{"id":2824,"date":"2025-12-08T12:04:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T17:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/business\/?p=2824"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:41:14","slug":"unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/business\/2025\/12\/08\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Unum Scholars program prepares students for business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2025\/12\/Unumscholars1.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"597\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2025\/12\/Unumscholars1.webp\" alt=\"Unum Scholars smile in front of building.\" class=\"wp-image-2833\" style=\"width:780px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2025\/12\/Unumscholars1.webp 597w, https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2025\/12\/Unumscholars1-580x326.webp 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Preparing for the real world starts with real experience. As one of the college\u2019s strongest local partners, global insurance provider Unum, is helping students through hands-on internships and mentorship programs that create lasting impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located just a couple blocks from campus, the Unum Scholar program brings students inside the walls of one of Chattanooga\u2019s largest employers. Students gain the tools and confidence they need to thrive in a corporate environment, including cross departmental collaboration and developing professional skills<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walker Rhodes, a 2013 UTC graduate, now manages more than 60 student scholars in the program. Of those, 70% come from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He describes the program as more than just a workplace for students. \u201cIt\u2019s a growth environment where mentorship, professional development, collaboration and adaptability are key,\u201d he said. \u201cThese experiences help students continually learn, evolve and build a solid foundation for their future careers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marketing major Chrischahna Smith (\u201925) and business finance major Jason Elias (\u201926) are two current scholars representing the Rollins College of Business. Both said the internship has shaped their academic and career journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith developed her marketing skills through project work such as crafting internal newsletters and participating in job shadows. She gained valuable experience building connections across teams and learned how her skills can be transferable from the classroom, across the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elias found mentorship and shadowing opportunities to be the most impactful part of the experience. He learned how his finance background aligns with business analyst roles, which solidified his interest in corporate analytics. He also said the Scholars program opened conversations about full-time positions within the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The students emphasized how valuable it was to have the freedom to explore different departments and connect with professionals across the organization. These experiences allowed them to grow professionally and personally. Each of them feels more attuned to what it means to be business-world ready: showing up consistently, being open to learning, and embracing challenges even when they\u2019re outside of your comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Internships like these do more than build a resume; they develop leadership potential. Through this continued partnership, our students at the Rollins College of Business gain not only real-world experience but also the direction, confidence and tools they need to excel after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/gary-w-rollins-college-of-business\/joseph-f-decosimo-success-center\/career-development-reimagined\">Joseph F. Decosimo Success Center<\/a> to see how our Career Development team helps students find internships and professional pathways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preparing for the real world starts with real experience. As one of the college\u2019s strongest local partners, global insurance provider Unum, is helping students through hands-on internships and mentorship programs that create lasting impact. Located just a couple blocks from campus, the Unum Scholar program brings students inside the walls of one of Chattanooga\u2019s largest&hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/business\/2025\/12\/08\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2036,"featured_media":2826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[120259,9268,120265,120266],"tags":[51,68299,120264,116,57,9882,120262,101,120263,120261,661,120260],"class_list":{"0":"post-2824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cob-students","8":"category-finance","9":"category-internships","10":"category-marketing","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-business-students","13":"tag-business-world","14":"tag-chattanooga","15":"tag-college-of-business","16":"tag-finance","17":"tag-internships","18":"tag-marketing","19":"tag-mentorship","20":"tag-scholars","21":"tag-students","22":"tag-unum","23":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Unum Scholars program prepares students for business - Gary W. Rollins College of Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/business\/2025\/12\/08\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unum Scholars program prepares students for business - Gary W. Rollins College of Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Preparing for the real world starts with real experience. As one of the college\u2019s strongest local partners, global insurance provider Unum, is helping students through hands-on internships and mentorship programs that create lasting impact. Located just a couple blocks from campus, the Unum Scholar program brings students inside the walls of one of Chattanooga\u2019s largest&hellip; Continue Reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/business\/2025\/12\/08\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gary W. Rollins College of Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-08T17:04:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-05T17:41:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2025\/12\/unum_photos-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1111\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mohammad Yasin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mohammad Yasin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mohammad Yasin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4482233ee867818268e870056e1e811e\"},\"headline\":\"Unum Scholars program prepares students for business\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-08T17:04:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-05T17:41:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":402,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/40\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/unum_photos-2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"business\",\"business students\",\"business world\",\"chattanooga\",\"college of business\",\"Finance\",\"internships\",\"marketing\",\"mentorship\",\"scholars\",\"students\",\"unum\"],\"articleSection\":[\"COB Students\",\"Finance\",\"Internships\",\"Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/business\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/08\\\/unum-scholars-program-prepares-students-for-business\\\/\",\"name\":\"Unum Scholars program prepares students for business - Gary W. 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