McNeese Student Lakyn Thomas Editor of Poke Press

McNeese State University is honoring Black History Month by spotlighting students, faculty and alumni.
Lakyn Thomas, a junior from Oberlin, is the editor of the student newsletter Poke Press and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (AKA.)
Nellie May Quanders, a founder of AKA who incorporated it and shared it across the nation, is an inspiration to Lakyn. An activist in the early part of the 1900s for black women’s rights, Nellie lead a group of black women from Howard University in the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade. Lakyn is using her own voice on campus as a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the NAACP, and the Black Male Initiative, where she is a moderator for the mental health panel event for Black History Month.
Maintaining such a busy schedule can be stressful, and Lakyn relies on God, her family and her line sisters to keep her encouraged, positive and grateful. A mass communications major, Lakyn plans to work in public relations for an international company specializing in social media and content strategy.
“McNeese may not be an HBCU, but it’s a great school in terms of better self-development, academic excellence, and is growing to be more culturally inclusive everyday,” Lakyn says to encourage other black students to attend McNeese. “Give it a chance! There’s plenty of opportunity to create your own legacy here!”
Want more stories like this one sent straight to your inbox every week? Sign up for our McNeese eNewsletter!
The Office of Marketing and Communications
4205 Ryan Street
Lake Charles, LA 70609
337-475-5640
communications@mcneese.edu