• TRSL pensions support approximately 15,507 Louisiana jobs and more than $719 million in income.
  
  
• TRSL has invested more than $1.1 billion in companies that do business in Louisiana, supporting economic and job growth in the state.
  
  
• Almost 90% of the retirement dollars TRSL pays out goes to individuals who live in Louisiana, where they buy local goods and services.
  
  
• Less than a penny of every dollar spent at TRSL is for administrative expenses. TRSL provides a high level of service at a low cost.

Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) is hosting Retired US Air Force Colonel Warren Ward at its Science Speaker Series this Friday, March 31 at 4 p.m. Ward will present “Secret Squirrel and a Challenge to You” in the Recital Hall (CPT) on LSMSA’s campus. The event is free and open to the public.

LSMSA, a tuition-free, residential, public high school for high-achieving rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, has a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities, and the LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families in need. For more information about the Louisiana School or to apply for the 2023-24 school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.

The Northwestern State University Alumni Association invites all graduates of 1973 to join the Golden Jubilee Celebration that will take place May 5-6.   

“We are excited to welcome our 50-year graduates back to campus to celebrate the anniversary of their graduation and award their second diplomas,” said Danielle Antoon Cobb, director of Alumni Affairs.  “We hope our guests will enjoy catching up and sharing memories while visiting the campus.”  

The event schedule is as follows.                   

Friday, May 5, 2023 

9:30-10:30 a.m. – Check In:  Cane River Room, Sylvan Friedman Student Union 

10-11 a.m. – Campus tour 

10:30-11:30 a.m. – Mix and mingle with classmates 

11:30 a.m-12:30 p.m.- Luncheon honoring the class of 1973- Sylvan Friedman Student Union Ballroom 

12:30-1:15 p.m.- Distribution of commencement gowns 

1:15 p.m.- Bus will bring graduates to Magale Recital Hall for Commencement 

2 p.m.- Commencement 

3:30 p.m.- Return back to Student Union for dismissal 

3:45-6:30 p.m.- Break (on your own) 

6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.- Reception honoring the Class of 1973, Orville Hanchey Gallery at NSU 

Saturday, May 6, 2023 

11 a.m.- 50+ luncheon in the Sylvan Friedman Student Union Ballroom 

1 p.m.- Dismissal 

Tickets are $80 per graduate and $65 for each additional guest(s). For more details and to purchase tickets, visit www.northwesternstatealumni.com/golden-jubilee.  There is also a section on that page in which you can also help provide contact information for alumni not in our database.  

The midway point of Northwestern State’s 2023 spring football practice will hit halfway through the first scrimmage of spring camp Thursday night.

As the Demons go through that 6:30 p.m. scrimmage, they do so with a couple of key points in mind.

“One, you look at consistency,” head coach Brad Laird said. “We have our seventh practice (Wednesday) and our eighth (Thursday) with the scrimmage. You want to start seeing some consistency and guys stepping up. We’ve probably had two or three situations where we’ve gone live and been able to tackle. Tomorrow night, during the scrimmage, it will be a great opportunity to get 80, 90 maybe 100 snaps of different situations to work on tackling and breaking tackles. We’re excited to be able to finish practice eight with a scrimmage.”

In addition to looking for consistency, the Demons will fold a new addition into Thursday’s scrimmage, taking the field for the first time this spring with officials.

Nearly halfway through their allotment of 15 spring workouts, the Demons’ collective personality is taking shape.

“This is a group you haven’t had to kick in the butt to get going,” Laird said. “They’ve been ramped up since Day 1 and haven’t let up. I’ll give credit to them. When they get between the white lines, it’s great effort, great intensity, great enthusiasm. The biggest thing that will get answered after the scrimmage will be the attention to detail we’ve talked about. It’s one thing to be able to play with great effort, but you’ve got to do the right thing. That’s been our biggest message since Day 1 – attention to detail along with turnovers and takeaways. After the scrimmage, we’ll have a good idea of where we are.”NSU coaches and fans alike will have a better idea of what the 2023 roster looks like following the scrimmage as well.

Those who come to Turpin Stadium on Thursday evening will see 17 newcomers in their first competitive setting as Demons. The newcomers quickly have meshed with the returners since arriving in January.

“That’s a credit to the guys who were here first and foremost,” Laird said. “It was a smooth transition. That’s a credit to those guys and to the coaches. Mixing those guys in and seeing where they fit in all three phases has been fun. It’s been fun to move some guys around and see what’s the best fit. It’s good to see we hit on a lot of those guys we added back in January. It’s been good to see them in a practice format.”

AUSTIN, Texas—Missing a good chunk of a season is difficult for any athlete. 

