UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UKPR&M Contact: Kathy Johnson, 859-257-3155;
May 1, 2017 kathy.johnson@uky.edu
MEDIA ADVISORY — UK Graduation Story Ideas
The University of Kentucky's May Commencement takes place in four ceremonies over two days. Ceremonies at Rupp Arena will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday May, 5, and Sunday May 7. Graduate and undergraduate degrees will be conferred at all ceremonies.
Below are story ideas about interesting students who will be graduating. UK Public Relations and Marketing can arrange interviews. Please see contact information with each entry.
Not Expected to Live Normal Life After High School, UK Student Graduating Magna Cum Laude
Moran Nickodem endured a temporary colostomy, a wound vac and nearly 40 surgeries in her 21 years. Though this Lexington native received a grave diagnosis at age 17 and wasn't expected to live a normal life past high school graduation, this Friday she's walking the stage at Rupp Arena to receive her bachelor's degree from UK. As she celebrates graduating magna cum laude, she's excited to announce that for the first time, in her 21 years of life, she doesn't have a surgery planned.
CONTACT: Morgan Hall, Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center — Lexington, 859-202-1077, mwhall@shrinenet.org
UK is Family Affair for Mother Receiving Two Degrees This Week
Sue Walter, a nontraditional student originally from London, Kentucky, will receive her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Gatton College of Business and Economics in ceremonies at 2 p.m. Friday. She also will receive her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Walter has three children, all of whom are currently attending UK, one in the Gatton College and two in the College of Engineering. Walter said the students in her classes treat her just like one of them and she feels right at home on campus. She and her husband have a home in South Carolina, so Walter actually has been renting an apartment in Lexington as she completes her studies.
CONTACT: Carl Nathe, 859-257-3200, carl.nathe@uky.edu for Sue Walter’s contact information.
UK Women's Basketball Star Shines in Rupp Arena as She Graduates Friday
Evelyn Akhator, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, played basketball for Chipola College in Florida and then transferred to UK in 2015, didn’t take long to become one of the greatest basketball players in Kentucky women's' basketball history. Akhator, who says she almost gave up basketball after the accidental death of her mother in 2013, recently became the highest WNBA Draft selection ever from UK, going No. 3 overall to the Dallas Wings. Akhator will receive her degree in community leadership and development from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in ceremonies at 10 a.m. Friday. She has aspirations to pursue nursing after her professional basketball career is finished because she wants to be able to help people back in her home country. Akhator is a two-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
CONTACT: Evan Crane, 270-559-8120, wesley.crane@uky.edu; Carl Nathe, 859-257-3200, carl.nathe@uky.edu.
Graduating Deaf Student Teaches Architecture Classmates to Sign
Jennifer Harris, from Danville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Gallaudet University, will receive her master’s degree in architecture from the College of Design in Sunday's 10 a.m. Commencement Ceremony. As a deaf student, Harris has used an interpreter but also taught fellow students basic sign language so group work would be smoother. Her signs ended up inspiring a logo for the group she worked with on designs for a project in West Liberty, Kentucky, after a tornado devastated the town.
B-roll and select video interview can be made available.
CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu
Arts Student Finds Second Family Far From Home
Sarah Fahmy, a native of Egypt, will graduate with degrees in arts administration and theatre and a minor in art studio. She came here from Egypt not long after the 2011 revolution and found a family on campus quickly as a Fine Arts Living Learning Program member. She has been very successful and is very active in the behind-the-scenes work of UK Department of Theatre and Dance productions. In fact, her work on "Good Kids" (about a real rape in an Ohio high school and how people reacted on social media) led to the creation of a new piece of art on the topic of sexual assault.
B-roll and select video interview can be made available.
CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu
Online Arts Administration Student Travels From Colorado to Accept Degree
Emily Elkins, who is earning her master's degree from UK's online Arts Administration graduate degree program, will be flying in from Fort Carson, Colorado, to walk. Elkins earned her bachelor's degree in anthropology and worked at the Kentucky Archaeological Survey and Program for Archaeological Research at UK as a field and lab archaeologist until she got pregnant a few years ago. After deciding working as an archaeologist, while being an Army Blackhawk mechanic's wife and a mom would be very difficult, she chose to pursue an arts administration degree where she could branch out into the museum world. The first public university online master's degree in arts administration at UK gave Elkins the opportunity to pursue these studies while caring for a child, pursuing an internship with the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and during her current full-time job, even when her husband was deployed. Now she looks forward to finding a position that merges her love for history and her new skills as an arts administration graduate, while spending even more time with her daughter now that "the homework" (as her daughter Violet calls it) is finally done.
CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu
English Earns Degrees in Chinese and Japanese
Amelia English, of Franklin, Kentucky, will graduate with a triple major in modern and classical languages (MCL) - Chinese, MCL - Japanese, and comparative cultural studies. She is completing a thesis comparing women's empowerment and entrapment as represented in Japanese and Chinese literature. She also represented UK at the Chinese Bridge competition in Washington, D.C. in April.
CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu
UK Grad Continues Inspirational Educational Journey
Mary-Grace Luscher's educational journey is an inspirational one. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Luscher was in eighth grade. When her mother’s condition worsened and she moved into a nursing home, Luscher stayed with one of her teachers during the school week and then traveled to her grandparents’ house an hour away on the weekends. She dedicated herself to her academic studies and was accepted to the Gatton Academy at Western Kentucky University as a high school junior. Shortly after she attended orientation there, Luscher's mother passed away. Again, committing herself to her academic work, Luscher graduated with honors from the Gatton Academy and came to UK where she will receive a degree in political science. While here at UK, she has continued to distinguish herself, balancing coursework, internships, and volunteer work. This fall, she is attending the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville on a full scholarship.
CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu
Gender Non-conforming Student an Inspiration to Others at UK
Phoenix Lawson, of Encinitas, California, will receive a communication degree from the College of Communication and Information. Phoenix, who uses they/their pronouns, has been a resident advisor in UK's residence halls for the past three years and navigated living on campus as a gender non-conforming student with grace and style. After graduation, they will work on a master's degree from the University of San Francisco next year. Lawson will study higher education and student affairs. Several students have contacted Lawson after their experience on campus and let them know that they helped them immensely in their personal growth.
CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302, gail.hairston@uky.edu
Graduate Completes Degree After Successful Career
Bettina Rice will receive her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Gatton College of Business and Economics -- a degree she started at another university almost three decades ago. Rice is a successful executive consultant with a 28-year IT career in global IT operations, software service solutions, and program management. She decided to return to school at UK to earn her business degree, and she will take two online classes this summer to complete a minor in communication from UK’s College of Communication and Information. Rice also has a son who is currently attending UK. Bettina Rice said, “After managing operations across 11 industries and across four continents, it will be great to have the formal qualifications from a school like UK. I highly recommend Project Graduate to all professionals as a uniquely fulfilling experience to work with the next generation.” Rice will not be walking in a Commencement Ceremony.
CONTACT: Carl Nathe, 859-257-3200, carl.nathe@uky.edu for Bettina Rice’s contact information.
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