Continuing The Legacy:
A Xavierite Story
By: Brianna Montgomery
There are thousands of young high school seniors that will attend one of the many HBCU across the country, and so many of those students have such amazing stories but there is one that is based in New Orleans Louisiana that shows how a families college legacy. Xavier University Of Louisiana is one, of the top five HBCU’S in the United States, and here is where the story of not one and not two, but three generations of Xavierites began. Professor Kristina Robinson was the third generation in her family to attend and graduate from Xavier University of Louisiana and now teaches English and creative writing at the university. We met in one of her classrooms for an interview and to get more insight on how it felt being apart of the families Xavier Legacy:
Here is an extract of our conversation:
What year did your grandparents attend this University?
Around the 40’s, it was my parents on my fathers’ side.
What year did your parents attend and what were their majors?
My parents where around 1977-80 and my mother was an education major while my father was an accounting major.
Did your parent ever tell you where on campus they met?
They met in the administration building.
Before attending Xavier were there any other schools that you wanted to go to?
I really wanted to go to Howard University, but my mother told me that it was too far and suggested I go to FAMU (Florida A&M University) and at the time I was wondering why she suggested that I go there and not New Orleans, but I realized that she was saying that I could get out of Louisiana by going there.
While at Xavier, did you encounter any of the same professors that your parents had?
Yes there were a few which was crazy, I remember them telling me, like, Sister Grace Mary is no joke and she is the way she is.
Since the two previous generations have attended and you attended Xavier would you call coming to Xavier a family tradition?
I do think that Xavier is a family tradition since three generations have attended.
Would you want your son to attend Xavier or would you want him to venture out to a different school?
I would want my son to come here if Xavier stays the same as it always has when my parents went here and when I went here. Xavier has always been active in the community and provided a great structure.
What is some advice your parents gave you before attending Xavier?
They told me even the things that are frustrating about Xavier that ill come to understand later how valuable they were in life, and I definitely believe everything they said was true.
In conclusion, Professor Robinson at Xavier University Of Louisiana is a well-respected English teacher that has been a part of the Xavier community for quite some time. Her family has contributed and benefited from the Xavier education system with all hopes that this tradition of Xavier College graduates continues for many more generations.