower than the nations 9.9 percent unemployment rate, but higher than what was normal for college graduates; In April 2009 the unemployment rate for college students was 6.8 percent; in April 2007, only 3.7 percent. Add the grim trend to rising tuition costs, and there’s a lot to be unhappy about.

THE SILVER LINING

At Loyola, though, one thing we’re not is the victim. We are the Loyola who suffered nary a scratch when Hurricane Katrina ravaged most of the rest of the city. We are the Loyola with an entire department dedicated to helping graduates find work. We are the Loyola that sends students out almost every weekend to help the others in our little world that really need it. We’re citizens of this city, but we’re not victims. We’re the kings and queens of finding the silver lining and finding things to love. And we know it, too.

LUCKY IN LOVE

Mar Trujillo, a sophomore music major, was born in the colorful country of Venezuela and grew up in Miami but points to New Orleans as embracing diversity the most: “(My) favorite thing about New Orleans is that it is a melting pot of different people. There is so much to experience daily and you get to really know the way that a city can work together despite the differences in nationalities and beliefs.”

Sociology sophomore Ellen Rice found the same thing after moving here from Cleveland, Ohio in 2008. “What I love most about New Orleans is that everyone is unique. People are upfront and honest about who they are, which is incredibly refreshing,” she said. She calls the people she’s met at Loyola “beautifully strange… which is incredibly refreshing.”

For Loyola students who have always called New Orleans home, the attention on diversity is nothing new. “You can always tell a true New Orleanian. They have true Southern hospitality mixed with down- home sass and lots of spunk,” said Ashleigh Alleman, A’10. Alleman grew up in Metairie and found that the love of music she realized at Loyola helped forge a connection with the city around her. “I have always loved the city and loved sharing the gift of music that God has given me with the city.”

Loyola prides itself on the diversity of its student body; it even made the cut to be included in the very first sentence of the university’s mission statement: “Loyola University New Orleans, a Jesuit and Catholic institution of higher education, welcomes students of diverse backgrounds and prepares them to lead meaningful lives with and for others.” But the range of organizations and activities students are able to join is also a huge selling point to students with multiple, varying interests.

Uriel Carrasco is a music industry sophomore from Dallas, Texas. Well-known among undergrads for his rapping and producing, he was an easy, obvious fit for Loyola’s music scene. “I didn’t know what to expect coming to Loyola. All I knew was that I loved music and wanted to further my knowledge on the industry. Instantly, I fell in love with the music industry program,” Carrasco said.

More surprising for Carrasco was his involvement in Ignacio Volunteers, a group entirely separate from the music school that sends student volunteers to Belize and Jamaica over holidays to perform charitable service in underprivileged areas. “Ignacio Volunteers… has given me one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he said. “Not many people can say they ran a summer camp in Central America.”

Nolan Storey, an English writing major from Atlanta found his love for the community after taking a New Orleans history class. While he recognized the hardships facing the city as well as his demographic, “the silver lining for me is the people, the culture and most importantly, the history. Even at Loyola alone, there’s a lot of history,” he said. “My advice (to people focused on the negatives) would be to go to the third floor of the library, and look at the history on the wall, and then to go to the Rec Plex and look at the history on the track wall,” Storey said. “Then walk around downtown and consider the over-200 years of history, (the) good times and bad that have happened in this city, and it’s still standing.”

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Diversity. Music. Southern hospitality. Service. History.

It turns out there is a lot to love about living in the Big Easy in spite of the burly forces of sorrow. It doesn’t end there, either. According to the Office of Student Affairs Co- Curricular Programming website, there are more than 80 student organizations on Loyola’s campus, ranging from sororities and fraternities to academic clubs and religious and spiritual organizations. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website (www.neworleanscvb. com) has an extensive list of ways to fall in love with the city, from a Top 10 list of things to do in the city to a section on nightlife and extensive lists of restaurants and hot shopping spots.

At The Wolf, it’s not our goal to diminish the hardship or tragedy this city has seen, or the efforts the university has undergone to shield its students. But we can’t help but find ourselves agreeing with Lauren Frederick, psychology junior from Gretna, when she describes the whole lot of us as “resilient”. Look around. Everyone here, freshman, senior or alumni, from near and far, has something about this place that they love, something that is their favorite thing. It’s worth wondering if that’s not more important than their least favorite.

Ellen Rice (The Wolf)

Uriel Carrasco (The Wolf)

Nolan Storey (The Wolf)