On August 29, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. She spiraled northward, leaving a tremendous path of destruction behind her. The images of a world destroyed by Katrina’s wrath were on the television, in newspapers, and on the Internet. Everywhere one turned, there was Katrina looking back. For some of us, it seemed to last a few months, but for those who lived through it, months were an eternity–homes, schools, and businesses left empty; cities abandoned as citizens became displaced during the aftermath.
Hurricane Katrina affected so many people and places, from the western Florida Panhandle through Mississippi, Alabama, and into Louisiana (especially New Orleans and the surrounding neighborhoods).
However, some have found their “silver lining.” Michelle Varvaro, a former resident of New Orleans, will be joining the RWC community beginning Winter Quarter. She will be double majoring in Pre-Med and Emergency Medical Technology.
Ms. Varvaro grew up in New Orleans and was enrolled as a freshman at the University of Southern Mississippi for three weeks when Katrina came ashore.
If perhaps you get a chance to meet Michelle, just welcome her and think of her as just a student. She is no loner displaced; she has found a home.