Northwestern State sprinter Aarika Lister knows that feeling all too well. 

After having a successful start to her NSU career, Lister saw her season end prematurely due to injury in mid-April of the 2022 season. 

Back in action for her final season, she leads the NSU track & field teams into the 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, an impressive three-day meet that begins Thursday at 10 a.m. for NSU at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas. 

All three days will be streamed on ESPN+. 

“It feels amazing to be back on the track after being injured last season,” Lister said. “It is an honor and I am blessed. I have been through a lot of adversity with injuries, but I try to stay as positive as I can and cheer my teammates on and be a positive teammate throughout the season. 

“I just needed to work on myself and figure out the things I needed to get better at and I was able to do that and now I am ready to run.” 

It was a tough adjustment for the current senior to not be out with her team and helping compete for a conference championship. 

“I’m not going to lie, some days were really tough for me,” Lister said. “It was really an on-and-off thing for me when trying to keep a positive mindset after the injury. Some days I didn’t have a positive mindset. But even in the days that I didn’t, I had people surrounding me, pushing me and uplifting me. 

“Some days I would come out to the track crying, seeing people run and practice, but having those people who were really uplifting me and cheering me on really helped.” 

While she couldn’t help her teammates compete for an outdoor title in 2022, she did just that in the 2023 indoor season, helping lead the Lady Demons to their first team conference championship in program history in February, edging out Lamar and UIW, in a tight race to the finish. 

Lister garnered points for the Lady Demons in the 60-meters at the SLC Championships, narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish with a 7.58. 

Earlier in the season, in just her second meet post-injury, she won the 60-meter final in the Pittsburg Invitational with a personal best 7.43 after finishing third in the prelims. That time is the best time in program history by an athlete not named Lynell Washington. 

She also recorded a personal best in the 200-meters at the Tyson Invitational with a 24.38 in the indoor season. 

“Aarika had a phenomenal indoor season and it is a testament to her fortitude mentally and her rehab and work ethic because she did not want to give up,” head coach Mike Heimerman said. 

While being out for much of the 2022 season, Lister was able to stay motivated by self-improvement, even if she had to wait until 2023 to showcase it. 

“Since I was out for basically all of last season, I think that motivated me to get back out there,” she said. “The sky is the limit for me and to keep pushing myself to the best of my abilities. That is how I stay motivated, getting better.” 

In the current outdoor season, she was a member of the 4×100 relay team—with Lynell Washington, Vanessa Balde and Maygan Shaw—at the TCU Alumni Invitational, finishing second with a time of 45.62. 

Having such a young team, Lister has been a perfect person to lead a women’s squad filled with 12 freshmen, including 10 track athletes. 

Heimerman has noticed how much she has grown as a leader. 

“Aarika has done a great job at being a mentor and leader,” he said. “She has done a great job at taking them under her wing and telling them how to navigate through prelims and finals if they make it and how to prepare each day to prepare for the next.” 

She began her time at NSU in 2021 following spending time at both Oral Roberts and Coffeyville CC. In her first season as a Lady Demon and made an impact immediately. 

Lister ran mostly in the 100-meters and 4×100 relay in 2021, earning a spot on the All-Louisiana and All-Southland Conference teams. A part of the 4×100 relay team, she ran a 45.28 at the Texas Relays, which was the eighth fastest in NSU history at the time. 

The 4×100 relay team was named First Team All-Louisiana, while she earned Third Team All-Louisiana in the 60-meters indoor thanks to a bronze medal in the SLC Indoor Championships with a 7.56 time, which was a personal best prior to her 7.43 at the Pittsburg State Invitational. 

While winning is important for Lister, it not the only reason for working her way to back. 

“If I am not the most competitive, I am one of the most competitive on the team,” Lister said. “I do want to win, but if that doesn’t happen, I just want to finish and say that I did not quit or give up and I gave it my all.” 

Northwestern State University was awarded $4,000 from Dollar General’s Youth Literacy Grant program to support the Cradle to College initiative, a project that seeks to provide literacy activities, resources, and support to children and their families so they can engage in family literacy and play activities at home.  

This year, the NSU Early Childhood program collaborated with Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity to extend its reach to Fairview Alpha Elementary School. Christian Mercer, a senior Social Work major, gained interest in the project through his wife, Lindsey Mercer, an Early Childhood Education major at NSU. With Lindsey’s support, Christian arranged for his Pi Kappa Alpha brothers to assemble family literacy bags with materials purchased with Dollar General grant funds, read to preschool and kindergarten children at Fairview Alpha, and present them with their own literacy bags to take home. 

