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My name is Catherine Ladner and I graduated from John Carroll in 2019 as Valedictorian and recipient of the Bishop’s Award. John Carroll was my foundation: the experiences I had gave me a love of learning and instilled in me the importance of community and serving others. I toured Louisiana State University in the summer of 2018 totally on a whim. We were in New Orleans with the Cavalettes and my mom encouraged me to go on a tour since we were so close. I fell in love with the campus and its big oak trees and broad magnolias, and after receiving acceptances from many schools throughout the country, the scholarships I received from LSU were the best offer and I committed to go become an engineer in the bayou.

When I came to LSU, I needed to find a community. I grew up in Girl Scouts, so I knew that I enjoyed being outside and leading others in outdoor adventures. This brought me to LSU’s Adventure Education at University Recreation. Adventure Education is LSU’s hidden gem. On the outside, it appears that it’s just a climbing wall and camping gear rentals. It is so much more than that. Over the past four years, I’ve gotten to do many incredible things. I got to earn my Wilderness First Responder certification and lead extended off-campus excursions with many people that had never been camping before. Taking someone on their first outdoor trip is a special experience. It is incredible to walk them through the process step-by-step, and watch as their discomfort fades and they start to connect with nature. 

My senior year, I was chosen as the Program Assistant for the Climbing Area and Challenge Course. I got to focus mostly on leading the staff and planning our climbing and team building programs. I helped grow the community at the climbing wall: almost 50% more climbers since pre-pandemic numbers. I started volunteering with USA Climbing after judging at the World Games, and I learned so much about competition climbing that I was able to plan the two highest attended competitions the program has ever seen. Despite the ups and downs we had over the past four years with a global pandemic, the people I worked with and the people we served were more than just a community: they were family. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to grow as a climber, backpacker, and hiker while working there, but I will be more grateful for getting to share what I love with others.

In April, I was chosen as a member of LSU’s Tiger Twelve, LSU’s own type of Bishop Award. This was awarded based on my contribution to LSU’s community through my work at UREC along with my work in the Civil Engineering department. I am very honored to have been recognized in this way and I will continue to commit myself to teaching and leading others as I move on to San Antonio to start my career as an engineer.