The College of Business’ IT Coordinator Lekeshia Parker, ’12, has jumped into her new role with both feet, but that’s hardly surprising, given her experience jumping for the 2007-08 women’s track and field roster.
“It feels great to be back on campus,” Parker said. “I’ve been wanting to work at NIU for years now, but I didn’t have the experience needed for the roles, so I continued to work where I needed to, to gain the experience and then I circled back.”
After earning her art degree in 2012, Parker made the switch to IT at Best Buy as a Geek Squad manager while taking continuing education courses.
“I learned about repairs and software during that time. While working at Best Buy, I grew to love technology. I played with everything in the store every day, and I was intrigued by how things worked, which led me to doing a lot of research in my spare time on certain technology just for my knowledge. So, from that point on, I always looked for roles that would be in IT because I enjoyed working with it and liked explaining how things work to other people.”
She stayed there for seven years before taking IT roles at Celebrity Home Loans and eventually Bowlero Corporation before moving to her current role. In her position at NIU, she supports all technology at the College of Business, helping faculty, staff and students work seamlessly.
“I believe the fun part about my new role is the environment. It’s so welcoming and relaxing,” she said. “I really love coming to work every day. I also like that I am learning new things about technology just within the first few weeks.”
Having found the role she worked toward for years, Parker is proud of the work she’s done and affirmed by the role’s great fit.
“Each day that I come to work the staff reassures me that I was perfect for the role, saying that they are happy I am here,” she said, adding that this kind of validation feels great.
Parker grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Ida B. Wells Housing Project. As a child, she was very athletic, smart and shy.
“I always got straight As, so I attended all the honor roll parties and outings that were provided by the school and, in high school, I was a part of the National Honor Society. I always wanted to be an Olympian for Team USA, but I loved art so graphic design was my second option. As child I thought I would be either running in the Olympics or playing for the WNBA. I never thought about a career in technology because sports were always my first love.”
Parker noted that she played basketball, softball and track as a child and in high school. She was a city champion for high jump her junior and senior year and state sectional champ her senior year.
When it came time to choose a college, Parker chose NIU because it was close to home.
“I never really traveled much from my area, so when choosing a school, I decided that NIU would be best for me. I also had a great time during the college visit and a few of my good friends got accepted to NIU, so I wanted to go somewhere where I knew people,” she said.
Parker’s time on the NIU track team helped make her college years full of new experiences.
“My experience with the track team was wonderful. It really taught me how to multitask and balance life,” she said. “When I first came to NIU, I struggled with trying to maintain my GPA, run track and have a social life. The coaches and the staff for the athletic department really cared about my future but they also cared that I also enjoy college. Anytime I needed to talk or seek their guidance, their doors were always open to help me. I believe that playing sports on a collegiate level really prepares you for the real world. I am very organized, driven and a great leader. That is because of track.”
While there were plenty of great times to choose from, Parker’s favorite college memory is her graduation day.
“Graduation was important to me because I was a first-generation college graduate in my family and also because I had my daughter during my junior year, which made things hard but not impossible,” she said. “So, it was important to me that I completed my degree, given the circumstances, for my daughter.”
In addition to her IT work, Parker spends most of her time with her family, especially her daughter Amaya and two boys, Evan and Elijah.
“Just like me, my children love sports, so any free time is spent at practices and games,” she said, adding that her son plays soccer, and her daughter plays volleyball and runs track, winning the title of state champion last year with her 4×100-meter relay team and state sectional champ in the 100-meter dash.
Even as Parker starts a new chapter of her career, she cannot help but feel she is right back where she belongs — helping Huskies like her to have a smooth shift to college and a professional career.
“What makes NIU special is that there are so many options for majors as well as extracurricular activities. There are great professors here as well as coaches that really have your back and want to see you succeed,” she said. “I would suggest NIU to students because they have a great program where they help you transition into college. There are so many resources to assist you through your journey that you won’t have to feel alone or lost.”
