Alberta Granger attended Florida A&M University in the early 1970s and pledged as an Alpha Kappa Alpha. At age 21, she was married and had a daughter while attending school.
Granger later became a state employee, but she also owned and managed a daycare for 30 years. She’s currently retired and now coaches people about assisted living facilities.
Her daughter, Apryl Lynn, also went to FAMU and pledged AKA. She obtained her doctorate in mathematics and currently works as a math teacher and Realtor. This is the background that shapes current SGA Vice President, Alexys Lynn.
“She made sure we were disciplined,” Lynn said about her mother. Lynn thanks her mother for the tough love she provided, which she uses as a drive and motivator in her activities.
“She made us work hard,” Lynn said.
Lynn, is a junior journalism major and pledged AKA in the fall of 2019. Lynn’s first SGA position was the deputy of communications, three years ago. She caught the attention of Denver Smith, a former SGA chief of staff who saw fit to include her in the organization.
Lynn faced criticism about her age given that at 17 she was the youngest student leader in the organization. However, she credits her success to the mentality ingrained in her by her mother. Lynn worked her way up to other positions with SGA including secretary of state. In this capacity, she conducted tours, meet and greets for the SGA and founded a radio show called “SGA Talks” on WANM FM.
“Alexys is a great mentor… she does a lot of different things that impact the university in a very positive way. It’s things that we need,” said Ricky Rodriguez, associate justice of the student traffic court. “She taught me that things will always fall in place if you work hard enough.”
As a sophomore, Lynn reintroduced “FAMU Relay for Life,” a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that also promotes support for cancer survivors and public awareness.
As chairwoman for Relay for Life, Lynn’s goal was $10,000 and $16,000 was raised. She’s established a goal of $20,000 for this year and says more students and organizations are supporting because of last year’s success.
She says students can look forward to several other events during her tenure. One is a “speed dating” event for entrepreneurs on campus so they can network and promote their work. Lynn is also planning an event to help students achieve career success through workshops in job preparation and in partnership with corporations with local branches.
Juvares Jackson, a graduate senator in SGA, said of Lynn that “she is definitely approachable … she does whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Lynn intends to pursue her master’s at FAMU along with a law degree. She plans to launch her non-profit called Zandria’s Place after earning her degree. Her motivation is the work of her grandmother who helped parents with little means and with foster or troubled children through her daycare. With her non-profit, her goal is to provide a safe space for disenfranchised and abused young women to learn skills, get counseling and mentorship and caretaking.
“I have to work hard to keep up my family legacy… I have to keep it up.” Lynn said.
She became vice president after the resignation of Natalie Antenor earlier this semester. She had served as chief of staff for student body president Rochard Moricette.