Trailblazers: University High’s first graduating class shows what’s possible

Principal Arielle Hayes hugs Kambriah Reynolds after the graduating senior spoke on behalf of the first cohort of University High. Photo by Angela Foster.

Cheers and applause filled the Roland Hayes Concert Hall on Friday, May 9, as the inaugural graduating class of University High crossed the stage—celebrating both their diplomas and a pioneering partnership between the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Hamilton County Schools.

This was more than a graduation. It was the successful launch of a new model—one that placed high school students in college classrooms, challenged them with university-level expectations and redefined what a high school experience can be.

“University High is unique,” UTC Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold L. Hale told the audience. “There’s no school like it in the country … These graduates were fully embedded on our campus for the last two years. As far as most people knew, they were UTC classmates and UTC students.”

That uniqueness, Hale explained, was never just about location.

“We wanted to encourage students to think about attending college, to demonstrate they could succeed in college-level work, and to make both the time and cost of a college degree more manageable,” he said. “Your performance, graduates, has been absolutely fantastic.”

Dr. Shewanee Howard-Baptiste, UTC vice provost for undergraduate affairs, praised the students for doing more than succeeding.

“This moment is truly about resilience,” Howard-Baptiste said. “It’s about the early mornings, the late nights, the deadlines—but ultimately the growth. You’ve proven that you’re not just ready for the next step, you’re already on your way.”

Graduating senior Kambriah Reynolds was selected by her classmates to represent the first cohort. She reflected on the challenge of building something from the ground up.

“We were the first experiment—the ones who stepped onto a college campus as high school juniors and sometimes survived it all while still doing high school work,” Reynolds said. “It gave us stress but it also gave us strength, growth and history.”

Reynolds spoke about navigating college schedules, writing research papers, presenting projects, and still finding time to build a community that loved, supported and held one another accountable.

“We didn’t just pass tests, we passed life lessons,” she said. “We didn’t just graduate. We transformed.”

Hamilton County Schools Community Superintendent Elaine Harper echoed those remarks.

“You have not only completed high school, you have helped shape it,” Harper said. “You are the pioneers. The first to navigate the unique blend of high school and university experiences. You showed courage by choosing something new.”

The University High ceremony also featured remarks from junior Malik Childress and English teacher Kate Knox, whom the students selected to speak on behalf of the faculty.

“You are special and different because you’ve proven again and again that you know the right risks to choose and you are brave with your choosing,” Knox said.

Hamilton County Schools Director of Innovation and Fine Arts Grant Knowles administered the ceremonial tassel turn.

“You are part of something bigger than yourselves. You are part of the alumni of University High,” Knowles told the graduates. “You may now turn your tassel to the left.

“You’ve left something behind that is bigger than you and I’m eternally grateful for that. And so are the people that come after you.”

The ceremony closed with Principal Arielle Hayes stepping toward the first University High graduates to speak from the heart.

“I want you to remember us and invite us when you graduate from college, when it’s time for you to get married, when it’s time for you to have your first child,” Hayes said. “We are more than faculty to you. We are your family, we are your friends, we are your mentors … and we’ll always be here for you.”

University High was launched in fall 2023 with an ambitious vision: to reimagine high school by immersing students directly in the world of higher education. Aimed at Hamilton County students who may not have traditionally seen themselves on a college track, the program offered an accelerated two-year model allowing juniors and seniors to complete high school while earning up to 20 college credit hours through UTC.

The program is housed on the UTC campus and its daily schedule prioritizes advisory, college prep, experiential learning and cross-campus exploration. Through regular interactions with UTC faculty, academic advisors and departments, students experience a kind of pre-college boot camp while still completing their high school requirements.

“This is not a simulation,” Hayes explained during an interview days before graduation. “Our students are real college students taking real college classes. The work is rigorous, the expectations are high and the results speak for themselves.”

University High was never intended to mimic a traditional high school, Hayes continued. Students share space with UTC undergraduates and learn from both University High and UTC faculty.

It is “intentionally different” and—for Hayes and her team—that difference has been everything.

“Our students grew so much—not just academically, but in empathy, confidence and community,” she said. “What we’re doing isn’t just working; it’s transformative.”

School counselor Anna Millard, who joined University High last summer, echoed that sentiment.

“These students understand what a gift this is,” Millard said. “They don’t take this opportunity for granted. They take care of each other. They challenge themselves. They challenge us. And because we don’t have to deal with the usual disciplinary distractions, we’re able to go deeper—academically and personally.”

Millard, who previously served as a school counselor at STEM School Chattanooga, said the atmosphere at University High has reinvigorated her work.

“This is the best work I’ve ever done. I feel like I’m doing what I’m meant to do,” said Millard, who is in her 25th year as a school counselor. “These students have taught me just as much as I’ve taught them.”

Hayes credited Millard for bringing a wealth of experience to the evolving model, especially in connecting students with relevant, challenging and personalized college-level coursework.

“We didn’t want to just enroll students in random dual-enrollment classes,” Millard said. “We wanted to be intentional. What classes match their career goals? What professors are the right fit? How can we provide intervention when they’re struggling? It was a team effort and the UTC support has been incredible.”

That team includes UTC Dual Enrollment Coordinator Stephanie Orr and Student Success Programs Director Erica Holmes Trujillo, who helped tailor class schedules and check-ins to ensure students stayed on track.

The University High model also shifts the traditional role of the high school teacher. Faculty serve more as advisors and mentors, guiding students through self-directed learning, research-based projects and community engagement.

“They want our students in their classrooms,” Hayes said. “They say things like, ‘Your kids are the ones who sit in the front row. Your kids are the ones who ask questions. Your kids are the ones who turn in assignments on time.’ It has been such a powerful validation.”

A characteristic of the University High experience is experiential and place-based learning, including internships and Focus Fridays—which are weekly interdisciplinary sessions tied to UTC departments. Students take part in the kind of hands-on learning experiences that typically don’t come until college.

“That shift in relationship changes everything,” Hayes said. “It builds trust. It gives students a voice.”

One of those collaborations connected graduating senior Shi Mae Bowling with Laurie Melnik Allen, Lyndhurst Chair of Excellence in Arts Education and Professor of Practice in Theatre Education at UTC. Melnik Allen served as Bowling’s mentor during her senior year and played an instrumental role in her mentee’s decision to pursue theatre at UTC.

“Our students have visited the College of Business, Nutrition, Health Sciences, Education, you name it,” Hayes said. “They’re not just sitting in lectures. They’re building relationships, exploring career paths and developing confidence.”

University High is also deeply rooted in social-emotional development. Faculty, advisors and UTC collaborators work together to help students manage stress, build resilience and understand themselves.

“Our students talk about their mental health. They advocate for themselves. They know when to ask for help and when to take a step back,” Millard said. “That’s what college readiness really looks like.”

Hayes said that in its first two years, University High had grown into a community.

“We call our seniors trailblazers because they were the first,” Millard said. “They helped us shape this. We learned from them and now the next cohort is learning from both of us.”

That second cohort of juniors arrived in fall 2024, doubling the school’s total enrollment. With each new year, Hayes and Millard said they envision more refinement, more direction and more student empowerment.

“We’ve been able to teach the whole child and help them grow in so many ways—not just academically but with the real-life lessons learned with so much independence and empowerment. That feels really good,” Hayes said. “It feels like they really are family.”