Leni:

 

The meaning of Mardi Gras has historical, cultural, and religious importance to the people of New Orleans. It’s not just a day of drunken debauchery that most of us think it is, but a day that is important to families of the community. Today I found out that Mardi Gras is mostly a family day, and that the official day of Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter.

 

Mardi Gras has shown me how important religion is to this community and how deeply rooted New Orleans is in Catholicism. Mardi Gras, to me, means community investment. The community of New Orleans has invested over a billion dollars into this holiday, expecting no return. They simply do this because it is in their culture.

 

I want to take this experience with me back home to show people not to be selfish and that a little generosity and charity can go a long way.  

 

Justin:

 

I felt that meeting Mr. Reed was the most impactful because of his field of work, which is student affairs. I, too, want to work in this field because I understand the importance of education to an individual’s success. It is an investment that nobody can take away. To work in higher education is not to be rich or to make a lot of money. It’s a career based on serving the students and helping them succeed to completion in college.

 

I have an idea of what type of leader Mr. Reed is because I relate so much of his passion and story to mine. It was clear that Mr. Reed did not intend to be in the career he is in right now, and that it was totally unexpected. Yet, he answered the call and spent almost 37 years or more working in higher education.

 

Mr. Reed is both an inspirational and servant leader. I can tell that he is very humble and that he helped many individuals in his college through completion. He is an inspirational leader because he strives to inspire others and empower them to get a higher education. One point that really stuck with me is how he had the opportunity to expel students for breaking school rules and yet he chose to help and dedicate his time to get the students out of the problems and to help them graduate. When he told us about one of the students that will graduate, I thought that was very powerful because he really showed the rewarding part of his career. Being able to make such amazing strives gives him the reason to live. It is the same passion that I want to have in life. It’s not about the money or the physical things you own, but more about how you can change people’s lives. Such is the future I foresee in myself.

 

He is a servant leader because it is apparent that he is willing to serve the students unconditionally and that even during Hurricane Katrina, he chose to put the students’ safety before his own.

 

The final aspect that really stood out was his willingness to advocate for students, especially those in underserved populations, or minorities in his campus. Finding that balance of being an advocate for the students but also as a higher education administrator.

 

Fred:

 

On the Oak Alley Plantation visit, I was able to learn about the history of not only the owners, but also of the area of Louisiana. In the plantation, we first took a look at the slaves housing. I expected the slaves to live in much harsher conditions than what was presented. Having a visual presentation of where they actually lived falsified my pre-existing belief that they slept in the worse of conditions when they actually lived in decent living conditions, obviously aside from their endured cruel labor. After taking a self-guided tour of that, we went to get a tour of the owner’s house in the plantation. Their house was very lavish and had decorations and equipment that were used by the slaves. For example, there was a rope guided fan in the dining room that worked by having one of the slave’s child pull the rope as the guests ate. Seeing the entire plantation gave me a better understanding of the conditions of both the owners and the slaves, which were completely contradictory from one another, as the slaves had an unjust lifestyle.

 

This tour also gave me a sense of history of the area. I can make a logical inference and say that during those times there were huge gaps in the social ladder. It also allowed me to realize how most of the rick were dependent on the slaves for their own success, including the city’s wealth. After the emancipation proclamation, the slaves were freed, plantation owners were forced to pay for labor, and their economy wasn’t as flourishing as before. Ultimately, this proclamation ended the unjust, dehumanization of the black, making the south a more welcoming place.

 

I can take this experience back home and apply it towards my approaches towards people of different color. I will ensure that I treat them all fairly and make them feel welcomed and accepted.  

 

Bryan:

 

At first, upon reaching Mardi Gras World, I was somewhat confused. The exhibit was housed in a large industrial warehouse and I did not know why that would be until we went through the gift shop and entered the tour. We watched 15-minute film that depicted the history and meaning of Mardi Gras, after which we were shown the rest of the facility. We saw how some of the sculptures were made, and got to see all of the floats and some of the largest Crews that participate in the parades.  It was really interesting to learn about how much meaning there is behind the event, and how much the people of New Orleans value the event because it offers an opportunity to spend time with those of their community and have a fun time together. I was shocked at how much cash goes into prepping for Mardi Gras each year and the intricately of the floats was incredible. And it is all done by private funds, by members of each Crewe.

 

This is what I will take home with me. The sense of community exemplified by the people of New Orleans is something I will try to emulate in the future.

 

Kristin:

 

Oak Alley was very interesting. I enjoyed walking through the plantation – it was beautiful. But I think my biggest take-away was just feeling completely surreal when you step onto this beautiful plantation. It kind of hits you when you realize that so much hurt took place here and this was most likely not considered a “beautiful” place for the slaves. So I think it really put things into perspective for me, like stepping into the shoes of the slaves or viewing it from their eyes. I think that perspective is important – you should always put yourself in other’s shoes to better understand how they are feeling and thinking. That was the biggest take-away for me today – just remembering this experience will help me keep an open perspective back home and in the future.

 

Jackson:

 

Robert Reed is a very influential person. He convinced people that he was doing something wrong because he was doing his job so well. I have always believed people are going to hate on the people that they are the most jealous of. I learned from Robert that if you want something go get it. Robert had a lot of people who respected him and he sounds like he has truly earned his upcoming retirement. I will take with me from Mr. Reed’s talk the drive it takes to get what I want through resiliency, students have a lot of power, and work together.

 

I have a lot of clubs that I am a part of that I can begin to strive for change for the better around campus.

 

Madai:

 

Visiting the Oak Alley Plantation was very educational and interesting. We had the chance to tour the mansion or “big house”, as they call it, and visit a few exhibits around it. One of the exhibits we visited was the slave quarters. This gave us a glimpse of where slaves lived, however, it didn’t seem realistic. This was based on what I learned in school. It still, however, was unbelievable to look at the comparison of lifestyle between the owners and slaves. It was also interesting to learn that even the slaves were treated differently amoungst themselves. House slaves were treated differently than field slaves and had slightly better living quarters. The type and quality of living space a family received was also based on how they looked. Visiting this plantation made slavery feel real to me. The tour guide talked about the slaves building the mansion and about other tasks they had to perform. She also talked about how the owners of the plantation traded the property for slaves, among other things. In a way, she almost said it like it was normal and not a big deal.

 

I think that perhaps people in this city have learned and accepted its history that it all just seems normal to them but it was still really shocking to me I hope to take this experience back home and share it with people so they too can become more educated and award of the history down here.  

 

Jennifer:

 

What I took away from the history of the city is that people relied strongly on slaves. If the family alone has so much impact with slavery being abolished, then I could only imagine the impact it had to the whole city and state. The house had a lot of history of what the slaves did for the family, seeing how beautiful the house and the location was made me realize it was the hard work they had to do.

 

The information I would take back home with me from the trip is to realize how the hard work people do sometimes do go unnoticed, because of this, I want not just myself, but others to acknowledge the little things people do because it can have a huge impact on others.