The Cradle to College initiative is an on-going project in which NSU students and faculty collect supplies and purchase materials to make family literacy bags for preschool and kindergarten students in Natchitoches Parish. Dr. Michelle Fazio Brunson, Director of Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education at NSU spearheads the project, which is intended to provide extra support to children who live below the poverty line to help close learning gaps at school.  

Brunson said donations of school supplies and books are always needed. To make a contribution, contact her at faziom@nsula.edu. 

Pictured: Brothers in NSU’s Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity Christian Mercer, Kaden Graves, Andy Floyd, Logan Foster and Tyler Magnano presented Leah Metoyer, lead first grade teacher at Fairview Alpha Elementary, with a boxes of literacy bags to be distributed to pre-K and kindergarten students.  The contribution was made possible by a Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant to the Cradle to College initiative. 

The annual New Cedron Cemetery meeting will be held Saturday, April 29 at 10 am at the New Cedron Missionary Baptist Church in Vowells Mill.  There will be a message by a guest pastor, followed by the business meeting and pot luck lunch.  Bring your favorite dish!  Donations for cemetery upkeep will be accepted during this time as well.  All who have ties to the cemetery are encouraged to attend for Cemetery updates and fellowship.

By Joshua Webb

In the early 1900s, the American government made a deal to purchase large plots of timber along the Amazon river from the Brazilians (Before you start, this isn’t a push or rant for or against deforestation).

Crews, equipment and large barges were all sent to begin the work. Then it began. Hundreds and thousands of acres of rain forest harvested in the name of progress. For almost ten years, this would continue. We paid big bucks for that timber and believe me, Brazil was happy to reap the dividend.  

Suddenly things changed here in America. The Great Depression, as we call it now would begin. The need for mass quantities of timber had come to a sudden halt. Prosperity would be replaced with panic. 

Some decade or so later, we would be booming again. Sadly, mostly fueled by war. However, the need to fulfill our deal with our friends down south was suddenly upon us. We needed lumber, and we needed it fast. 

So once again crews were gathered, equipment was loaded, and off they went to harvest more trees. Only, what they returned to wasn’t a vast stand of towering forest. It was thousands of acres of dead trees. Worthless. No good as they lay rotting on the ground. 

This wasn’t the work of lumberjack powered saws. It was the aftermath of storms. What would be figured out years later, is that the trees left had no strength. They had been sheltered by the outer layer we the people had harvested years earlier. Those were the strong trees. The ones that had grown while being battered and beaten by the wind and the rain. Those that grew without resistance had fallen when the storms returned. 

We are like those trees. We are strong when we’ve grown through storms, yet weak when we never suffer adversity. 

There will be storms. Wind. Rain. Lightning. Thunder. Hail. Absolute tumultuous conditions which seem endless and impossible to find escape. We need such events and resistance in order to gain strength. 

Allow yourself to face resistance, challenges and fears. Let the wind blow, the rain to fall, and the lightning fill your skies and light your path. 

All of this is part of your story. A story worth telling. Tell your story. It’s a story of strength and what you’ve overcome. More so, it’s a reminder of what you’re capable of. Once you’ve survived a storm, a cloudy day suddenly becomes a walk in the park. 

To tell your story here, reach out to me via email at you.matter.ms@gmail.com or through my Instagram @you_matter_ms. We look forward to hearing your story. 

Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau is a sponsor of the Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival, which is set for May 12-13. 

Pictured left to right: Daniel Page, Katelyn Murphy, Gabby Landreneau, Julie Brewton, and Rodney Harrington

BOM made a donation to NSU Elementary Lab School’s Beta Club for their Beta State Convention in Lafayette. Pictured left to right: BOM’s Lori Lee, Wyatt Fontana, BOM’s Lyn Christophe, Jacob French, BOM’s Jo Nell Burr, Molly Morris, Leah Weber, and BOM’s Kessler Barnes.

By Corey Poole

While her original intention was to return to her hometown of New Orleans after earning her master’s of clinical psychology at Northwestern State University, 14 year later Brittany Blackwell Broussard said Natchitoches got her.

Broussard is a full time instructor and the coordinator of NSU’s Center for Inclusion and Diversity. She’s always been interested in understanding why people do what they do and understanding behavior while helping people through difficult times.

This passion was sparked in high school when Broussard took a psychology elective in the eleventh grade. Her father wanted her to be a doctor, and even though her family is full of teachers, her father definitely didn’t want her to be a teacher.

As she was studying pre-med and psychology at Xavier University, Broussard quickly realized that she wanted more one-on-one time with clients and less to do with prescribing medications.

Learning about NSU through family members, she was no stranger to the City of Lights. When she came to Natchitoches for her master’s degree, she felt a sense of peace. 

