This past week, I had the opportunity to interview a student leader, a dedicated staff member, and a professor to truly learn what makes Langston University special. All three shared how Langston’s legacy of excellence, leadership, and community continues to shape lives every day. From inspiring classrooms to empowering campus organizations, these stores reflected the deep sense of pride that runs through Langston. Their passion reminded me that Langston isn’t just a university. It’s a family built on growth, service, and purpose.
First, I spoke with Terrence Keys II, a senior majoring in business management from Chicago, Illinois. An excellent student leader on campus, Keys serves as the student engagement and leadership intern for the Office of Student Life, as well as the Langston National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) activities coordinator. Keys is a Spring 2025 initiate of the Phi Psi chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. During the 2024-25 school year, he served as the Student Government Association Activities Coordinator. This past summer, Keys was invited to participate in the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP) Student Leadership Institute, representing the Langston National Pan-Hellenic Council, and was also named a member of the first-ever class of social influencers for the institute.
When I asked Keys about Langston’s strong legacy as a HBCU he said, “Once you look at the story of Langston, it’s history of perseverance, it’s a story of strength and it’s a story of individuals trying to do what it takes to make a better place for them and when I realized that these three things are something that’s personal to me as an individual.”
Keys explained how he realized Langston University was truly a home for him, “I realized it was a home for me because even the origin story of Langston University the townspeople doing a bake sale and raising a couple thousand dollars to start the first class is a story of people trying to just do better. So for me, it was just understanding that perseverance and kind of tying that perseverance to myself, and once I made that connection, I fell in love with Langston.”
When I mentioned Langston’s sense of pride and family, and I asked how he experienced it himself while being here he said, “I’ve experienced it a lot because just really homecoming is the best sense of family and pride that we see, seeing all these alumni come back and just embrace what they used to be — that to me is one of the best parts about being at the university like this.”
Then I talked to Professor Marlon Ladd Edwards, an English professor who teaches English Comp 1, Comp 2, advanced comp, and a literature and film class. Edwards originally attended the University of Memphis and Roy State College, but then transferred to Langston in his junior year to pursue basketball. He joined the Beta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated in the spring of 93 as a graduating senior, where he earned his Bachelor’s in English, graduating cumme laude, and he returned in 99 for his Master’s.
When I asked Edwards what inspired him to return to Langston as a professor, he said, “One of my frat brothers. I had already started teaching a little bit — this is funny too — I never wanted to be a teacher. My dad was a professor like all of his life and he retired as a professor I wanted to go to law school be an FBI agent, play in the NBA, be an actor an a filmmaker … I did almost everything that I wanted to do but what I learned over the years is, it’s important to help people in this life and that’s what you’ll be remembered for not for how much money you have who your friends are, but who have helped along the way.”
He went on to explain how he got his position, “So my frat brother, who works in the English department, Mr. Love, he was like Hey man, we got a position open, you need to come on down here. It wasn’t a ‘are you interested?’ It was you need to come on down here, and so I knew what that meant … I talked to Dr. Ruth Jackson, at the time she was vice president, we had a really long conversation. It was really good, so I decided this is where I needed to be.”
Lastly, I talked with Kara Lewis, who works for the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. She is an administrative assistant and Education Preparation Program (EPP) coordinator. She followed family footsteps to Langston, and she continued in their traditions as she joined the Beta Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority Inc. in the spring of 2001, following her grandma, aunt, and two older sisters.
I asked Lewis what her most memorable moment or lesson was at Langston. She stated,” The most memorable moment, of course, is when I crossed the Beta Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. There were 30 ladies on my line, and we designed the pyramid. I came up with a blueprint, and it is out there today.”
When talking to Lewis, I was curious to know what inspired her to return to Langston for work. She said, “Well, I always wanted to return. There was always something that I wanted to do after I graduated, and I went out into the world to work. My goal was to come back here to give what I received out there to help students get internships, scholarships, and just to help us, and this is the place that I could do after I had some tenure in the world or becoming seasoned out there to come back to say hey, this is what you need to do. This is what they’re looking for because I didn’t want them students to leave blind and not know what the real deal was out there if they were looking for work.”
Through their words, it’s clear that Langston University continues to uphold its legacy of leadership and excellence. Keys, Edwards, and Lewis emphasize the sense of pride and purpose that come with life on the hill. Their experiences reflect how Langston prepares students not only for successful careers but also for lifelong service and impact. As the university continues to grow, its mission remains the same: to inspire, educate, and lead the next generation of Langston Lions.
Isaiah Price
Isaiah Price is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Dallas, Texas. Price is a 4th-generation Langston student, and the reason he became a journalist is to one day own a broadcast journalism company and spread accurate and fair news. The work we do matters because Langston has a negative perspective of the outside world, and the reason he joined the Gazette was to spread a positive message about Langston. His favorite hobbies are the gym, listening to music, and playing video games. If you want to reach out to him about a story, dm on insta @_isaiah_price
