Finding Her Place, Then Leading the Way

When Cate Emma Warren arrived at LSU from Dallas, Texas, she knew she wanted a university where she could challenge herself, meet new people, and create her own path. What she did not know was just how much scholarship support would shape that journey.

Today, Cate Emma is a senior majoring in management with a concentration in international management and minoring in Spanish. She is an honors student, the president of LSU’s Student Philanthropy Council, a Student Government leader, an active member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and an aspiring immigration attorney. She is the kind of student who seems to be everywhere at once, leading initiatives, serving others, and encouraging fellow students to get involved.

That drive has been part of her LSU experience from the beginning. As she prepares for graduation and law school applications, she says many of the opportunities that have defined her LSU experience would not have been possible without scholarships.

“I genuinely could not be here without it,” said Cate Emma, who is the recipient of the Linda & Ron Young Business Scholarship within the E. J. Ourso College of Business. “So many friends wouldn’t be able to be here without it. We wouldn’t be able to gain these leadership experiences, gain the opportunity to study abroad, gain hands-on internship experiences.”

Scholarships were a major factor in Cate Emma’s college decision. Determined to attend school out of state, she found LSU offered both the experience she wanted and the financial support she needed. Throughout her academic career, scholarship funding has helped ease the financial commitment of college while creating room for experiences that extended far beyond the classroom.

One of those experiences was a summer study abroad program in Barcelona, where Cate Emma strengthened her Spanish skills and gained international business experience working on a consulting project for a Spanish company. Supported through the Rucks International Scholar Award, she said the opportunity aligned perfectly with her long-term goal of becoming an immigration attorney.

Originally a biological sciences major, Cate Emma discovered her passion for immigration law after she realized medicine was not the career path she wanted to pursue. LSU—and her scholarships—gave her the freedom to change directions and discover where she could make the greatest impact. Focusing first on the business aspects, she says, gives her the foundation for future success.

“I was starting out thinking that my life was going to be on one track, and now I’m going in a completely different direction,” she said. “But I would have never been allowed the opportunity to figure that out, change my mind, and grow from those experiences without that generosity.”

The impact of philanthropy became especially personal during the LSU Foundation’s recent 2026 National Board Summit. Alongside a panel of fellow student scholars, Cate Emma was speaking about her experiences as a scholarship recipient when donor Linda Young, who sat amongst the crowd, realized Cate Emma was one of the students benefiting from the scholarship she and her husband had established.

The moment was emotional for both of them. “She started tearing up, and that made me start tearing up,” Cate Emma recalled. Since then, Linda has become a mentor and resource, connecting Cate Emma with others who can help guide her toward her goal of attending law school.

For Cate Emma, the scholarship is a reminder that someone she may never have met chose to invest in her future and believed in her potential. “Every single scholarship that [a donor] gives is such a meaningful gift,” she said. “We can’t thank them enough for their kindness and the opportunities they’re allowing us to achieve here.” 

---

 

Inspired by Cate Emma Warren’s story? Visit givelsu.org to contribute.