Tragedy struck early on New Year’s Day when there was an attack on Bourbon Street. At around 3:00 AM on January 1, 2025 a man drove a truck through a blocked off street in New Orleans while people were celebrating the new year. Killing 14 and injuring dozens. Thousands were affected by this incident, including the many college students that attend Tulane University, which is just a mere 20 minutes away from where this attack took place.
Tulane freshman and NDB class of 2024 Gigi Shaughnessy shares some insight of how campus life has been like since the attack, stating, “I was actually just in my room when I found out about the attacks, my mom came into my room and she told me ‘there was an attack in New Orleans’ … she had people reach out to her…I knew it was bad when my mom told me, but I don’t think I realized the gravity of it and just how bad it was and the impact that it would have on New Orleans… until later in the day when I started seeing [it] posted all over social media and all of the news outlets.”
Many college students turned to Tulane when this event happened in anticipation of what they would do for the students. When asked if there are any differences on campus, Shaughnessy answered, “Yes I actually have noticed a difference, Tulane was actually super good about making sure students felt safe coming back to campus… They sent an email and just kind of notified everybody on the new changes that were going to be implemented on campus…They are restricting access to the buildings making it so that you need your Tulane ID to get in.” Talking more about campus life in general, Shaughnessy said “I just have noticed overall on campus and just around New Orleans that there has been an increase in police presence.”
Students at schools nearby this incident might feel as though they are in danger. When asked if she had any concerns about her personal safety going out, being with friends, and just living in New Orleans, Shaughnessy shared, “Me personally, if anything I feel safer knowing that there is all of this increased security and everything, however I know that other people are definitely nervous… I haven’t gone back to Bourbon Street yet…I do think I would feel safe knowing that there is just a lot more police there.”
Finally, when asked if NDB students who want to go to Tulane be worried about their safety, Shaughnessy said “ I think if any students are thinking about going to Tulane this should definitely not be something that hinders them from choosing Tulane… I understand it is definitely something to think about but New Orleans is such an amazing community and place, I wouldn’t want one person to have such a big impact on a place that someone could be missing out on how great of a city New Orleans is just because they are scared of something like this happening again. I really dont think this should stop somebody from coming to school here.” Despite this tragedy, New Orleans has stayed a strong community, along with the great measures taken by Tulane University to help students like Shaughnessy feel safe and supported through this tough time.
It is also very important to think about how the future Tulane students here at NDB are affected by this as well. An example is Senior Rhea Vishnoi who is committed to Tulane University starting next fall. Vishnoi shared her thoughts about the attacks “I felt really upset and uneasy because it is hard to hear something like that happen in a city that is going to be my hometown soon and super close to where I am. It made me think about how I can be safe and be [more] aware of certain things going on.”
When asked if this incident changed her idea of safety in New Orleans, Vishnoi said, “ It’s definitely made me hope that New Orleans will take more steps to improve security, as they’ve previously mentioned building barriers in the city to prevent such accidents, but overall I still love the city and I feel like safety will start to be more prioritized.”
This attack could definitely affect students who want to attend Tulane since it is so close to where the attacks occurred. When asked if she worries about attending Tulane in the fall and what she will do to settle those worries, Vishnoi replied, “ Definitely just being more precocious, I plan to stay more alert and make sure to use the safety measures, especially provided by Tulane.”
These unfortunate events have had effects on many people including some of our NDB alums and students. It is important to recognize how these tragedies can affect anyone.
