As LSU approaches the 100th anniversary of the current Baton Rouge campus in 2026, three undergraduate students are digging into the past to help tell its story. Through a summer research partnership between LSU Special Collections and the Office of Undergraduate Research (formerly LSU Discover), the students will explore archives and oral histories to uncover the voices, movements, and memories that have shaped campus life. 

Nsreen Saleh, Ella Blandino, and Emily Bracher were chosen for the program, which is now in its third year. Saleh will work closely with the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History while Blandino and Bracher will primarily research materials from the University Archives in Special Collections’ Reading Room. The Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College generously provided additional financial support for the program.

Nsreen Saleh is a rising sophomore at LSU and is majoring in social work and minoring in Arabic studies. Jennifer Cramer, the director of the Williams Center, will be Saleh’s faculty mentor. Saleh’s goal is “to serve underrepresented communities in a way that is culturally aware, compassionate, and rooted in real connection.” The summer research program intertwines everything she cares about: storytelling, cultural identity, and community connection. As a future social worker, she believes that “listening to people’s stories is one of the most powerful ways to create understanding and change," and she hopes to learn more about local history while helping amplify voices that deserve to be heard and remembered through conducting interviews and using archival materials.  

LSU University Archivist Zach Tompkins will serve as the faculty mentor for Ella Blandino and Emily Bracher. Blandino is an honors student and an art major with a concentration in printmaking, and her project will examine student expression throughout LSU’s history. She plans to utilize posters and other materials to understand the process of creating exhibitions.  She is a Baton Rouge native, and her research project is heavily inspired by her many visits to the LSU Museum of Art. Blandino hopes to “highlight public outreach at LSU and explore connections to the community.”  

Bracher, an honors student and a mass communication senior with a concentration in print journalism and minors in history and English, will focus on the history of student media at LSU, specifically looking into the evolution of student voices throughout the last century. Her interest in this particular project originates from her deep love for history as well as a desire to learn more about journalism and gain experience working with archives.  

As the summer unfolds, Saleh, Blandino, and Bracher will bring unique perspectives to LSU’s history and contribute original research on the evolving experiences of its students. Their work will not only support the centennial but also help preserve and share stories that have shaped the LSU community.