Mary Farmer-Kaiser, Ph.D. (Class XXXIV)
Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of History, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Mary Farmer-Kaiser is the Dean of the Graduate School and a Professor of History at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She grew up in Kansas and moved to Louisiana in 2000 by way of Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio. When she moved to Lafayette she did expect to fall in love with UL and our community. But she did. She is an award-winning teacher, scholar of southern legal and social history, and leader in graduate education in and beyond Louisiana who understands — both personally and professionally — that accessible, high-quality education is transformative to individuals, families, and communities. She also is the proud mom of two emergent adults.
Corey McCoy (Class XXXV)
CEO, Kitchen on Klinton
Corey McCoy was born on July 19, 1992, in Fayetteville, NC. He is the son of Kurundi Daniels and Donald McCoy, both of whom were actively serving in the US Army at the the time of his birth. Being a military kid played a big part in his life as he relocated every 3-4 years until graduating high school from Chattahoochee County in Georgia with the class of 2010. Shortly after graduating, he would enlist in the National Guard where he earned the job of 35G or Intelligence Imagery Analyst. Corey served in the military for 8 years until his contract ended and he was honorably discharged at the rank of SGT. During his time as a soldier, Corey began to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, taking up Education for most of his collegiate career. During his time at ULL, he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Although he graduated in General Studies, Corey would still move on to earn his Teachers Certification and began to teach 8th Grade History at Acadian Middle School. Eventually he was forced to depart Acadian Middle due to the growth of a restaurant business he began out of his college home called Kitchen on Klinton. Today, the company maintains three brick and mortar locations and a food truck where Corey remains as the CEO and part owner.