“Of course there were other options, but I immediately felt at home here,” she explained. 

As a graduate assistant in the psychology department, Broussard quickly realized that she wanted to do more with her teaching background that just kept creeping into her path. 

“My passion was always there,” she said. “I was just running from it for a while.”

She soon became an adjunct instructor, teaching psychology as a profession and general psychology. At the same time she was also working as the project coordinator at the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, a nationwide, multidisciplinary resource that draws upon the knowledge, experience, and latest work of recognized experts in the field of addictions. 

Broussard was hired on full time in 2013 and started advising students. This had her dabbling into the student affairs side and serving as an advisor for campus organizations and clubs such as the African American Caucus and the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

She was becoming more ingrained in the campus culture while enjoying the surrounding community.

“I love the small town vibe,” Broussard said with a smile. You’re able to get to know people and everyone looks out for one another. It feels like family and I love all the connections I’ve made here.”

It wasn’t long before Broussard was asked to serve on the steering committee for the Center for Inclusion and Diversity. This committee was formed because students were looking for a safe space where diversity issues on race, religion, LGBTQ+, and more could be highlighted. When the physical center was born Broussard was asked to serve as its coordinator.

When asked how she balances teaching, the center, and her personal life Broussard smiled and said it’s a “working document.”

In her spare time she enjoys playing volleyball, attending trivia nights at Flying Heart Brewery, and going to the movies with her husband David. The most recent movie they enjoyed at the theater was Creed III.

A fun fact about Broussard is that she’s been to Disney World more times as an adult than she ever did as a child.

“It’s that Disney magic,” she said. “The iconic castle is the best part because it’s where all the magic begins.”

Getting back to her work life, the Center for Inclusion and Diversity is committed to combating prejudice and advocating for all minority and marginalized populations. 

“Everyone comes to the center to learn and be educated on diversity issues,” said Broussard. “Everyone comes to express their concerns because if there’s no outlet, then there’s no change and they’ll leave…faculty, staff and students alike. We hope to alleviate issues and be proactive in engaging in that dialogue.”

A great piece of advice Broussard follows is: Listen to understand and not to respond.

As with anything else in life, there’s always challenges. There will always be pushback when it comes to questioning or going against the status quo.

“Not everyone like change,” said Broussard. “Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle.”

Perhaps one of the biggest battles Broussard has faced is the loss of campus culture, with diversity in particular, during and in the wake of the pandemic.

The flip side to the challenges she faces is the reward of creating a sense of belonging. She wants everyone on campus to feel not just tolerated, but that they truly belong and that their culture is celebrated.

“Some people don’t feel like the events we put on are meant for them, when they’re really meant for EVERYONE,” Broussard explained. “We try to do our best to promote our events and try to meet students where they are.”

This includes the public as the center’s events are open to the entire Natchitoches community, not just those who work and study on the NSU campus. Follow the center on social media @cid_nsula and work toward building equity and inclusion everywhere.

Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) Senior Jaime Perdue of Prairieville will perform her vocal recital this Saturday, April 1, from 2-3 p.m. This event will be held in the Recital Hall (CPT) on LSMSA’s campus and is open to the public.

LSMSA, a tuition-free, residential, public high school for high-achieving rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, has a nominal room and board fee to cover housing, meals, and campus activities, and the LSMSA Foundation offers assistance for families in need. For more information about the Louisiana School or to apply for the 2023-24 school year, visit www.LSMSA.edu.

JOURNAL SPORTS

Natchitoches Central took a 3-0 lead into the seventh inning and survived by throwing out an Airline runner at the plate that would have tied the game in a thrilling 3-2 win Tuesday evening that clinched the Lady Chiefs’ third consecutive District 1-5A softball title.

Airline leadoff hitter Elena Heng came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh inning trailing 3-0. She tripled to centerfield to score Ryan Hutchinson and Addison McDowell. Haley Whiteside tried to score from first base to tie the game but was out at the plate. 

Airline later had the tying run at third base but grounded out to end the contest as an overflow crowd watched on the NCHS campus.

Maddie Robinson got the win in the circle for the Lady Chiefs and hit a fifth inning home run to give Natchitoches Central a 3-0 lead. Robinson allowed two hits, uncharacteristically walked seven and struck out 10. Her cousin Desi Robinson was 2-for-3, stole two bases and drove in a run in the two-run NCHS third inning.

Taylor Anne Smith suffered the loss for visiting Airline (19-7, 6-1) allowing three hits and one earned run as she struck out five, but also walked five.

