Durand Henderson, who will graduate from UTC on Saturday, Dec. 13, is a veteran of the United States Air Force. Photo by Angela Foster.
When Durand Henderson searched for a place to pursue his education, he looked for one thing: community.
A brother, father and husband, Henderson has spent the last three years at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga balancing life, work and school. He is now ready to walk across the McKenzie Arena stage on Saturday, Dec. 13, to receive a degree in business administration with a concentration in economics, along with minors in personal finance and political science.
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His collegiate career began in 2011 at Jackson State University. He soon transitioned to online classes due to the start of his military career in the United States Air Force.
In 2021, after moving to Chattanooga, the recently separated veteran sought a community in his new city. Wanting to pursue his education, Henderson knew he wanted to be on a college campus.
“I actually wanted to be at the school in the community I was serving because it’s information gathering,” Henderson said. “I’m learning from not only people who live around here, but people who come from other areas like Nashville and even parts of Georgia. You get their insight, too.
“It doesn’t always translate when you’re in online classes with the discussion boards. That same type of feel and understanding doesn’t come across as well. In most classes, the post, response, then you don’t keep it going back and forth as you can in discussion classes or just in person.
“I just wanted to get more connected with the people who were around here as a newcomer.”
Initially considering law enforcement as a post-military career, Henderson said if the city’s police officers aren’t from the area, “They don’t know the specific problems.”
The same applies when arriving at UTC. Henderson was introduced to Felipe Holden, then a student ambassador for UTC Veteran and Military Affairs and a former Marine.
“He was the first person to give me a tour around the campus, show me where the veteran lounges were, and introduce me to the people in the office,” Henderson said. “This is a nice group of people. I found my niche, my little home. From there, it was just meeting more and more veterans in the campus setting.
“Finding veterans is a beneficial thing to do because when you start getting overwhelmed with the civilians around here, it’s always good to have that community that you can fall back on and know exactly what you’re saying.”
Sylvana Matthews, director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, said this is one of the program’s “foundational” goals: serving those seeking a sense of belonging and continued service.
“The evolution of the student or the transitioning student is ongoing,” Matthews said. “Everybody can attest, not just military, to the level of transition we all take when we enter a new role in life—from school to home life to girlfriend to marriage, all of those are transitions. Sometimes, veterans have a little more work to do in that transition.”
Durand Henderson was a student ambassador for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs during his time at UTC.
Being involved and connected on campus inspired Henderson to pursue a new career goal.
Due to his military background, Dr. R.J. Groh, associate lecturer in the UTC Department of Political Science and Public Service, suggested pursuing a career in foreign service.
Henderson was excited by the prospect.
“It’s the extension of my military career, in essence,” he explained. “My family as a whole has done a lot of public service either at the local or federal levels. It just felt right. On top of that, having experience moving around in the military and interacting with people from different cultures and backgrounds helped me see the world in a more connected, bridged sense.
“If I could be in the fight, if you will, to make that connection and bridge across nations a little bit smoother, then I would love to be a part of that … It’s a good connection point for bringing a federal or governmental thought and process to a practical, ‘everyday-Joe’ aspect so that you can understand the connections between them.”
As part of preparing to pursue a career in the foreign service, Henderson spent this past summer in the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Spark program. The nine-week course immersed him in the Korean language and culture.
“Every Friday, there was a cultural immersion aspect,” he said. “That ranged from virtually doing taekwondo to making Korean stamps. We have signatures that people sign. They have stamps they use for all their formal documents. You can design them however you want. We even had a cooking class.
“It was more than just learning the language. It also highlighted learning the culture of Korea.”
Henderson was also accepted into the CLS Spark in-person program in South Korea.
Not knowing whether the program, graduate school or even the foreign service is in his immediate future post-graduation, Henderson said he appreciates the opportunities he has received at UTC.
“It was cool to see coming to UTC, all these doors were able to open for me,” he said. “Even most recently, my internship with Enterprise came through just from having classes in a business college doing mock interviews.
“I didn’t expect that to come at the beginning of this year. I wasn’t expecting a callback or interview. Just by doing my assignment, I got an internship out of it. Eventually, if all things go well, that will turn into a full-time position to hold me over until I go through the foreign service process.”
While Henderson found his community, he also brought his own. His wife, Troya, recently started taking courses at UTC.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Troya Henderson is pursuing a chemistry degree and plans on becoming a toxicologist.
She said watching her husband pursue his goals motivated her to do the same.
“Watching Durand work so hard on his degrees over the past few years has been nothing short of inspiring,” she said. “He managed to balance the demands of school with his responsibilities as a husband, father, son and brother, showing up for his family while still dedicating himself fully to his studies.
“His perseverance motivated me to return to school myself. Seeing him walk across the stage will be incredibly rewarding. It will feel like all those late nights and early mornings were truly worth it.”
Continuing his family’s tradition, Henderson hopes to serve his country in any way he can after walking across the stage.
“I just want to make sure that ultimately my country is safe,” he said. “I don’t care if that’s abroad or domestically. I want to make sure the nation is safe. That’s it. I want to make sure I can give back. I don’t want to live with any regrets.
“I want to make sure that I can continue to give back to my nation in any way, shape, or form. I believe that you get what you put into it.”
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UTC senior’s journey sparks opportunity with CLS Korean scholarship
