Kayla Thomas Receives Child Development Award

Graduating Senior, Kayla Thomas, holds the plaque which lists the recipients of the Karyn Purvis Award for Outstanding Achievement

Graduating Senior Kayla Thomas (Child Development, BS and Biology, BA) is the 2022 Recipient of the Karyn Purvis Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Established in 2020, the Karyn Purvis Award for Outstanding Achievement is given to an undergraduate and/or graduate student who has made significant contribution to the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) through education, outreach, or research and exhibits the potential to change the world for children.

Kayla Thomas presents her research at the Michael and Sally McCracken Annual Student Research Symposium

During her time in the TCU Child Development Program, Kayla volunteered for ACH Child and Family Services, predominantly in the Youth in Families Together Program by facilitating TBRI Nurture Groups. Kayla was also selected as a 2022 Departmental Senior Scholar through the TCU Department of Psychology. She is a student of the John V. Roach Honors College, a McNair Program Scholar, and a STEM Scholar. Kayla is also active in her sorority and is a hip-hop dancer.

Kayla’s contributions and achievements go beyond TCU. She founded of the mentoring program, Molding Melanin Magic, which serves minority high school students who want to attend college and enter the STEM Field. She recruited TCU student mentors and met with high school youth every month to discuss topics such as the college application process, financial aid, mental health, and healthy relationships. Kayla also developed a sustainability plan so the program can continue beyond her graduation this month.

“While Kayla is highly accomplished academically, what stands out most to me is her geniuine sense of compassion, her dedication to
helping others, and the careful detail she puts into everything,” says Dr. Casey Call, KPICD Associate Director of Education. “She is a joy to be around and inspires others to be better.”

Kayla plans to pursue medical school in the future.

 

 

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