Profile

Used in conjuction with Alumni, Faculty and Staff.

Current Student Spotlight: Tori Vestal

Jan 15, 2023

Tori Vestal is a current first year student in the Patterson School. She is majoring in Diplomacy and dually pursuing a certificate in Global Health. She received her BA in Foreign Languages and International Economics from the University of Kentucky May 2022 before joining the Patterson School in August.
Faculty Spotlight: Retired Lt. Col. Amy McGrath

Nov 27, 2022

Retired Lt. Col. Amy McGrath is currently an Adjunct Professor for the Patterson School. She is a retired Marine fighter pilot and former political candidate for the state of Kentucky. McGrath was the first woman to fly a combat mission for the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as the first to pilot the F/A-18 on a combat mission.
Meet Errick Jones, '80 Alum

Nov 27, 2022

Errick Jones grew up in a small town in the panhandle of West Texas where he was one of the first African American students to integrate into the school system. During his teenage years he became particularly intrigued by Africa. There was not much in his school textbooks about the continent, so he relied on National Geographic magazines that his mother would bring home. When a teacher told him that “Africans haven’t done much to be noteworthy” he knew that could not be the case.
Meet Ibeth Morales, '21 Alum

Nov 27, 2022

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.
Meet Julia Dzingailo, 2009 Alum

Jul 5, 2022

My interest in other countries and cultures brought me to Belarus' leading linguistic university where I obtained a bachelors degree in English and German. After teaching English there for several years, my career set off in a new direction when I became a program assistant in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Minsk. The job responsibilities were challenging: promote orderly and humane migration, engage national counterparts and international partners to ensure respect for migrants' rights, and combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
Meet Will Cash, 2010 Alum

Jul 5, 2022

In 2008 I enrolled in a dual degree program offered by the Patterson School and the Gatton College of Business and Economics. This program made it possible to obtain a Masters degree in Diplomacy and International Commerce and a Masters in Business Administration in just two year's time.
Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Karen Mingst

Apr 27, 2022

After 14 years teaching and mentoring dozens of Patterson School students and leading the school, Dr. Karen Mingst retired in December 2016 as Acting Director, Lockwood Chair, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Mingst’s career included lecturing and teaching short courses in South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Vietnam, Japan, and the United Nations.
Meet Benjamin Jones, '20 Alum

Nov 27, 2021

People told me I had a dream job before I attended the Patterson School. I covered college football at the University of Alabama for The Tuscaloosa News from 2015-19 as part of an eight-year career as a sports writer after graduating with a journalism degree from UK in 2011.
Meet Sarah Wood, '21 Alum

Nov 27, 2021

Sarah is currently a second-year student at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce where she is majoring in Intelligence/Security and minoring in Diplomacy. She received a BA from the University of Kentucky and holds a double major in Russian and Integrated Strategic Communication and a minor in International Studies.
Emeritus Faculty Spotlight: John D. Stempel

Oct 27, 2021

Dr. Stempel was a career Foreign Service Officer. His 23 year career included oversees postings focused on political and economic affairs in Guinea, Burundi, Zambia, and Iran.