LAFAYETTE PARISH (LAFAYETTE) — The halls at Lafayette Renaissance Charter High School are a little quieter this school year, as students and staff remember one of their own—17-year-old Alaya Christian—who was killed in a shooting during Mardi Gras in Mamou earlier this year.
In March, gunfire erupted during the celebration, injuring more than a dozen people and killing two. Among the victims was Alaya, a rising senior known for her bright smile and contagious laugh. Her family identified her as a victim in the tragedy shortly after.
“I’m just waiting for her voice,” her mother Valerie Batiste said. “I’m waiting for a text message, the door to open..."
"She always found the opportunity to be happy, something to laugh at, something to hug about, something to cheer somebody else up about—she was a child of other people,” LRCA athletic director Lesly Hansen said.
As students return to class, the absence of Alaya is felt deeply—in the classroom, in the stands, and in the hearts of many who knew her.
“We’re excited about the new beginnings that we have,” said Hansen, “but the tone on the sidelines—the boys—there’s an absolute empty presence.”
Hansen had known Alaya since the fifth grade. She remembers her as a student-athlete who was deeply involved in school activities—serving as a student athletic trainer, volleyball manager, and softball player.
Alaya's mother was at the parade in Mamou when the shooting happened.
“She was standing right in front of me,” Batiste said. “That’s definitely not the way I wanted to see her, nor remember her—by the signs or on the back of the T-shirts. I’m grateful that they’re doing this, but I’m sad at the same time.”
Batiste said Alaya’s siblings, who also attend L.R.C.A. and participate in athletic programs, are feeling the loss deeply.
"They have their days...I can really tell when they're missing her.
To honor her memory, the school has launched the Alaya Christian Memorial Scholarship Fund, an anonymously funded award given annually to one senior student-athlete pursuing further education after graduation.
Hansen said Alaya will also be honored during Senior Night next month, alongside other graduating athletes.
