Meet Ibeth Morales, '21 Alum

Ibeth Morales, known affectionately by staff and classmates as "Iby", is originally from Panama. She first came to the United States on a scholarship to attend Midway University for her undergraduate studies. Her bachelor’s degree was in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting and a minor in Psychology. During her junior year at Midway, she completed a study abroad program in Vietnam. Ibeth chose to travel to Vietnam due to her interest in Asian culture and development. The experience broadened her perception of the global economy and drove her decision to apply to graduate school.

Before applying to the Patterson School, Ibeth spent a year working for BB&T as a branch banker for a year. Her position allowed her to engage with the local community through outreach events and interact closely with those needing financial assistance. Ibeth has a passion for helping others and found great value in connecting those in need with financial services that would benefit them. After a year at BB&T, she began her graduate program at Patterson focused on commerce and diplomacy. She chose to pursue her higher education degree at Patterson after speaking with current students, gaining a better understanding of how interactive the program is, and the career options that would be available to her after graduation.

Since joining the program last fall, Ibeth feels that “the Patterson School has increased my knowledge in several areas and has helped to create a more comprehensive picture of the world around me.” She has gained a deeper sense of global politics, foreign policies, and conflict resolution. Her favorite class thus far has been Politics of the Global South taught by Dr. Gregory Hall. This class has given Ibeth “an understanding of the roots of the problems that the region faces today and why these problems have been so difficult to solve over time.”

In the future, Ibeth hopes to combine her lived experiences growing up in Panama with her education to better serve her country. She said, “Panama has so much potential for development, but it is hard to make an impact or create change unless you are involved in politics.” Therefore, she hopes to pursue political positions and one day be the President of Panama.

She recommends future students dive into their education at the Patterson School by taking advantage of the extracurricular programs and by engaging with professors and classmates. “Your classmates may be going through the same struggles.” Ibeth ended the interview saying, “never forget to take care of yourself and remember that coffee and grad school go together as naturally as exams and exhaustion!”