Pollianna Moshenskiy is a biochemistry major and Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College.
Although Pollianna Moshenskiy is technically in her first semester as a freshman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she is already ahead of many of her peers.
Thanks to Tennessee Valley Early College at Cleveland State Community College—a program that allows students to earn an associate degree while completing high school—Moshenskiy graduated from Cleveland High School last spring with both a diploma and a degree in hand.
Knowing she wanted to pursue a biochemistry degree, she said her options were between UTC and UT Knoxville.
When she saw UTC’s campus and met the “friendly tour guides who seemed to enjoy student life” at UTC, she made up her mind.
“At first, I was dead set on UTK,” Moshenskiy said. “I toured UTK and was overwhelmed about how big the size of the school was and they didn’t have trees, a landscape or a river.
“I came here and it was the perfect size. It felt like home.”
==========================================================================
10 UTC scholarships for transfer students you might not know about (but will now)
==========================================================================
When it was time to transfer to UTC, she said that she didn’t have to worry about losing any credits that she received from Cleveland State.
“There were no issues,” she said. “All of them transferred and I could take higher classes. I just had to make sure my transcript was sent.”
Despite already holding an associate degree, Moshenskiy qualified for scholarships such as the Tennessee HOPE, the Westbrook Scholarship for chemistry and physics majors and the Provost’s Scholarship.
She admitted that adjusting to life at UTC was both thrilling and intimidating, but the abundance of opportunities to get involved made it all worthwhile.
“This campus is a lot bigger, but there are more events here, so I was able to get more involved on campus and meet new people,” she said.
Having played soccer in high school, she jumped into softball and football intramurals at UTC, with a goal of playing intramural soccer next semester.
Moshenskiy is also a Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College and hopes to add a Spanish minor—which would give her proficiency in four languages (she speaks English, Russian and Ukrainian). She said her University plans include getting involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, continuing with intramurals and studying abroad.
Looking ahead, she aspires to attend medical school after earning her degree. She’s already gaining hands-on experience by volunteering in the neurotrauma unit at Erlanger Baroness Hospital, where she assists nurses and answers phones.
Her advice to other students who may be considering transferring to UTC is to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available to fully enjoy the college experience.
“Don’t be afraid to get involved on campus,” she said. “Sometimes, if you’re transferring and not living on campus, it can feel like you’re not a part of campus even though you’re going to classes. Make friends with people in your classes.”
Learn more
10 UTC scholarships for transfer students you might not know about (but will now)
