Freshman to junior, Stukes makes her mark

“I didn’t know what to expect,” says Claflin’s Mikiya Stukes.

Stukes, from Denmark, S.C., began her college career in fall 2022 at Claflin, majoring in criminal justice. She says she was faced with a fear of the unknown when coming to the university.

“Some things I found hard transitioning was asking myself would I fit in or be accepted,” said Stukes about the transition from high school to college.

“I felt as if I was missing something,” she said when asked about her participation on Claflin’s women’s club basketball team. Stukes has spent majority of her life participating in competitive basketball and I have even had the honor of playing alongside her for a year.

Stukes informed me that she felt something was missing and knew it was her true love, basketball. Stukes tried out for the team and earned the spot of shooting guard.

Stukes has displayed a strong effort in not only her athletics but in the classroom, moving from a freshman to a junior in the span of a school year. Of course when hearing of all these accomplishments for such a young person, we all have the same question: “How?”

“At first it was hard,” Stukes said when asked how she juggles the team, school and a social life. Practice for the Lady Panther club team went on from 8 to 10 p.m. and Stukes said she would often be too tired after practice to do any work.

The social life aspect didn’t seem to be much of an issue for Stukes as she was able to find dependable friends in her teammates. “… It really didn’t cut into my social life because it is something I love to do.”

Stukes has displayed great effort in all the activities she has participated in at the university: the talent show, the women’s club team, and academically. She has a driving power behind her.

“My motivation for everything is my grandma!” the rising junior said. “I just know I’m making her proud and she’s smiling down on me.”