Surviving the storm
Former Katrina evacuee perseveres personal tragedy by graduating in
fall
By Deborah Aranda
Issue date: 8/20/07 Section:
Features
After evacuating New Orleans
when Hurricane Katrina hit, communication senior
Ben Gegenheimer found comfort, success at UH
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As was the case with many others, when Hurricane
Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005 it marked a day that would
change communication senior Ben Gegenheimer's life forever. Nearly
two years later, this Katrina evacuee has overcome adversity through
his journey away from home and will receive his degree this fall.
Joining the UH community two weeks after evacuating Louisiana, UH
proved to be a place of comfort for Gegenhiemer, who was still
coping with the devastation of New Orleans - the place he called
home his entire life.
"I needed something to pick me up and to help me cope with
everything that was still going on and being away from New Orleans,"
he said.
Unable to return to the University of New Orleans, Gegenheimer
decided to enroll at UH and discovered that the process of
recovering educational records proved to be difficult.
"As far as getting transcripts and petitioning for classes, (that)
would prove to be the most difficult process in enrolling at UH," he
said. "I saw all those classes pushed to the side, and it was such a
long road ahead of us."
Gegenheimer left UNO a senior and never expected to fall behind.
Visiting the financial aid and registrars offices numerous times
that first year at UH was difficult, he said, but the father of two
persevered, hoping his classes could count toward his broadcast
journalism degree.
Despite the long lines and petitions to transfer credit hours,
Gegenheimer, who was among 850 students at UH initially displaced by
the hurricane, believes the school made the transition for Katrina
evacuees a comfortable one.
"Overall, the administration at UH was very accommodating; they
really look out for the Katrina students who were coming over and
got them moving in school," he said. "They gave us in-state tuition
for the first year that we there, which makes a whole lot of a
difference."
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Donald Foss
said UH went above and beyond the efforts of other universities
during that difficult time period.
"I believe strongly that the faculty, staff and existing students
went out their way to help those who came here from New Orleans, and
that no other university was more welcoming," Foss said. "To take
just one example, we started some courses over two weeks into the
semester in order to accommodate the Katrina Cougars. I'm proud of
what UH and the city of Houston did."
During his first two semesters, Gegenheimer was
overwhelmed at times trying to balance his studies, work and family
life. He juggled a course load of 15 hours, worked as a waiter at
Brenner's Steakhouse and through it all, found comfort with his two
sons, Ben and Wil, and his wife Jenny. They were responsibilities he
knew he had to face, and with the encouragement of UH faculty and
staff he knew not to give up.
"They all just helped me understand that even with all that happened
and all that I had going on with kids and a family and school, that
I could still graduate and move on and achieve my goals."
Gegenheimer said being a part of school organizations such as The
Daily Cougar and writing for the Sports section made student life a
memorable experience for him.
"I was able to finally get back into a school where sports was a big
deal - football games, basketball games … and that meant a lot to
me," he said. "A rich basketball tradition like (UH) had, and to
write for the Cougar and sit on the courtside of the basketball
games, that was so exiting for me."
Attending UH has also given him the opportunity of interning at one
of Houston's most prominent broadcast stations, ABC Channel 13 KTRK,
where he was able to gain experience in his chosen career field.
Norma Ferguson, KTRK 13 intern adviser, has seen him flourish from a
person who was unsure of himself to someone who is now firmly
standing in confidence, and said it is this same confidence that has
allowed him be where he is now.
"From the beginning of the internship he developed so much and
gained the confidence that he needed to gain, and when he started
sending out his resume tapes he felt good about what he was sending
out, which is why he was able to get a job right away," Ferguson
said.
After dealing with so many hardships, Gegenheimer is now working as
a weekend sports anchor and general assignments reporter for KZTV
Action 10 News in Corpus Christi, and only hopes that the road he is
on now can carry him to a successful future.
"I came to Houston, and UH is the reason I am now in a 129 (out of
205 in the country) market as an on-air reporter and anchor and on
my way to better things," he said.