Laura Rochon's summer ended like that of most soon-to-be freshmen.

Excited to attend Loyola University in Louisiana, she rented an apartment and prepared to move out of her family's home in Uptown, New Orleans.

Then the hurricane struck.

Cornelius Walker (sophomore-business administration) has a similar story. He hopped a plane out of his hometown of New Orleans to start his second year at Penn State.

Just a few days later, all outgoing flights were indefinitely postponed when Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.

Rochon (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) and Walker were both in attendance yesterday at Hintz Family Alumni Center when the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) donated $200,000 to Penn State students affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Through the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Grant Initiative, PHEAA has donated almost $1.1 million to 44 schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware. Almost 70 students enrolled at Penn State have families from the Gulf Coast region, and about 40 students have come to Penn State from the area, said Jocelyn Bennett, director of Student Aid Programs.

"In the aftermath of Katrina we were horrified when we watched the news reports coming out of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama," PHEAA CEO Dick Willey said. "We saw floodwaters destroy homes, countless people waiting in endless lines for food and water."

Willey said PHEAA felt it needed to do something to help students continue their education, so it allocated $2 million.

Students had to apply for the PHEAA aid and could receive up to $2,500.

"It didn't take the board very long to make this decision, and not knowing the ultimate cost, the board allocated $2 million from PHEAA's business earnings. No tax dollars were used to support this fund," Willey said. "I'm even happier to announce that every application we received was approved for the total amount asked for."

Rochon and her sister decided to come to Penn State because they have a cousin who already attends the university. Her family lives in Washington, D.C., and has been blessed with much kindness after the disaster, she said.

"A local church in D.C. gave my family the keys to a house in Virginia," she said. "I just wanted to say how incredibly grateful I am that so many people opened up their arms and welcomed me."

Walker's immediate family is staying in Atlanta until it can move back to New Orleans.

"I truly have something to be thankful for this holiday season," he said. "There are still people out there who are suffering, people are still looking for homes and jobs, and it's just a privilege to continue my education and to keep on working toward my goals."