Five of FAMU’s Under 40 honorees pose with their awards during the gala at Gaither Gymnasium. Pictured from left are Wayne King Jr., Flavia Kanyago, Candra J. Williams, Kevicia A. Brown and Terry Waters. (Nia Sessions/The FAMUAN)
Florida A&M University honored 40 alumni for their professional achievements and community impact at the Under 40 gala during homecoming week.
Live music filled Gaither Gymnasium on Thursday, Oct. 22, as family and friends gathered to celebrate the honorees.
The recognition offered an opportunity to reflect on how FAMU shaped their journeys and how they hope to inspire the next generation.
Alonda Thomas, FAMU’s chief marketing and communications officer, said selection criteria included professional accomplishments, community involvement and a history of giving to the university.
“By recognizing these young alums, I hope it inspires the next generations of graduates coming behind them to recognize that the sky is the limit in terms of what they can accomplish,” Thomas said.
For Courtney Thrower, a first-generation college graduate who entered FAMU in 2006, the recognition marked a full-circle moment.
He earned three degrees from Florida A&M University: a bachelor’s in health science in 2010, a master’s in occupational therapy in 2013 and a doctorate in educational leadership in 2025.
“I’m just blessed and grateful to be a Black man that beat the odds and can continue to uplift and pull others along throughout my journey,” Thrower said.
Thrower credited FAMU with helping him develop the confidence to pursue opportunities in health care, professional dance and higher education. He said seeing Black professionals across disciplines helped him recognize his own possibilities.
“You know, the academic part is important, but the life skills and the life lessons you learn is so much more valuable than anything you can learn in the textbooks,” Thrower said.
For Shaqueria Myrick, a 2017 public relations graduate, becoming an Under 40 honoree fulfilled a goal she had placed on her professional vision board. Myrick serves as communications and marketing manager at the Florida Manufactured Housing Association and is the CEO of Purple Print Media Group.
Myrick said she spent the past year intentionally building connections and pursuing opportunities to grow personally and professionally. Receiving the recognition affirmed those efforts.
“It just shows me that my determination, my grit, my passion, it can move me to the top and it definitely can put me in rooms and spaces where I deserve and everything that I set out to do, I can get done,” Myrick said.
The full list of FAMU’s 2026 Under 40 honorees can be found here.