WKU Sociology & Criminology Alumni Profiles

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Morgan Stone '13

Morgan Stone graduated from Western Kentucky University in December 2013 with a bachelor’s in sociology and a minor in criminology. While at WKU, Morgan also took an interest in the study abroad program. In the Fall of 2012 she studied at Harlaxton College in England.

Currently, Morgan is a graduate student at the University of Kentucky. She is working towards her PhD, focusing on education and crime in rural spaces. She started the program in the Fall of 2018 and has four more years until graduation.

After graduating from WKU, she spent a semester at Walt Disney World working as one of their College Program Cast Members before beginning her master’s program in criminal justice at Eastern Kentucky University in the Fall of 2014. After graduating in 2016, she began a 27-month service in the United States Peace Corps as an English Education Volunteer in the Republic of Moldova. While in the Peace Corps, she was able to teach English to students in grades 5-12, and write and execute two small grants that continue to benefit the school that she worked with. Morgan was able to experience a new culture and language for two years before she decided to start on her PhD. “Being a PhD student is an experience that is full of ups and downs, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing if I wasn’t passionate about what I study.”

During her time at WKU one of Morgan’s most memorable experiences was taking Dr. Bohlander’s penology class. She enjoyed the antics and even the furious notetaking during his lectures. She recalls the stories that the prison visits would produce with fondness. “I very much credit the time and care Dr. Bohlander took with me as a student as to why I decided to further my education in sociology.”

Morgan’s advice for current and incoming students is to find something they are passionate about. As someone who passed over the professional job market after graduation to dedicate her time to the Peace Corps, Morgan is serious about finding one’s passion. “The lessons I learned and the growth I experienced during those two years was something that I would have never had if I had not pursued something that I was passionate about. So, I guess my advice would be to find something you love and pursue It fearlessly.”