Category: Feature Stories

Porsha Richardson headshot

A DREAM FULFILLED: A LANGSTON UNIVERSITY NURSING GRADUATE’S JOURNEY

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Jet Turner, Langston University Office of Public Relations

A DREAM IS FOUND

Porsha Richardson had to be strong for her granny.

At 6 years old, going to Granny’s house after school was the norm. But when Porsha eagerly opened the door, she did not see Granny on the couch or in the kitchen; instead, Porsha heard her call from the bedroom.

Even though she knew Granny was sick, Porsha could not help but feel thrilled to be back in the bedroom with her. Porsha learned how to play Solitaire and Go-Fish in the room-filling king-sized bed Granny would be resting in. Granny’s bright smile always shined in her memories.

But as she walked into the bedroom, Porsha did not see card games strewn across the bed. Granny was not smiling.

“Come here Porsha, I need your help,” Granny said.

Granny was laying toward the foot of the bed. One leg dangling off the footboard, the other wrapped in a bandage.

“I need you to be strong for me, Porsha,” Granny said. “I need you to put medication on my new scar.”

Granny’s battle with diabetes lead to her having half her leg amputated.

Porsha grabbed the ointment and began to remove Granny’s bandage as instructed. As the cloth fell the fresh stitching revealed itself, traversing Granny’s new leg like train tracks. Porcha looked into the eyes of her Granny, and they pleaded for reassurance. Any apprehension Porsha felt at the time melted away. She knew she could not show Granny the fear that almost overcame her.

Porsha swallowed her final traces of dread and began applying the ointment to her Granny’s new wound.

After the ointment was applied and a bandage was wrapped neatly around the wound, Granny smiled at Porsha.

“You did a great job,” Granny said. “You should consider being a nurse one day.”

Porsha agreed.

A DREAM IS EARNED

When it came time for Porsha Richardson to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse, Langston University was the only choice that made sense. Not only is Richardson the daughter and younger sister of Langston University alumni, but the highly touted School of Nursing and Health Professions drew Richardson to Dear Langston.

As she first walked into her Fundamentals of Nursing class, Richardson knew she was home.

“I was super excited to finally get a chance to be a part of the program, and to go to a school that my father and older sister had also attended,” Richardson said. “My dad was super proud.”

But Richardson quickly found achieving her dream of becoming a nurse was not going to be easy.

Dr. Lynnie Skeen greeted Richardson at the door as she found her seat in the plain classroom. Later, she would begin taking classes with Dr. Teressa Hunter. These professors quickly became mentors to the young nursing major who, initially, only wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse.

“Soon I found out that this is work,” Richardson said. “This is real work. I was not expecting nursing to be hard for me. I was thinking it would be the easiest thing because I always loved it.

“So Dr. Hunter pushed me. She pushed me to be better. She pushed me to be great. She did not settle for just anything. You had to earn every point, and so I earned every point. To this day it means a lot to me that I earned that degree.”

Richardson earned her nursing degree from Langston University in 2005 and was ready for anything the profession could throw at her.

But it was Dr. Skeen who told Richardson to not only consider graduate school but convinced her to be hands-on in her studies and move to Georgia so Richardson could attend her graduate studies in-person.

“I just took Dr. Skeen’s advice,” Richardson said. “If it were not for her, I would not have applied to graduate school. She knew my strengths and continued to invest in me as a student. These are things that I have always admired about the nursing professors at Langston University. The ability to see each individual student as unique individuals who have strengths and abilities that even they themselves may not know of.”

Richardson earned her master’s degree in 2009, from Emory University, in Atlanta, GA.

A DREAM IS HANDED-DOWN

Richardson has owned her own medical practice since 2018. Located in Midwest City, Uptown Medical Center allows her to continue her dream of helping and nurturing patients. During the Fall 2022 semester, Richardson received a phone call from Dr. Hunter.

“Dr. Hunter said she needed a Women’s Health Instructor,” Richardson said. “I ask ‘when do I start?’”

Richardson has always had a heart for service. From nursing her Granny at 6 years old to her medical practice today, she knew it was time to give to the next generation of Langston University nurses.

When it was time to be an adjunct professor at Langston University, Richardson answered the call to teach Childbearing (Women’s Health) and Psychosocial Nursing.

