Rising Stars: Meet Latavia Walker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Latavia Walker. 

Latavia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Meet the Extraordinaire, Latavia Walker. An Educator, Photographer & Visionary 

My name is Latavia Walker, and this is my story. The most impactful event that has shaped who I am today is when my father passed away from a brain aneurysm in 2008. Being that my father was an immigrant to this country, at a young age he made sure to instill the value of hard work and education. In fact, access to a college education was the main reason that my dad came to America. So here I am today, through my father’s inspiration it helped me to discover my “Purpose” in life which is to educate others. Being an educator has always been important to me because I enjoy helping others, cultivating relationships, and creating opportunities for students and families from marginalized communities. As the years have passed, I’ve been granted many opportunities to pursue my purpose and passion through introducing secondary and post-secondary students from diverse backgrounds to college and career readiness. Moreover, I have been able to grow my career in Student Affairs by applying my coursework that is grounded in theory and practice through developing and implementing policies that focus on closing the “Achievement Equity Gap” amongst students that identify with the BIPOC community. 

My collegiate experience began at Western Kentucky University. In 2017, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science with an Emphasis in Education with a minor in Non-Profit Administration. Moreover, in 2019, I graduated with a Master of Arts in Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs from WKU. During my collegiate experience, I was an exceptional leader in the community and on campus. Being a member of a Black lettered Greek-lettered organization, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated has provided me the outlet to serve my community through mentoring and empowering young women to reach their fullest potential. As a lifelong learner, I am currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in the Educational Leadership Program at Northern Kentucky University. As a young black career-driven professional with an extensive background in higher education, my overall goal is to build a successful career in educational consulting. Also, I am a part-time photographer with a specialization in portrait photography. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The personal philosophy that I live by is “what you have been through does not define where you are going.” Growing up and experiencing many life struggles has given me gift of resiliency and grit. Therefore, being able to overcome challenges has been mandatory throughout my career and has motivated me to continue to move upward and onward. There have been many obstacles that I have been encountered throughout my journey such as not being offered positions that would helped heightened my career. Straight out of graduate school, I was discouraged because I struggled finding a position because of lack of “work experience.” However, I did not give up and eventually landed my first job working at a community college leading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion recruitment efforts. Gratefully, a year later I was recruited to apply for a Diversity Coordinator position at a 4-year university that focused on leading outreach, developing large-scale recruitment programs, increasing enrollment amongst diverse learners, and counseling students & families through the post-secondary process. Eventually, with all my hard work it led me into my current role of which is leading a scholarship access program for 200+ first-year college students. I firmly believe that all these wonderful opportunities have prepared me with skills that will be useful towards my lifelong dream which is to become a black business owner one day. Through my business, my ultimate mission is to empower the youth to continue to reach their dreams despite all of the roadblocks they may encounter! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a part-time photographer and full-time educator. I believe DEI, is an integral part of educational success. Some of my professional highlights consist of but not limited to are serving as a Graduate Assistant within the Intercultural Student Engagement Center at WKU. In this role, I advised at-risk and underrepresented students while assisting them with developing realistic student success goals, encouraging them to get connected to campus resources, assessed student progress, and overall served as support to help students overcome their barriers. Next, I served as the Student Life Intern at Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College where I had the chance to supervise 15 student ambassadors in which successfully increased retention by 15% of first-year college students. Following this, I had the chance to serve as the Diversity Recruiter at Gateway Community and Technical College. My primary responsibility was to recruit underrepresented students in the NKY region, serve as the college’s liaison for Cincinnati Public Schools, increase exposure of the college through marketing, and coordinate cultural events. While at NKU, I served as the Diversity Outreach Coordinator within the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. My responsibilities were centered around counseling prospective students and families about their post-secondary options through programming with collaborative efforts from campus and community partners. 

Some of my professional highlights that I extremely proud of are: In 2019, I was selected as an NKY/Cincinnati EMERGE Leader while serving as a Diversity Recruiter. Moreover, in 2021 I was awarded the New Professionals Award from the Kentucky Association of Blacks in Higher Education. Lastly, I received the Unsung Hero Award at NKU’s 2021 A Night of Excellence. 

As a part-time photographer and the CEO of, Photosbylatavia which is operated in the Greater Cincinnati and NKY area. I specialize in fashion photography, family photography, maternity photography, commercial photography, professional headshots, and senior photos. As a natural born talent, I have a passion for developing dreamlike images. My goal is to capture moments that will last forever. With my photography skills, my hopes are to embrace everyone’s uniqueness through a single camera lens! If you’re interested in booking for your photography needs, please visit www.photosbylatavia.com 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My family has been the biggest support in my educational and professional success. My mentors, Dr. Hughey & Dr. Burke have always stood with me throughout my career “You can’t change the whole world, but you can strive to have a positive impact on the lives that you come in contact with!” Therefore, I strive to leave an impact in my community by educating students and families from diverse populations on how to navigate college successfully so they can eventually enter the workforce with a high-quality and high-paying career. 

My grandfather has played a major role by encouraging me to become a freelance photographer. My grandfather is a watercolor artist, and photographer. I have been exposed to art all of my life and it has been a way that I have been a way to express my feelings and showcase my creativity. Also, I am a part of Cincy’s Black photography group. I am hoping to continue to connect with others in the world of photography and to grow as a photographer. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.photosbylatavia.com/ 

Image Credits
Latavia Ali