“Avila taught me applications, not hypotheticals.”

Tekia Thompson is currently working as the Director of Communications—Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, High Plains Division. She develops and implements the media plans, templates, press releases, and print packages that allow 720 different Relay for Life events to take place in local communities to raise money for cancer research. The states she works with include Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Hawaii and Guam.  In addition to her job responsibilities, she is on the Board of Directors for the American Marketing Association, Kansas City Chapter. She is also involved in YouthFriends and the Kansas City Metro Communications Advisory Team.  She credits Avila with the preparation that allowed her to get her job, and her coursework at Avila for inspiring the idea that she could work for a non-profit organization.