By Kiersten McCollum
As the 2021-2022 academic year comes to an end at Xavier University, the Xavier Activities Board and Student Government Association put on one of the final events of the year, the annual Cajun Fest. On April 22, 2022 students could be seen gathering outside the Convocation Center to celebrate.
“We partnered SGA and XAB together to create an event at the end of the year when students can come out have a good time and get some Louisiana culture,” said Deeuatrail Nichols, the 2021-2022 Xavier Activities Board President.
The event ran from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and had a larger turnout than anticipated with approximately 200 students and faculty in attendance. At this year’s Cajun Fest attendees had the opportunity to get food and drinks and the crawfish boil and cold drinks station, listen to music with the Zydeco band, and take pictures with friends at the photo booth.
With final exams approaching the week after Cajun Fest, some students used this event as a way to de-stress.
“This is a really great event, especially right now, we’re in the thick of finals. We definitely needed something to give us some leeway and some type of comfort and give us some type of motivating force to keep pushing forward,” said Kirsten McGowan, the 86th Miss Xavier University of Louisiana. “So I’m so happy to be a part of this, Cajun Fest is always a big hit, and I’m so happy that as Miss Xavier I was able to take part in it this year,” McGowan said.
As it is in the last full month of the academic year, for graduating seniors, Cajun Fest is one of the last school-sponsored events they will attend.
With the 2022 commencement ceremony just around the corner, graduating students reflect on the impact that annual school events, like this one, have had on their years at Xavier University.
“It’s actually kind of funny because this being one of my last events, I’m from here, so to see them doing things like crawfish and Zydeco, this is the stuff I grew up around,” said Irvin Washington, a graduating senior Art major. “I think it’s kind of cool, I appreciate the fact that Xavier is trying to put a little Louisiana, New Orleans-style,” Washington added.