Posted on Friday, August 15, 2025
Originally on a different academic path, 2025 graduate Parker Floyd shifted toward a new focus. Through her Political Science work gathering data and seeing its impact on real-world situations, she decided to further her education at Charleston School of Law in South Carolina.
“At first, I majored in Marketing & Entrepreneurship with a minor in Political Science, but I enjoyed Political Science classes so much that I changed my major to Political Science and minor to Business,” she said. “My advisor, Dr. John Tures, generates endless opportunities for his students and promotes their success,” she said. “From getting their articles published to allowing them to present their research at conferences, he demonstrates great confidence and pride in his students.”
Dr. Tures described Floyd as an optimistic student who could power through any task.
“She remains optimistic even when things aren't going perfectly,” he said. “Her presentation at Georgia State University’s graduate student conference was a great combination of statistics and theory, but also adding the personal touch, with the story of her grandfather getting her interested in using consumer confidence as a predictor of elections, which turned out to outperform polls, in her analysis.”
A fresh start
Coming from a larger institution, Floyd said she felt more at home at LaGrange.
“I transferred to LC from Auburn University at the start of the spring 2022 semester,” she said. “Having attended a small private school for middle and high school, being reduced to a number was shocking and made me realize I wanted to attend a smaller school.”
In addition to her academic pursuits, Floyd also participated in Phi Mu, LC Miracle, Panther Activities Committee, New Student Orientation, Softball, the Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars Program, Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and SMILE LC.
She said she learned how to face obstacles during her time as a Servant Scholar and campus leader.
“Joining the Servant Scholars program allowed me to witness firsthand the impact of servant leadership, which essentially means taking a selfless, other-first approach while intentionally listening to the needs of those whom you are serving,” Floyd said. “As the Chapter President of Phi Mu, I approached challenges by asking questions to fully understand the challenge at hand and collaborating with the Executive Committee to find a creative solution.”
Jeff Lukken, Assistant Political Science Professor and Director of Servant Scholars, called Floyd a natural leader.
“She expects the best from those around her, but she is always the first to volunteer and the last to quit,” he said. “Give Parker a project to develop and she will create a vision, organizational structure, enthusiastic team spirit and amazing results.”
During her time at LaGrange, she said the most valuable lesson she learned is that failure is not a setback, but rather an opportunity.
“In college, the occasional failure is inevitable,” Floyd said. “As a freshman, I was afraid to put myself out there, take risks and confront challenges. As time passed, however, I realized that every time I failed, there was a friend, professor, coach, mentor or classmate there to pick me up.”
Why should prospective students attend LC?
“They should come to LC so that they can be a part of a community in which they are known,” she said. “The sense of belonging I felt on the Hill inspired me to ambitiously pursue my goals and dreams.”
Category: Students, Academics
Keywords: Education, Government
