FUN FACTS.
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I am an expert gift wrapper
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I love all citrus fruits; conversely, I do not like melons of any kind
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Regrettably, I am allergic to flowers and live Christmas trees
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I have to have a book when I travel, and sometimes I bring extras as backups
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My favorite month is October, and I love all things pumpkins
bio.
As a first-generation college graduate and nationally recognized thought leader, La'Tonya “LT” Rease Miles, Ph.D., has been instrumental in establishing successful programs for first-generation students at both UCLA and Loyola Marymount University. Recognized by Influential Women for her leadership and impact, LT is an author, speaker, and co-founder of My Tribe Media, where she advances more nuanced and expansive narratives about first-generation college students, transfer students, community college students, and adult learners. She regularly advises institutions on the first-generation college experience and champions creative approaches to storytelling, student success, and the hidden curriculum of higher education.
LT earned a Ph.D. in American literature from UCLA. Her research and creative interests include the hidden curriculum in higher education, narratives about the first-generation college experience, and representations of first-generation students in popular culture and mass media. Her memoir, Smart Girl: A First-Gen Origin Story (2025), explores her own educational journey through family, sports, music, and popular culture. She is also the editor of Amplifying Voices of First-Generation Black College Students and co-editor of First Gen & Juice: Exploring First-Gen College Student Narratives in Pop Culture & Mass Media.
Across her scholarship, writing, and public work, LT is particularly interested in whose stories get told, who gets seen, and how expanding the narrative can change the way institutions understand and support students.
Further, LT is passionate about NBA basketball, college football, Friday Night Lights, and The Flash.
INSPIRATIONS.
