In the Spring of 2026, I exhibited a show titled "Getting to Higher Education: Come Hell or Highwater" at The Front Gallery. This exhibition was focused on the experience of getting an education in New Orleans during the height of Jim Crow. In this exhibit, I highlighted some of the first places a black person could seek out an education in New Orleans historically. St. Mary's Academy was one of the first places one could do so. I found an archival photo in the New Orleans Public Library from St. Mary's 1940 class. I created a piece called "Battle of the Skirts: Hike Em Up" as a reimagining of this photo. This piece shows off an underrecognized tradition where girls in New Orleans roll their skirts once they get into highschool. During my research, I found that the rolling of school skirts was not only exclusive to my generation and above or to my high school experience at Sophie B. Wright Charter School. I found that young ladies in New Orleans had been rolling skirts for years and years before me as a sort of rebellion and reclamation of femininity. In the early Summer of 2026, I was able to record a phone call interview with a St. Mary's 1971 alum named Ava. Listen below to hear an exciting oral account about Ava's experience rolling her skirts and getting by the Nuns at St. Mary's Academy!