LSU Alumni Association Blog

Raising Cane's celebrated its 25th Anniversary in August 2021. The fried chicken chain has grown to areas all over the country but still continues to hold true to its original mission: cooking quality chicken finger meals that started in Baton Rouge.

Our Latin American and Hispanic Heritage month Alumni Spotlight is Dr. Alex Torres. In 2020, she obtained her PhD in English with a graduate minor in Women’s and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University. She has engaged in community advocacy for immigrant youth in the Baton Rouge area since 2015. In her role as Assistant Director of Latinx Affairs, her work centers on the coordination, implementation, and assessment of programs and workshops that serve students of Latinx descent and celebrate their heritage/culture. Dr. Torres provides support, advocacy, and leadership development to amplify opportunities for Latinx students. She advises student organizations such as Latin American Student Organization, assists with the management of the Latinx Cultural Center, and actively collaborates with the Latinx Faculty & Staff Caucus. Learn more about Alex Torres below.

As LSU heads to the Golden State to face off with UCLA at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, the possibilities for an ultimate vacation are endless. With 300 days of sunshine, rich culture, luscious landscapes, and global cuisine Pasadena is the perfect place to have an adventure.
 
Pasadena’s walkable entertainment districts, enchanting gardens and scenic hiking trails, and plenty of global cuisine highlight the city’s diversity and culture. What are you waiting for? The enticing sights, sounds and flavors of L.A.’s historic gem await.

Scott Brignac, a native of Houma, La., and resident of Houston, earned a degree in communication from LSU in 2002. His first feature film, Playing God, was released in theaters and digital platforms on Aug. 6. Written and directed by Brignac, the movie stars Michael McKean (Better Call Saul, This Is Spinal Tap) and Alan Tudyk (Arrested Development, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Luke Benward, and Hannah Kasulka. The movie is about sibling con artists – a brother and sister – who try to pull off the swindle of their lives by promising a grieving, eccentric billionaire (Tudyk) a face-to-face meeting with God. Learn more about Scott and how LSU paved the way for his career below.

The LSU Alumni Association has selected 4 new young LSU alumni to serve on the 2021-2022 Young Alumni Advisory Council in addition to current council members. 

The council serves as a streamlined focus group and provides key insight and feedback on engagement, development, and fundraising. Members will connect back with their alma mater, network with fellow alumni,  and work to better support young and future alumni.

The members represent many cities both in Louisiana and across the United States, as well as a wide range of businesses, in order to best represent the LSU young alumni population. We are excited and encouraged to welcome this diverse and accomplished group who have committed to helping advance the mission of the LSU Alumni Association and support LSU. Read below to learn more about the new Young Alumni Advisory Council members.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be spotlighting our many LSU Alumni Affinity Chapters! These special chapters are not geographically based as many of our chapters are, and instead focus on joining together individuals who are alike in some way. Whether that be through their academic program, involvement in an organization as a student, or personal attributes, these incredible chapters are run a little bit differently but are among some of our most successful and active chapters. To learn more, visit LSUAlumni.org/Chapters.  

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be spotlighting our many LSU Alumni Affinity Chapters! These special chapters are not geographically based as many of our chapters are, and instead focus on joining together individuals who are alike in some way. Whether that be through their academic program, involvement in an organization as a student, or personal attributes, these incredible chapters are run a little bit differently but are among some of our most successful and active chapters. To learn more, visit LSUAlumni.org/Chapters.  

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be spotlighting our many LSU Alumni Affinity Chapters! These special chapters are not geographically based as many of our chapters are, and instead focus on joining together individuals who are alike in some way. Whether that be through their academic program, involvement in an organization as a student, or personal attributes, these incredible chapters are run a little bit differently but are among some of our most successful and active chapters. To learn more, visit LSUAlumni.org/Chapters.  

Juneteenth is an annual holiday observing the end of slavery in the U.S. and marks the day, June 19, 1865, when news of emancipation reached people in the deepest parts of the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas. Every day, but especially today, we want to show our support for #LSUAlumni Black-owned businesses. Learn about some amazing LSU Alumni Black-Owned businesses below.

LSU alumna Elyse Marks (2010 BACH A&D) has worked at architecture and engineering firms in the New York City area that specialize in the restoration and rehabilitation of exterior building enclosures. Over the past five years, her work has focused on exterior facade restoration of historic and landmarked buildings within New York City.