(from left to right): Hon. John deGravelles (’74), Francesca Cedeno, Shaneka Rowe, Jan deGravelles, and Hieu Nguyen.
With the sun setting behind The Club at Union Square on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Interim Dean Caprice Roberts welcomed over 130 students and scholarship donors to a reception inspired by achievement and generosity.
“Learning the law is a little bit harder when students don’t have support behind them—whether that’s family support or financial support,” said Roberts, who has served in the role since last September. “Our donors’ support and what that support does for our students is really invaluable.”
Thanks to the generosity of LSU Law alumni and friends, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center annually provides more than $600,000 in private scholarship support. In the last year, three new scholarships were created to continue to support LSU Law students:
- James R. Madison Scholarship
- James R. Raborn Veterans Scholarship
- LSU Law Veterans Scholarship Fund
Private scholarships help offset the rising costs of tuition. While LSU Law works to keep costs down, in-state tuition still tops nearly $25,000 per year. Out-of-state tuition can cost more than $40,000 per year.
“We are trying to make sure that the law school improves every single time we walk through the door,” said Roberts of the LSU Law faculty and staff “who take care of all the things that it takes to run an amazing law school.”
Those efforts don’t go unnoticed.
At the reception, first-year law student Benjamin Ide shared how the environment at LSU Law, as well as the support he has received from faculty and staff, has positively contributed to his overall law school experience.
“My professors are extremely accessible and have done a great job removing the initial intimidation of law school,” said the Edwardsville, Illinois native. “I’ve been surrounded by some of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my life, and the competitive nature behind law school has pushed me to become a version of myself I never could have imagined.”
After attending LSU for his undergraduate degree and receiving offers from two other law schools, Ide decided to stay in Baton Rouge to attend LSU Law.
“My scholarship not only allowed me to remain in the city that I love,” he said, “but also study law where I was first inspired to pursue it—at LSU.”
LSU also holds significant meaning to 3L Shane Aucoin, whose father worked at the university.
“Coming here was not a choice. It was a destiny,” said Aucoin. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life because going to LSU Law has taught me so many things.”
He went on to describe his experience on Louisiana Law Review, one of LSU Law’s three student-edited journals, and the tenacity and courage he gained from being a member.
“Law school has been something where I really didn’t know if it was going to work out, depending on the day,” said Aucoin, “but you get to the end of each day, and you know it’s going to be all right.”
View a photo gallery from the 2026 Scholarship Reception.
Learn more about how you can support LSU Law students through scholarships.
