Interview conducted by: Annaliese Clayton
What year did you graduate from UK?
I graduated from UK with my undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2001. I went on to the UK College of Law and graduated in 2004 with a JD.
What were you involved in during your time in the UK PSY Department?
While in undergrad I was involved in the University Honors Program, Delta Zeta, and the Psychology Honors Program. I don’t know if it is still called the honors program, but it was the undergraduate research thesis in the psychology department then.
Did you feel nervous thinking about the future as an undergrad?
Of course I was nervous about the future as an undergraduate! I thought I wanted to go to law school, but I also really enjoyed psychology. I was afraid that maybe there was some really perfect career or degree that I was missing out on because I didn’t know about it. I was afraid of making the wrong choice and then regretting my chosen path. As long as you enjoy the subject that you are learning it will turn out ok.
What advice do you have for undergraduate students who are beginning to think of the future?
My advice to undergraduates is to try not to worry too much about things that you cannot control. Everything has a way of working out. Within reason you should pick a field that you enjoy. However, like I told my own child, you can’t become a starving artist, so maybe the fine art degree can be a minor. (Note- feel free to edit that but it is solid advice- and she majored in education and eventually dropped the fine art program altogether. We still have 2 more years to go though. My involvement in research in the psychology department helped me discover that I was a capable and competent person. It helped to give me more confidence in myself. You cannot go wrong developing a great relationship with faculty either. Dr. Golding has been a cheerleader for me my whole career.
What are you doing now? What are your future goals?
Today I am a judge in the 18th Circuit here in Kentucky. I cannot say that I have other career goals- I picture myself in this place for a while. I hope to be able to eventually retire from state service and then my goal then is to do something completely different and less stressful - I always tell people that I want to drive the horse drawn trolley at the Horse Park (it looks like fun, I can drive a carriage, and I love horses.) I have 2 kids, a spouse, 5 dogs, 12 horses, and 200 acres- so things are always pretty chaotic. I dream of having things under control, but I realized a long time ago that that won’t happen. Life is better with my chaos even when the 5 dogs decide to get in the trash at 2am.
What is one lesson you learned as a PSY major that you still carry with you? This does not have to be entirely academic related.
One thing that I did as a Psychology major that I would recommend is to read the book Influence, by Robert Cialdini. I still apply things that are discussed in that book, and I think it makes you a more aware consumer. I made my kids read it- they rolled their eyes. However, when they need to buy a car, they will appreciate it!