And she never forgot the treatment she received at Langston University. Dear Langston instilled in Richardson and all its nursing majors an unmatched worth ethic that persists throughout their careers. Richardson knows any of her patients can be trusted in the hands of Langston University School of Nursing and Health Sciences graduates. Nursing at Langston is not an easy major, but it will prepare you for the real world.

“I heavily believe in the nursing program at Langston University, and the foundation on which it stands,” Richardson said. “It has changed the trajectory of my life, and so I owe this program a lot. My school needed me, so it was the least I could do to answer the call. My professors and school helped me so much, and I wanted to give that same help back.

“I am still that same nurse that helped my Granny at 6 years old. Taking care of people is what I do, and I love what I do. I am contributing to my community, and I am helping it not only with my medical practice, but by teaching our future nursing students too. I am proud to be a Langston graduate.”

Lindsay Davis

LU GRAD FINDS SUCCESS AS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO OBTAIN PH.D. IN CHEMISTRY FROM UTA

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By Mary Zaragoza, M.S. Ed., Communications and Special Projects Coordinator

LANGSTON, Okla. – Lindsay Davis is a Langston alum from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma who is currently in the final months of her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Texas in Arlington. Lindsay has not only broken barriers for herself but will break a new barrier by being the first African American to graduate with a Ph.D. in chemistry in program history. We sat down with Lindsay to take a deeper look into how Langston impacted her course of success, what her future holds and what she wants young people of color to take away from her experience.

Davis came to find Langston because of tradition; her mom, aunt, and sister all attended Langston. Davis always looked at Langston as a possibility but never practical until she was offered the McCabe Scholarship.

“Being offered that scholarship really sealed the deal for me,” Davis said.

Davis shared that mentors played a huge role in her academia, even if she didn’t know it at the time.

“These people just invested in me,” Davis states, “and they spent so much time helping me find opportunities, so I just want to give back to others. That’s how we keep the cycle going, that’s how we pull each other up.”

Davis worked closely with Dr. Alonzo Peterson and Dr. John Coleman during her time at Langston. She recalls meeting them in the eighth grade through the Math and Science academy.

“I was so excited to go to the Math and Science academy every summer,” Davis exclaims, “I went each summer that I could.”

From there she went on to the bridge program which is where she was first introduced to Chemistry.

“He (Dr. Coleman) recognized that I was pretty strong mathematically and that I had a general interest in chemistry,” Davis shares. “he introduced me even further so I wouldn’t be interested in anything else.”

From then on Davis was filled with confidence and encouragement to pursue a passionate career in chemistry.

When talking about struggles in her journey, Davis says that she was most challenged and taken back by the rigor. Unlike her previous research experience, this was a new kind of dedication. Internships played a large role in preparing Davis for the demands and obligations of her program. Davis said that each summer she obtained internships, each with different roles in Chemistry and that she’s glad she did, it would have been more difficult had she not spent her summers learning. Another struggle Davis spoke of was often being looked over. In the male-dominated field, Davis experienced isolation and not only had to shine as a minority but a female minority.

“We need more people to do it… We need people that look like us to do these things,” Davis says, “Ultimately you never know who you can inspire just by existing.”

Davis says that attending an HBCU was the best decision she made when it came to her education. She thinks everyone should attend an HBCU, “transitioning to a PWI has been kind of hard because not everyone Is as embracing to minorities… at an HBCU there is a greater sense of family and intimacy amongst peers and faculty.” Although Davis’ program is diverse with both international and domestic students, she says there’s nothing like that HBCU bond.

The College of Science, Black Graduate Student Association is an organization that Davis help found at UTA. Isolation played a huge role in her first few years in graduate school but after founding the organization, she has met many more black students in science. She now feels as though she has a sense of community. Davis shares how through the association, she met another black female interested in chemistry. She ended up joining Davis’ lab and will be the second African American to complete the program in school history. Had she not created the organization, she would not have a new friend and peer. Laughing, Davis shared that some of her biggest inspirations are actually black women in STEM on Twitter.

“They’re just hiding on Twitter apparently,” Davis says, “I’ve now been able to connect to these women.”

Since the YouTube story has been released, Davis says that not only has she received messages and notes of encouragement and celebration, but also offers of mentorship and guidance from other black women in STEM.

“They’re professors and where I want to be. This opportunity has opened so many doors for me. I’m grateful for that,” Davis shares.

