Alumni Spotlight – Lakishia Byrd

Name: Lakishia Byrd

What year did you graduate from Kentucky State? 2001

What have you been up to since graduation? I graduated from Kentucky State with a bachelor’s in chemistry and then in 2013 I received my MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. For the past 15 years I’ve been employed at Eli Lilly and Company, a large Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.  I started my career working in quality control laboratories then I moved to the business side of things working in project management for clinical trial material manufacturing. Currently, I manage clinical supply planning for our global clinical trials in oncology and diabetes. In recent months I have started helping with recruiting, including working with a colleague interested in building a recruitment relationship with Kentucky State, and I look forward to seeing it grow. I am a member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter, SPR.18) and I love serving my church and my community.

What is your best memory or memories at Kentucky State? Laughing non-stop with the group of friends that I made. We called ourselves the Diva Mafia. We have remained connected and have maintained our friendship all these years later. Another great memory was the snowstorm during my freshman year. Classes were canceled due to weather but all the students on campus were out playing in snow. Another memory I have is all the road trips to basketball away games because I considered myself a super fan. Then warm days on the yard hanging out and people watching was great.

What is the most important thing you learned here? Aside from the needed things for graduation, I learned about service and its importance.  I volunteered in Frankfort while in school and it created a spark. I love helping and serving others, especially in the African-American community and youth.  On the building I entered almost daily for my classes it said, “enter to learn, go out to serve,” and that has surely stuck with me!