Carleigh’s Scholarship Story
Finding Purpose and Family Through Tiger Band
When Carleigh Price reflects on her path to choosing LSU, she sees it as a calling. A sophomore kinesiology major with a minor in communication disorders, Carleigh, a native of Denham Springs, fully embraces her roles as a student, performer, and aspiring healthcare professional. Thanks in large part to the Tiger Band Scholarship, she has been able to pursue all of her passions without compromise.
From a young age, Carleigh felt a deep calling to help others — especially children — after witnessing the compassionate care her younger brother received from medical professionals. His journey, living with clubfoot and autism, inspired her to dream of a future in healthcare.
“I would often go with him to his doctor’s appointments,” she recalled. “I loved the people who worked with him. They showed me what it meant to care for someone with patience and dignity.”
Though she initially began on the pre-med track, Carleigh soon realized that her passion for helping people reached beyond the traditional path to medicine. Embracing that discovery, she switched her major to kinesiology and set her sights on becoming a physician assistant.
The new path felt like home, she said. “I started learning about how the body moves, how it works, and it just clicked. This route gave me the opportunity to help kids and still have the work-life balance that’s important to me.”
Equally important to Carleigh was her involvement in the LSU Color Guard, through which she performs year-round with both the Tiger Band and the LSU Winter Guard. She credits color guard with shaping not only her freshman-year experience but also playing a formative role in her continued personal and collegiate development as she advances through her years at LSU.
“Color Guard gave me an outlet to express myself and grow as a leader,” she shared. “Joining Tiger Band made LSU feel less daunting. I walked onto campus already part of a family. We’re all from different majors and backgrounds,” she added. “But in Tiger Band, we’re united. We hold each other accountable, push each other, and celebrate together. It’s a special kind of bond.”
That family of 325 students — many of whom aren’t music majors but have a passion for music — practice and perform together with unwavering dedication. Being part of such a high-visibility, high-commitment organization while pursuing a demanding major requires careful time management. But for Carleigh, it is a labor of love.
“The Tiger Band Scholarship meant I didn’t have to take on a full-time job,” she said. “I could focus on my studies, be there for rehearsals, and still enjoy the full college experience. Every dollar matters when you’re in college. Even a small scholarship could help with groceries, books, or just peace of mind.”
“It also helped me avoid putting pressure on my grandparents,” she added. “They’ve
done everything for me since I was 8. This scholarship helped me carry a bit more
of the weight myself.”
It was her grandfather, a former EMT and the person she calls her superhero, who ultimately helped her choose LSU. Though she had been accepted into several schools, including Baylor, his encouragement and her desire to stay close to home made her decision clear.
Carleigh said she hopes to continue all four years in Tiger Band and join a kinesiology student organization. She dreams of a future where she would work in pediatric healthcare, combining her love for children with her academic training and leadership skills.
“I wasn’t ready to leave Louisiana,” she said. “I knew I had more to do here — more people to meet, more lives to touch.”