Ukari Figgs (ME’99) is one of the most accomplished athletes in Purdue history. Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, in 1977, Figgs was an immensely talented basketball player in high school. In 1995, she led her high school team to a state championship and earned the title of Kentucky’s Miss Basketball the same year. During the 1998–99 […]
Lamar Lundy (HHS’57) arrived at Purdue in 1953 from Richmond, Indiana. At 6 feet 7 inches and 200 pounds, he was a dominant presence in both basketball and football. A three-time letter winner, Lundy was named Most Valuable Player in both sports during his senior year. On the basketball court, Lundy played center for the […]
Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Viveca Fairbanks-Henderson (ECE’90) recalls being homesick when she initially came to Purdue as a freshman. “It was difficult to be away from my family in the middle of cornfields,” Fairbanks-Henderson says. “My parents reminded me that it was only four years of my life that would enable me to have the […]
Antoinette Rayburn (LA’92) arrived at Purdue from a self-described sheltered life of suburban Chicago. Although she wasn’t fully prepared for the reality of Purdue, she soon connected with other students and found a sense of community. “There was so much love and understanding because we were such a close-knit family — a school, within a […]
While Daryle Whyte (ECE’91) has enjoyed tremendous professional success at big name companies — Amazon, IBM, and Wells Fargo Bank to name a few — the road to success wasn’t always obvious. “Purdue was a lesson in staying the course,” comments Whyte. After his sophomore year, Whyte began to have doubts about whether or not […]
Linda Jo Mitchell (LA’69) was born in Gary, Indiana, attended Toleston High School in Gary, and later went on to study the humanities at Purdue University. As an undergraduate, Mitchell was very involved in scholastic activities and was an energetic participant in the civil rights movement. As she states, “Talk is therapeutic. Speak frankly, say […]
“I really enjoyed my experience as a Purdue student,” shares Anika Goss (LA’93). “Although the African American student body was very small, the community felt close and supportive.” Today, Goss is using the tools she acquired at Purdue in the city of Detroit. As the executive director of Detroit Future City (DFC), a think-and-do tank, […]
As an undergraduate, Dwana Franklin-Davis (M’01) found the academic standards of Purdue to be rigorous, but they helped prepare her for her future career. She initially enrolled as a computer science major, where she was often the only black woman in class, which made establishing her place in that academic community daunting. “There wasn’t a […]
Cynthia (M’90) and Eric (T’89) Newman are co-owners of the The Newman Group of Indianapolis Inc. and regional vice presidents with Primerica Inc. where they help families make sense of their money. Cornell Bell was a major influence in both Cynthia and Eric’s development, having recruited them to the Business Opportunity Program (BOP) from Lew […]
Alumna embarks on a 500-mile journey to grapple with her devastating diagnosis and advance breast cancer screening for others The pilgrim gripped each stone, one by one, turning it over in her hand. She felt its weight and ran her finger over its surface before laying it gently down at the base of the Cruz […]
