Prospective students and their families explored UTC as part of Blue and Gold Preview Day. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was bustling on Saturday, Nov. 15, as families and prospective students explored the campus as part of Blue and Gold Preview Day.
The biannual event, held during the spring and fall semesters, provides families with an opportunity to explore everything the University has to offer through campus tours, academic department booths and plenty of UTC swag.
For Ryan Kozlica, a senior from Soddy Daisy High School, it was a time to learn more about his career interests.
“I’m just going around the booths and talking to different people,” Kozlica said, “But my main interest is the nursing program. My mom’s a nurse, and I want to follow in her footsteps. I’m excited to see the buildings and new construction.”
Kozlica’s mother, Jennifer, tearfully said, “It feels good” to hear her son wanting to pursue the same career path.
While learning about all the programs UTC offers, Kozlica’s father, Zlatko, said it was “exciting” to see all the opportunities his son would have at UTC.
“He’s interested in nursing and maybe computer science,” he said. “UTC represents the best of both.”
While many future Mocs attended with their families, some students attended with academic counselors such as Shayla Davidson-Moore.
Davidson-Moore works with Upward Bound, a federally funded educational program that provides support to students preparing for college life.
“We work with local high school students and help them prepare for college,” Davidson-Moore said. “We offer different tutoring sessions on Saturdays, where they can come and get the tutoring they need for their core classes and all the big subjects.”
Antonio Burgess, a freshman at Tyner Academy, said his favorite part of the day was “looking at the different opportunities that I can have at UTC, seeing the different career fields.”
Eboni Moore, a junior at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, plays basketball and is interested in athletics at UTC.
“Psychology interests me because I want to be a therapist, but I’m just excited to learn about all the opportunities and better education,” Moore said.
For prospective students interested in specific tours, UTC provided guides to view the UTC Library, housing options and academic buildings.
Holly Ramsey, a junior at Northview Academy in Sevierville, Tennessee, was interested in visiting Fletcher Hall and learning about the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.
“I’m planning on taking over our family business,” Ramsey said. “My goal is to expand it and everything, so business management, marketing, and then probably a little bit of entrepreneurship all interest me.”
She noted that the campus atmosphere stood out to her during her visit.
“It’s so pretty out here,” Ramsey said. “Everyone seems really nice. It’s just been so nice to get to see all of it and learn so much about the college.”
Aiden Payne, a finance major studying at the Rollins College of Business, attended the tour of Fletcher Hall to help show his family and friends around campus.
“I know (Ramsey) wants to go to business school,” Payne said, “and just being at UTC for the last four years, I know how amazing our business school is. I am very happy to see her coming around this way and be able to share the information I can.”
The spring 2026 Blue and Gold Preview Day will take place on Saturday, April 11.
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Photo gallery by Angela Foster
