ALUMNI HURRICANE KATRINA REFLECTION: Back Stronger than Before

By: Varsha Gusman, Guest Writer

August 18, 2025

In August 2005, I was a senior Biology Pre-Med major at Xavier University of Louisiana and a proud native of New Orleans. Although my family and I had weathered many storms, Hurricane Katrina was different.

I was living in St. Martin De Porres Hall, preparing for the school year and never imagining the devastation to come. 

Xavier campus, my home, my church on Caffin Avenue in the lower 9th Ward, and my high school, Immaculata, were all under water. Everything familiar was lost. That fall, Baylor University graciously welcomed displaced Louisiana students, offering free tuition, housing, and meals. The generosity of strangers was humbling.  

I returned to New Orleans three weeks after the storm and saw destruction everywhere. It was heartbreaking. Yet, our community leaned on one another. In January 2006, we returned to Xavier. Under the extraordinary leadership of Dr. Norman C. Francis, the campus reopened. The Gert Town neighborhood remained deserted. Xavier stood strong and was an island of resilience and purpose. 

Campus police had risked their lives to evacuate over 350 students, while my father-in-law, Sheriff Marlin Gusman, was working tirelessly to evacuate prisoners. When we returned, some dorms were renovated, others were still in repair, and trailers housed many students and faculty. But we were back, and every open door felt like a miracle. 

Because of disrupted coursework, our senior class graduated in August 2006 instead of May. I will never forget our commencement speaker, then-Senator, President Barack Obama. President Obama reminded us that while we faced one of life’s greatest tests through the storm, there will be many other tests throughout our lives. President Obama challenged us to carry the memory and lessons of Katrina with us, not as a burden, but as a source of strength and purpose. Whether through how we care for loved ones, raise families, respond to injustice, or give back to our communities with compassion, integrity, and service. 

Looking back, Katrina changed my life. It tested our city, our families, and our dreams, but it never broke our spirit. Being part of Xavier during that time reminded me that resilience is rooted in love, community, and purpose. We didn’t just come back; we came back stronger.