Gregory Suber '20

Gregory Suber graduated in 2020 from the Patterson School and received the Stempel Award for displaying the strongest performance on the comprehensive exams. Prior to attending UK, Greg completed a year of service with AmeriCorps in Columbus, Ohio. He worked within the Columbus City School District for their College Access program. Greg is originally from Delaware, Ohio and attended McAllister College in St. Paul, Minnesota for his undergraduate degree. The Patterson School was a fitting choice for Greg. During his time working with AmeriCorps, he was able to explore and educate himself on different graduate school options. The University of Kentucky stood out to him due to the small class sizes, diverse base of professors, and strong extracurricular activities. Greg’s mother also attended UK, so it was a natural fit. Upon arriving in Lexington in the fall of 2019, Greg realized that his best bet at success was to create a strong bond with his cohort. The cohort quickly created a WhatsApp group chat to get to know each other and started exchanging ideas. This platform allowed for their bond to continue even after Covid-19 hit and forced the university to become entirely virtual. Greg’s favorite course was Politics of the Global-South taught by Dr. Gregory Hall. The coursework was beneficial as a development major, but the discussions between students and with Dr. Hall provided an even wider breath of knowledge. Greg’s advice to incoming Patterson students is simple, “Don’t give imposter syndrome any mind.” Graduate School can be an intimidating endeavor for anyone. He personally struggled with this feat, but found solace knowing that his classmates also felt the pressure. Greg encourages future students to take advantage of everything UK has to offer from excursions and war gaming to engaging with your fellow classmates. Finishing his degree at the Patterson School provides the next piece in the puzzle. In early 2021, Greg passed the first part of the Foreign Service Exam and is aiming to obtain a job within the public sector. He believes that “building up requisite experience before moving to the private sector will create a better understanding of how non-profits work within our government.” He is also passionate about refugee and humanitarian rights.  Greg is looking forward to the challenge and hopes that the United States can return to higher numbers of diplomatic overtures in the near future.