Natchitoches Central, rated No. 4 in the LHSAA Division I power ratings, is now 22-3, 7-0.  Airline is No. 8 in the ratings. Playoffs are still a couple of weeks away.

Northwestern State made a couple of late attempts at a comeback but were unable to find an answer for a pair of early long balls from Louisiana Tech in a 5-1 loss on Tuesday night.

The Lady Demons (16-14) held Tech to just four hits in the game, but three of them went for extra bases and produced runs starting with the major blow in the game, a three-run home run in the top of the second.

“We put some people on in the early innings and they took advantage of it,” head coach Donald Pickett said. “Those two big swings put them up and gave them some breathing room and we couldn’t get anything going despite some pretty good at bats early in the game. We had a lot of chances late and didn’t have those quality at bats there like we did earlier. We just need to be a little better with our execution in those run-scoring opportunities, especially when they’re late in the game.”

A second straight inning with a leadoff walk came back to hurt NSU in the second as Louisiana Tech (20-12) first baseman Jordyn Manning lifted a ball over the left field wall for the second hit of the game and the inning to give Tech the 3-0 lead.

A solo home run an inning later pushed the lead to 4-0 and a two-out double down the third base line in the fifth scored the fifth run for Tech on its final hit of the game.

The Demon bats were held in check for much of the night even thrown multiple hard-hit balls in the first three innings of the game. A ringing double to the base of the wall in dead center of the bat of Tristin Court accounted for NSU’s only hit through the first four innings of the game.

Through the frustrating day at the plate against a pair of solid Tech arms, the Demons had chances in the final three innings to push across multiple runs, but could not find the needed hit to do it.

Court reached on an error in her second trip to the plate to start the fifth and was followed by a single off the glove of the pitcher by Nani Winger. They were left stranded on the bases however after a three-pitch strikeout, grounder to short and a fly ball to left ended the inning.

In the sixth, a leadoff walk and back-to-back one-out singles loaded the bases for the Demons. Court came through with her second hit of the day, a sharp single to right to bring Laney Roos in to score and make it 5-1. That was all NSU got in the inning though after an infield pop up and fly out to deep left field left the bags full.

The first two batter of the seventh also reach base but did not advance past second base on another three-pitch strikeout, foul out to second and swing and miss to end the game.

NSU left seven runners on base in the final three innings of the 10 total in the game.

Court picked up her third two-hit game of the season, her first since the win over Lamar on March 11, with a double and her RBI single in the sixth.

NSU continues is four-game home stand by hosting HCU starting Friday with a doubleheader at 4 p.m.

Photo: Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services

Northwestern State officially will welcome Rick Cabrera as the 11^th men’s basketball head coach in program history with a 2 p.m. news conference Thursday, March 30. 

The event, which is open to NSU students, faculty, fans and the media, will be held in the Student Union Ballroom inside the NSU Student Union. 

Cabrera, who was named Hoop Dirt’s Junior College Coach of the Year on Monday, was named NSU’s new head coach this past Wednesday, taking over for Corey Gipson, who departed NSU after one season to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Austin Peay. 

The 47-year-old Cabrera, a native of Spring Valley, New York, led Tallahassee Community College to a 31-6 mark in the 2022-23 and a berth in the NJCAA Tournament semifinals.   

A former head coach at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Cabrera has spent 13 years as an assistant at the Division I level. In his six years as a head coach at Lackawanna and Tallahassee Community College, Cabrera has compiled an overall record of 152-45. 

LA Lightning 9U AA travel ball team competed in the USSSA All Turf Throwdown tournament in Bossier City, LA. The team won 2nd place in the tournament. Pictured: Coach Cole Gentry, Head Coach Luke Mahloch, Coach Cody Hough, Callen Bertrand, Ryne Williams, Murphy Linebaugh, Jax Errington, Gavin Key, Liam Mahloch, Carson Gentry, Miller Trichell, Carter Hough, and Cohen Gandy. 

St Mary’s Catholic School enthusiastically will host their annual Open House on Wednesday, March 29 from 5-6:30 pm.  Events begin in the school gym. New students and their families, ranging from pre-K to 12th grade, will tour the school campus, visit classrooms and experience the family-like atmosphere of SMS tigerland. Faculty members and current students will be on hand for questions.

RSVP to this event to ensure a spot on the school tour: Mrs. Debbie Norman at 352-8394 or dnorman@smstigers.org.

A ministry of the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, SMS is a coed college prep school that forms the whole student: mind, body and soul.

SMS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in: (i) the admission of students; (ii) the offerings of rights, privileges, programs, or activities generally made available to their students; or (iii) the administration of educational policies, admissions policies, loan programs, athletic programs, employment practices or policies, or other school-administered programs.