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To some, UPIKE is more than a family tradition - it’s a special place where defying expectations and unique experiences make up the fabric of campus life. These Bears are passing along a legacy of ambition and inspiration, and an opportunity to continue to Move Mountains. Fairy Coleman gets emotional when asked what UPIKE means to her. The young, single mother entered the workforce for the first time as the receptionist for the office of academic affairs in 1980. The warm, caring staff quickly became a second family to her and her daughter, Misty Asbury ’11, MBA ’20. The two spent much of their leisure time on campus.
overwhelmed with emotion when I think about how special UPIKE is.”
“Having Misty on campus was so much fun! There was no other place in town we would rather be. We went to ball games, Halloween parties and the campus swimming pool with other staff moms and their children,” said Fairy. “The people here have become my family. This place has been a huge part of our lives and I become
When Misty was in third grade, her mother married Roy Coleman, bringing with him four more daughters to the family. Being raised with UPIKE as so much a part of their family, Misty and sister Andrea Akers ’12, MBA ’21, pursued their degrees on “the hill,” much to Fairy’s delight. The two walked in the same graduation processional with Misty finishing her undergraduate degree in business administration in December 2011, later earning her MBA, and Andrea getting her associate degree in nursing in May of 2012, later earning her MBA with an emphasis in healthcare management.
Andrea’s son, Hunter, is a junior biology major at UPIKE, with plans to attend medical school after graduation. She is elated her son chose to become a Bear and stay close to home.
Immediately following graduation, Andrea went to work for Pikeville Medical Center and has since advanced to assistant vice president of surgical services. Misty followed in her mother’s footsteps and went to work for UPIKE, even before earning her degrees. She is now the disability resource coordinator. Having spent the better part of her life on campus in some fashion, Misty has seen tremendous growth and progress at the university. Despite all the changes, one thing has remained the same — family.
“It makes me proud he decided on UPIKE,” said Andrea. “He wants nothing more than to be the best he can be, and I know that he can achieve whatever he wants to do at UPIKE.”
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UPIKE MAGAZINE | FALL/WINTER 2021
Although Fairy has worked in various positions, she has primarily worked for the Patton College of Education and is now the administrative assistant to the director of teacher education and coordinator of field-based experience in the division of education.
“The family atmosphere persists and is perpetuated by the staff who have grown up here,” said Misty. “Regardless of what is changing around them, their hearts and attitudes remain the same. I hope we are sharing that feeling of home with current students and making them feel like family.”