When asked about how she has stayed motivated for the past six years, her answer was simple.

“For the first part of grad school, I was motivated by the fear of going home. I was too prideful, but towards the later part it was my son. Having my son really changed me and motivated me because not only am I changing my life, I’m changing his life. I want my son to grow up and think of college as a norm, I want him to say he’s going to college,” she answered. “As a woman it was hard, but I’m also a mother. I technically have two full-time jobs. I work during the day and I also take of my son.”

One of her favorite things to do with her son is adventure days. They go on walks; they go to the zoo and they often spend time in the lab so their son can be surrounded by the possibilities of the future. Davis shares how her boss, professors, and peers were supportive and understanding of her role as a mother. They allowed her to bring her newborn son to class often while he was a newborn.

Davis says she has many other interests than just chemistry. She enjoys dressing up, DIY projects, and listening to podcasts. Comedy podcasts, political ones, inspirational talks, and of course chemistry are just the tip of the iceberg for Davis, she hopes to one day start her own podcast so others can hear her story and be inspired to chase their goals.

Davis began to get emotional as we discussed what it meant for her to be looked at as an inspiration to others.

“To be someone’s inspiration is unreal because you don’t understand the impact you can make on someone,” Davis said. “I just feel so honored. Being a black woman in my department is… weird.”

She shares that to finally receive recognition after so often getting looked over is such a blessing.

“So many people didn’t want to work with me or help me and now that I’m here I’m just so grateful,” Davis says her journey has been difficult, but that she wouldn’t necessarily change anything about it. It has molded her into the student, researcher, and mother she is today. “I just want people to know that no matter what happens, you just have to push through,” Davis says. “Personal problems, family issues, stress, a job, they all need to be pushed through. I come back every day no matter what. I come back and keep going.”

Before closing Davis recalls a pivotal time in her journey, “I remember my very first exam (in graduate school). I got a 34%. I failed the exam; I was at the bottom and now I’m here. That’s a part of my story, my testimony. I want people to know that it wasn’t always easy and sometimes it won’t be but if you keep pushing through you can do it.”

When asked about her plans after graduation, Davis says she wants to complete her postdoc so she can be a professor and conduct research. “Wherever I go I want to make an impact. That’s the most important thing.”

Davis is scheduled to walk the stage with her Ph.D. in Chemistry in August 2021.

Junior natural resources major William C. Moore III teaches kids about wildlife during his internship with the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY STUDENT WILD ABOUT SUMMER INTERNSHIP

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By Christina Gray, Media Relations Specialist

Langston University student, William C. Moore III, a junior Natural Resources Major was selected out of three applicants to work as a student intern for the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The Student Conservation Association (SCA) aims to help students find internship opportunities through different environmental government agencies.

During Moore’s freshman year, his Associate Professor in the School of Agriculture and Research, Raymond F. Faucette, Jr., Ph.D. introduced him to a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was this contact that led Moore to apply for the internships.

Moore is currently working with the Environmental Education Specialist to facilitate two environmental camps for local kids in Soldotna, Alaska. ‘Critter Camp’ was geared toward outdoor learning about plants and animals, their habitats, life cycles, and adaptations.

Each day included trail exploration and arts and crafts activities. ‘Get Out and Get Dirty’ camp is a chance for kids to spend time outdoors participating in skill-based exploration of orienteering, plants, birds, fish, and other animals.

During the camp, he taught the kids a nature-related curriculum provided by the program about the salmon life cycle, parts of an insect and salmon migration. He also assists with tasks such as recycling and cleaning trailheads. Moore said the internship has given him the opportunity to receive valuable training and work experience. “I’ve been here for two and a half months and I can truly say that this internship has been a life-changing experience,” said Moore.

“This internship taught me how to work independently. I was able to interact with the employees, try new things, and step outside of my comfort zone.”

Moore is a McCabe Scholar and also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge serves as an anchor for biodiversity on the Kenai Peninsula. Using the best technology available, they ensure that biological health is maximized and human impacts minimize the Refuge staff and partners work together to ensure that biological health is maximized and human impacts. To find more information, visit the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge webpage.

Langston offers more than 38 degree programs, including 5 masters degrees and one doctoral program. Langston University is located 12 miles east of Guthrie, Oklahoma. To learn more about Langston University, please visit the Langston University webpage.

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