Glenn Wright III: Finding Family, Building a Future at LU

What began as a chance conversation at an HBCU expo became four years of mentorship, leadership, and personal growth for Glenn Wright III, a Class of 2027 junior at Lincoln University of Missouri. He built a life there, finding brotherhood, confidence, and a sense of belonging he didn't know he was looking for.

Then a high school senior at Warren Township High School, Glenn was at an HBCU expo in Chicago when a recruiter named Davion Thomas stopped him and his mom. Thomas told them his own story, what Lincoln University had done for him, professionally and personally. It was exactly what Glenn and his mom were looking for: not just assurance that the academics were solid, but evidence that someone would genuinely invest in him as a person.

When he came to visit Lincoln, the student ambassadors gave him the real ins and outs of campus life, including roommate conflicts, social dynamics, and how to navigate college life. The tour lasted two hours. By the end, Glenn had his answer.

"It made me realize there's a family at Lincoln University," he says. "Like a real family, people here call you out on mistakes but still show love. Friends and staff check up on you, your grades, your mental health, how you're doing. From the first impression I had with a recruiter, it has felt like family."

The people he met along the way left their mark. His advisor kept him thinking ahead about his future. His freshman English professor pushed him to become a stronger writer, and the staff he got to know in offices across campus became people he could actually talk to, not just ask for help.

His engineering courses are genuinely demanding, but the classes are small, and that changes things. "I have a one-on-one professional relationship with my professors," Glenn says. "I can ask for help, get directed to tutors in the library, or ask for deadline extensions, and they adapt to my needs because they want me to succeed."

Seize the Opportunity

If there's one thing Glenn has carried through his time at Lincoln, it's a way of moving through the world: take the opportunity in front of you. You won't always know in advance what it will teach you.

"Whether it's a career fair, a leadership position, or something new, you have to take it," he says. "Because you don't know how it will help you grow or what you'll learn from the experience."

He's lived by that. Alpha Phi Alpha gave him mentorship and brotherhood and pushed him to campaign for a student government position his sophomore year. He said yes. He became a student ambassador, helping recruit the next generation of Blue Tigers the same way he was once recruited, with candor about what Lincoln is actually like. He got out of his comfort zone, again and again, and each time came out more confident.

Of everything he's accomplished here, what he's most proud of is joining his Greek letter organization. The process was one of the harder things he's done, the bonding, the commitment, the sheer volume of work involved in getting there. But the day of the showcase and introduction made all of it worth it.

"My mom said I couldn't stop smiling for two days," Glenn says. "It was a long-term goal I finally accomplished."

It wouldn't be his last. This year, Glenn was elected the 92nd SGA President at Lincoln — the same student government he joined as a sophomore on a nudge from his fraternity brothers, not entirely sure what would come of it. He took the opportunity anyway. He always does.

What Comes Next

After graduation, Glenn plans to pursue a Master's degree before returning to Chicago to work as a civil engineer. He wants to work on the city's infrastructure, its roads, buildings, and bridges, to improve how people move through it. He came from that city. He wants to build it better.

For students just starting out, his advice is direct: get involved. But be intentional about it. "Watch who you hang around with," he says. "Take a step back to observe people and opportunities before you dive in. Don't judge people, but see their tendencies before you fully kick it with them."

He's been doing exactly that for four years. He walked in looking for a family and found one.

Glenn Wright III is a junior civil engineering technology major from Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and has served as a student ambassador for Lincoln University.