LaNaiah Frieson

Class of 2026
Major in Psychology; Minor in Education

Hello! I am the co-director for Duke’s oldest Black Student Group, United in Praise Gospel Choir, the historian for the Lambda Omega chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, an actress apart of Duke’s Hoof ‘N Horn, and a member of both Outreach and Service Committees for Black Student Alliance and Black Women’s Union. Furthermore, I have been apart of the Bass Connections Research Team led by Dr. Tamar Kushnir and Dr. Sarah Gaither, partnering with the Museum of Life and Science to research how to Increase Children’s Sense of Belongingness in STEM. In the future, I hope to work as a Developmental Psychologist and bridge the gender and race-related diagnoses gap for Black girls with undiagnosed ADHD and ASD who would be susceptible to discrimination in the classroom. In my free time, I like to relax by reading, listening to music, writing poems, and crocheting my own clothes!

Favorite Class: I loved taking Black Music, Art, and Poetry with Professor Nicholas Irion because it was laden with a foundation of celebrating African American heritage while commemorating the use of the arts as leverage for change, healing, and hope. It encompassed everything I aspire to instill in others as I work toward becoming a developmental psychologist focused on building up children and their communities.