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At first I thought it was just New Iberia. In the year since moving here, I’ve sensed a strong cohesiveness in this city – a thread of persistent interconnectedness woven in its tapestry. “Everyone knows everyone,” I was told. But this month, when I visited with each of our eight Women Making a Difference around Acadiana, my understanding of things shifted a little. I discovered – from Franklin to Youngsville to Lafayette – people are not just connected within their own communities.

I noticed it first when Anita Begnaud from Lafayette made a passing mention of Iberia Parish’s Mike Tarantino, who happens to be our Personality Profile this month. Then again when Melissa Bonin talked about poet Darrell Bourque, who I’d just met at a Kathleen Blanco marker unveiling in New Iberia and who I hope to interview for a future issue. Then I began to notice the connections everywhere.

What’s happening in Acadiana is not a matter of “small town vibe.” It’s a spirit of inclusivity. It’s an eagerness to open the way for the next person or cause or business. It’s why the individuals featured in this issue work so hard for their communities. It’s why I’m approached so often by members of the community who have a great idea for a story. It’s why businesses throughout Acadiana, who have suffered greatly over the last year, still see the merit and importance of advertising in this magazine.

The Six Degrees of Separation principle maintains there are only ever six people connecting you with anyone in the world. In Acadiana, where the idea of community blurs parish lines, you just have to show up and share in its contagious spirit to close that gap by a few degrees.