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November 13, 2025
Nearly twenty years after Hurricane Katrina disrupted their education, a group of former Cabrini High School students finally walked down the graduation aisle, each carrying Cabrini’s signature yellow rose, a cherished symbol of the school’s sisterhood.
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the Feast Day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Cabrini High School welcomed back alumnae from the Classes of 2006, 2007, and 2008 for an honorary commencement ceremony recognizing those whose time at Cabrini was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina.
The event, filled with emotion and gratitude, began with Mass at Holy Rosary Church on Esplanade Avenue, followed by a reception on the Cabrini campus. Honorees received honorary diplomas, Mother Cabrini rosaries, and an official welcome in to the alumnae sisterhood, a moment that brought long-awaited closure and celebration to nearly two decades of longing.
As each honoree crossed the stage, the sense of unity and faith that has defined Cabrini High since the storm’s aftermath filled the church as classmates from 2006, 2007, and 2008 who were able to graduate cheered their high school friends on.
“This ceremony was more than a graduation; it was a homecoming,” said Deacon Uriel Durr, President of Cabrini High School. “These women’s perseverance and faith embody what it means to be a Crescent. Today, they finally received the recognition and embrace they’ve always deserved.”
Director of Communications and Alumnae Affairs Anne Argus DiPaola (Class of 1996) added, “Every yellow rose carried down the aisle symbolized not just a true Cabrinian woman, but a bond that was never broken. Cabrini has always been their home.”
Among those honored were:
Dr. Alane J. Anthony (’06)
Amber Christine Clay (’06)
Lauren Easterling (’08)
Angelle Charlet Goodwyne (’08)Jessica Lucas Higginbotham, (’06)
Monique Hagan, (’07)
Candice McGee (’06)
Stacey Windon Matthews (’07)
Bethany Alaina Miles (’07)
Erica Gaines Moore (’06)The day’s celebrations marked both remembrance and renewal, proof that even twenty years after Katrina, the Cabrini spirit endures through faith, friendship, and the unbreakable ties of sisterhood.