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Liana Simmons

Liana Noelle Simmons was a Black American nursing student from New Orleans who studied at Howard University. She belonged to Logan Weston’s Howard friend group with Marcus Dupree, Jaya Mitchell, Deon Wright, and Aaron Lancaster. Practical and direct without losing her humor, Liana made room for people, noticed what they needed, and challenged Logan when his instinct to help others overran his boundaries.

Early Life and Background

Liana was born in New Orleans on December 24, 2005, and grew up within a large extended family that included her parents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins. Her grandmother’s home treated neighbors as family, and Sunday gumbo began at dawn with a roux stirred for at least forty-five minutes. Liana carried those household stories with her to Howard.

Her grandmother also taught her to light a candle during grief, uncertainty, or prayer. Liana continued that practice in her Howard dorm room without treating it as a substitute for practical action.

Education

Liana entered Howard in fall 2023 as a nursing major and belonged to the Class of 2027. By fall 2025, she studied from nursing flash cards and took part in regular study sessions with Logan, Jaya, and their friends.

Health

Liana lived with endometriosis.

Personality

Liana responded to practical needs quickly. When Marcus introduced her to Logan at Oohh’s & Aahh’s, she rearranged a table set for four so that six people could sit, then refilled the lowest water glasses without asking. She also joined the group’s teasing and deliberately mispronounced medication names during study sessions to make Logan react.

Liana noticed the distinction between a request and the pressure surrounding it. When another student approached Logan about tutoring, she asked whether the student needed help or had sought him out because of what she had heard about him. She then reminded Logan that a polite request did not obligate him to agree.

Cultural Identity and Heritage

Liana was a Black woman from New Orleans. Her Louisiana accent, her grandmother’s home, and the food traditions she described to her friends connected her to the city. She spoke about a household where neighbors came through an unlocked door and where making gumbo required patience, attention, and a properly cooked roux.

Speech and Communication Patterns

Liana spoke with a distinct Louisiana accent and a warm, rough vocal texture described as “honey over gravel.” Her speech was direct and socially attentive. She asked practical questions, used familiar forms of address such as ‘’boy’’ and ‘’baby’‘, and moved easily between straightforward concern and dry teasing.

Physical Characteristics

During Logan’s first meeting with her, Liana was described as approximately five feet five inches tall, full-figured, and deep brown-skinned. She wore her long curls and coils in a high twist and greeted him with a firm handshake and a wide smile. She later wore gold hoop earrings during breakfast with the group.

Family and Core Relationships

Grandmother

Liana’s grandmother remained the clearest documented member of her New Orleans family. Liana recalled her grandmother’s Sunday gumbo, the long process of making roux, and the look that ensured no one burned it twice.

Logan Weston and the Howard Crew

Marcus introduced Liana to Logan during the group’s first meal together. Liana welcomed him into the table, checked that he and the others returned safely to their residence hall, shared meals and study sessions with him, and recognized his difficulty setting limits when people asked for help. She and the other members of the Howard circle treated Logan as a peer and included him in the group’s teasing.

Memorable Quotes

“I’ve fit eight people at a four-top at my grandma’s house. This is nothing.”

(Liana making room for the group at Oohh’s & Aahh’s.)

“Was she asking because she needed tutoring, or because she heard about you?”

(Liana identifying why a tutoring request unsettled Logan Weston.)

“You don’t have to say yes just because somebody asks.”

(Liana reminding Logan that a request did not create an obligation.)

“This playlist is forty songs about emotional devastation.”

(Liana teasing Logan during a study session.)

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Black Characters Black American Characters