{"id":27346,"date":"2024-04-19T15:33:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T19:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2024\/04\/19\/nc-state-creatives-ashtyn-thomas\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T22:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T02:55:15","slug":"nc-state-creatives-ashtyn-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2024\/04\/19\/nc-state-creatives-ashtyn-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"NC&#160;State Creatives: Ashtyn Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To first-year architecture student Ashtyn Thomas, design represents possibility and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inspired by her father who works in construction, she chose to pursue architecture in 11th grade. Now, she&#8217;s building her community at NC State with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/nasa-ncsu.carrd.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Native American Student Association<\/a> and the Office of<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.ncsu.edu\/msa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Multicultural Student Affairs<\/a> (MSA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;My Lumbee identity impacts every aspect of who I am,&#8221; states Thomas. &#8220;Not just when I speak about it to others, but it also impacts my abilities as a designer.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, she&#8217;s designing a structure meant for the North Carolina Museum of Art that embraces native culture using the <a href=\"https:\/\/aktalakota.stjo.org\/lakota-culture\/native-american-four-directions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">four directions<\/a> &#8211; a significant symbol in many native cultures. &#8220;I want to use my culture to show that we&#8217;re still here, we&#8217;re prominent in the world, and we&#8217;re thriving.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas is also exploring how casino design can have a positive effect on indigenous communities, using the Catawba tribe&#8217;s casino as a case study for her aspirations. &#8220;I&#8217;ve seen how casinos can directly impact native communities, especially ones in very remote locations,&#8221; she says. &#8220;For the Catawba, they can provide housing, they can provide funding for schools and healthcare. They&#8217;re much better off.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas also stated she would love to design a casino for her tribe since the Lumbee don&#8217;t have one yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2023, Thomas was crowned Miss Lumbee &#8211; an honor that asks nominees to develop a platform for cultural advocacy. Ashtyn developed R.I.S.E., which stands for Resilient and Intelligent Young Women Supporting Empowerment. The initiative is designed to help advance the pursuit of STEM careers by young Indigenous women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the College of Design, she plans to continue her advocacy to create spaces that provide economic stability, cultural enrichment and resilience for indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2023\/11\/01\/representing-an-amalgamation-of-peoples\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2023\/11\/01\/representing-an-amalgamation-of-peoples\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"highlight__image wp-image-35486\" alt=\"Ashtyn Thomas, Miss Lumbee 2023, looks over her shoulder at the camera while wearing the Miss Lumbee crown.\" src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/miss-lumbee-screengrabs-9-1.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Representing an Amalgamation of Peoples<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">Ashtyn Thomas never imagined she would be crowned Miss Lumbee 2023 on the same stage countless Lumbee women graced before her. This July, just one month prior to moving to Raleigh as a first-year NC\u00a0State student, Thomas won her second Lumbee title. Now, she serves as an ambassador while balancing her responsibilities as an architecture student in the College of Design.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Read her full <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>story&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n\n<p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2024\/04\/19\/nc-state-creatives-ashtyn-thomas\/\">originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header {\"block\":\"ncst\/default-post-header\"} -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-post-header {\"displayCategoryID\":387,\"featuredVideoURL\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mZ0XClRN7cY\",\"showFeaturedVideo\":true} \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>To first-year architecture student Ashtyn Thomas, design represents possibility and opportunity.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Inspired by her father who works in construction, she chose to pursue architecture in 11th grade. Now, she's building her community at NC State with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/nasa-ncsu.carrd.co\/\">Native American Student Association<\/a> and the Office of<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.ncsu.edu\/msa\/\"> Multicultural Student Affairs<\/a> (MSA).<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\"My Lumbee identity impacts every aspect of who I am,\" states Thomas. \"Not just when I speak about it to others, but it also impacts my abilities as a designer.\"<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Right now, she's designing a structure meant for the North Carolina Museum of Art that embraces native culture using the <a href=\"https:\/\/aktalakota.stjo.org\/lakota-culture\/native-american-four-directions\/\">four directions<\/a> - a significant symbol in many native cultures. \"I want to use my culture to show that we're still here, we're prominent in the world, and we're thriving.\"<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Thomas is also exploring how casino design can have a positive effect on indigenous communities, using the Catawba tribe's casino as a case study for her aspirations. \"I've seen how casinos can directly impact native communities, especially ones in very remote locations,\" she says. \"For the Catawba, they can provide housing, they can provide funding for schools and healthcare. They're much better off.\" <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Thomas also stated she would love to design a casino for her tribe since the Lumbee don't have one yet.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In 2023, Thomas was crowned Miss Lumbee - an honor that asks nominees to develop a platform for cultural advocacy. Ashtyn developed R.I.S.E., which stands for Resilient and Intelligent Young Women Supporting Empowerment. The initiative is designed to help advance the pursuit of STEM careers by young Indigenous women. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>At the College of Design, she plans to continue her advocacy to create spaces that provide economic stability, cultural enrichment and resilience for indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/highlight {\"teaser\":\"Ashtyn Thomas never imagined she would be crowned Miss Lumbee 2023 on the same stage countless Lumbee women graced before her. This July, just one month prior to moving to Raleigh as a first-year NC\u00a0State student, Thomas won her second Lumbee title. Now, she serves as an ambassador while balancing her responsibilities as an architecture student in the College of Design.\",\"callToAction\":\"Read her full story\",\"imageID\":35486} -->\n<aside class=\"wp-block-ncst-highlight with-image\"><h2 class=\"highlight__label\">Related<\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2023\/11\/01\/representing-an-amalgamation-of-peoples\/\" class=\"highlight__link\" data-ua-cat=\"Highlight Block\" data-ua-action=\"Story Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2023\/11\/01\/representing-an-amalgamation-of-peoples\/\"><div class=\"highlight__image-container\"><div class=\"highlight__image-background\"><img class=\"highlight__image wp-image-35486\" alt=\"Ashtyn Thomas, Miss Lumbee 2023, looks over her shoulder at the camera while wearing the Miss Lumbee crown.\" src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/miss-lumbee-screengrabs-9-1.jpg\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"highlight__text-container\"><h3 class=\"highlight__heading\">Representing an Amalgamation of Peoples<\/h3><p class=\"highlight__teaser\">Ashtyn Thomas never imagined she would be crowned Miss Lumbee 2023 on the same stage countless Lumbee women graced before her. This July, just one month prior to moving to Raleigh as a first-year NC\u00a0State student, Thomas won her second Lumbee title. Now, she serves as an ambassador while balancing her responsibilities as an architecture student in the College of Design.<\/p><p class=\"highlight__cta\"><span>Read her full <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>story&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/a><\/aside>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/highlight -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To first-year architecture student Ashtyn Thomas, design represents possibility and opportunity. In addition to celebrating her Lumbee identity and community, she is using her passion to design spaces that provide economic stability, cultural enrichment and resilience for indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":27347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34],"class_list":["post-27346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-277"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27346"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28839,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27346\/revisions\/28839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}