Tickets were sold out in a matter of hours. Audience members flooded Brandt V.B. Dixon Hall more than forty minutes before the lecture began. When she entered the room, the entire crowd rose to welcome her. Though many people interested in the event were unable to go due to a limited number of tickets, those who went were fortunate enough to hear from perhaps the nation’s most well-known ecologist.

After excitement and hubbub surrounding the event for nearly two weeks, Dr. Jane Goodall visited campus the evening of Thursday, Mar. 16 and inspired students, faculty and community members by sharing her story and encouraging us to fight for not only global conservation but also whatever we are passionate about.

The visit from Goodall was part of her Tomorrow & Beyond tour and was sponsored by the Tulane Center for Public Service, the Newcomb College Institute and Tulane anthropology professor Katharine Jack.

Goodall was collected, engaging and witty. She addressed everyone in the room, from adults and students who have been hearing about her work for years to children from Lusher Elementary School who are members of her Roots and Shoots club. Everyone in the room was amazed to hear how Goodall’s immense passion and work ethic allowed her to create real change and draw people to her cause. 

For the students and community members who had not gotten a ticket in time, they desperately posted in group chats and Facebook pages, the Tulane Classifieds Facebook page in particular, and were willing to pay whatever necessary to secure a spot. This is just one example proving how excited people were about the university bringing such an acclaimed conservationist to campus. The event was followed by a book signing and meet-and-greet. 

“As a budding anthropologist and environmental studies major, I’ve looked up to Jane Goodall for a long time and it was amazing to hear her speak about all of her adventures and research,” sophomore Hannah Cohen said.

Jane Goodall was an excellent choice for a guest speaker visiting our campus, and in the future, the university should ensure that the Tulane community is able to fully take advantage of the opportunity to see speakers of this caliber.

This is an opinion article and does not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo. Robin is a freshman at Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be reached at [email protected].