Because her last name begins with "A," Oludamilola Adesiyun was the first person to receive an official University of Louisiana at Lafayette ring at an inaugural ceremony Sunday.
A senior who is scheduled to graduate in December, she strode across the stage in Angelle Hall to accept her ring from university president Dr. Joseph Savoie. The auditorium was filled with friends and family; an estimated 600 guests attended the event. Officials hope it will become a university tradition each spring and fall.
"My ring means a lot to me. It doesn't just represent where I am today. It's something that will bind us all together after graduation, into the future," Adesiyun said at a reception that followed the ceremony. The reception was held at the UL Lafayette Alumni Center, across the street from Angelle Hall.
Adesiyun is an international student from Nigeria, a microbiology major and a senator in the Student Government Association. She plans to attend medical school.
Her ring, along with those of 109 fellow students, was carried across Cajun Field during halftime at Saturday's football game against Western Kentucky. After the game, which the Ragin’ Cajuns® won, 31-27, members of UL Lafayette's Army ROTC escorted the rings to Cypress Lake, on UL Lafayette's main campus.
There, the rings were loaded onto a custom-built, metal pirogue to spend the night on the water, guarded by four ROTC members.
Speaking at the Angelle Hall ceremony, Savoie said that UL Lafayette's official ring "signifies the bond between the university’s more than 105,000 graduates and their alma mater."
A committee, made of up students, administrators and staff, designed the ring, which is sold exclusively by Balfour. The students who participated in the ring ceremony ordered their rings earlier this year.
The official ring design includes elements related to UL Lafayette. The red stone represents the university's primary color, vermilion, and also features its fleur-de-lis. The university has used fleurs-de-lis in its insignia since the 1920s, signifying the region's French heritage.
Additional imagery includes cypress and oak trees; the university's seal; and Martin Hall, the main administrative building. Inside each ring is the inscription "heart and hand," the final three words of the university's alma mater.
The university has adopted five official ring designs, two for men and three for women. For more information, go to www.balfour.com.