LEXINGTON, Ky. — Two weeks after graduating from the University of Kentucky, Morgan Brooke will board a plane for South America and begin her next chapter as a Peace Corps volunteer, a dream she has carried since childhood.

The College of Public Health senior is heading to Paraguay as a public health promoter, where she will spend three months in training followed by two years working in rural communities. There, Brooke will partner with local health workers, schools and families to address issues such as malnutrition and mental health.

"The Peace Corps has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl," Brooke said. "After leaving, I knew it was more of a policy and community-level impact that I wanted to make."

For Brooke, this opportunity represents the culmination of years spent preparing to serve communities on a broader scale. Growing up in Rowan County and spending summers in Pikeville, she witnessed firsthand how location shapes opportunities and health outcomes. Those early experiences planted seeds of compassion, but a trip to Ghana after high school ultimately transformed her career path.

Brooke traveled to the West African country to teach English, math, science and physical education in a local village. Before that experience, she envisioned a future in direct patient care as a physician assistant. But while working with children there, she realized the challenges communities faced extended beyond individual care. "So that's when I found out about public health," she said.

As a first-generation college student, Brooke arrived on UK's campus nervous but eager. Over four years, she found the College of Public Health provided far more than a place to earn a degree — it became a home academically, professionally and personally. Peace Corps Paraguay is one of the most active Peace Corps programs, with volunteers working in health, environment and community economic development sectors.

"UK grew me more as a person than anything," Brooke said. "The College of Public Health taught me the power of compassion and put me outside my comfort zone to go into the community to meet these families where they are, which ultimately helped me find my voice in policy making."