The Catalyst Alumni Mentorship Program at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health (CPH) pairs Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) students with experienced alumni mentors to help students explore career pathways and gain valuable insights. Now in its second year, the program continues to foster relationships that empower students and provide alumni with the rewarding experience of giving back.
This year’s participants—including pairs like Grace Bush and Riya Patel, Jessica Wiard and Jaden Towery, and Savannah Tucker and McKenna Green—demonstrate the program’s powerful ability to build lasting, career-shaping connections.
For Riya Patel, a student with aspirations of becoming a physician assistant (PA), the Catalyst program offered the perfect opportunity to connect with someone who had recently walked the same path. When she was paired with Grace Bush, a current PA student, Patel found the ideal mentor to guide her through the graduate school admissions process.
“I really love Grace, she is very helpful,” Patel said. “She has been imperative to my success in preparing to apply for grad school and easing my worries.”
For Bush, mentoring Patel was a meaningful way to give back to a program that once helped her.
“Riya has been such a light, and she will be an incredible provider one day. It has been such a joy to mentor her and guide her through the PA admissions process that I went through not too long ago,” Bush said.
When Jaden Towery chose public health, she was drawn to its versatility and wide range of career possibilities. Unsure of her exact path, she hoped the Catalyst program would help her explore new opportunities.
Towery originally applied to the program hoping to learn about the different career avenues someone with a public health degree could pursue.
Through the mentorship program, Towery not only gained valuable career insights but also secured a job with the help of her mentor, Jessica Wiard, Ambulatory Clinical Operations Director at UK HealthCare.
“I now work in the orthopedic clinic that she oversees at the Kentucky Clinic,” Towery said. “She helped me get State Registered Nurse Aide [SRNA] certified and get the job.”
Wiard guided Towery through the certification process, helping her mentee take a key step toward her healthcare career.
“We have been able to connect on career opportunities in the healthcare setting,” Wiard said. “I was able to coach Jaden through applying for and completing SRNA school, and she has now been hired onto my team as a medical assistant at UKHC.”
For McKenna Green, the Catalyst mentorship program was an opportunity to build connections and gain guidance on her next steps.
Green joined the program hoping to gain insight into graduate school and learn how to incorporate public health principles into her future career.
What started as a professional pairing quickly grew into a meaningful relationship with her mentor, Savannah Tucker, the Program Manager for an NIH R01 Clinical Trial known as the Mountain Drinking Water Project and contributor to several other public health related research grants.
“She is extremely helpful with advice and always supportive,” Green said.
Tucker has enjoyed seeing Green’s growth throughout their mentorship, describing their bond as one of mutual support.
“McKenna is a very bright and driven young lady,” Tucker said. “She is always professional in our meetings and very open and candid about what she is looking for guidance on. We have developed a kind of big sister/little sister relationship over the course of this program. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age. I have enjoyed working with her and am actively looking for opportunities that would suit her.”
Beyond the featured pairs, other mentors and mentees have found the Catalyst program to be a meaningful experience, creating valuable connections and gaining essential career insights.
Lauren Seaton, Director of Population Health at Ascension St. Vincent, praised her mentee, Taylor Meier, for her curiosity and drive: “Taylor has been a joy to work with. She asks great questions and has a bright future ahead of her,” Seaton said.
The University of Kentucky College of Public Health is undergoing a review by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for re-accreditation. Part of this process includes the invitation to provide third-party comments. Anyone, including students, alumni, employers, community partners, etc., is allowed to share relevant information about the college directly with CEPH. If you would like to provide input to CEPH to inform their review, send your comments to submissions@ceph.org by May 4th, 2025.
