Kristopher Ware will graduate from UTC on Dec. 13, 2025, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Photo by Nyomi Erawoc.
Kristopher Ware can trace much of his growth at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to the conversations that happened after class.
When he earns his bachelor’s degree in psychology, Ware will carry with him the confidence built through his accomplishments, the power of mentorship and a deep appreciation for his field.
“Going back to when I was young, I always had a passion for helping people,” said Ware, who will cross the McKenzie Arena stage on Saturday, Dec. 13. “I was always the person, the friend who was checking on my other friends, giving people advice and stuff like that. I really just had a passion for mental health as a whole.”
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A transfer student from Cumberland University, located just outside of his hometown of Nashville, Ware came to UTC in 2022 knowing what he wanted to pursue, but unsure of where it would take him.
That feeling didn’t last long. In his first semester on campus, he took Assistant Professor of Sociology Darrell Walsh’s “Marriage and the Family” course.
“After every single class, I would stay after and we would just talk,” Ware said. “The material we talked about in that class just really stood out to me.
“I always wanted to have different conversations, and I’m a natural debater. Really, that was the class that made me decide I wanted to go into marriage and family therapy and get my master’s in that.”
Noticing Ware’s passion, Walsh encouraged him to pursue research opportunities. Ware was hesitant, but he found guidance in Walsh and Department of Psychology Lecturer Michael Duncan Overton.
Ware said he pitched a research idea to Overton.
“I was just picking his brain and he ended up really taking me under his wing,” Ware said. “We had a lot of long days and long nights.
“Research wasn’t something that came naturally to me. I had one of those moments that’s like, ‘Why am I able to have this opportunity compared to everyone else?’ It was kind of an out-of-body experience in the sense of being just a kid from Nashville coming down here to this humongous campus.”
In his research, Ware wanted to explore why there may be reluctance among young Black men to seek mental health services.
“I was trying to figure out why it is that there’s such a stigma around mental health within men—specifically within Black men—in regard to seeking it out,” he said.
He conducted both qualitative and quantitative studies and identified several themes from his survey questions.
For the question “As a child, did you feel comfortable talking about your emotions?” the theme was disempowerment.
For “During your childhood, do you believe the socioeconomic status of your family impacted your family’s approach to mental health?” the theme was scarcity.
For “How comfortable did you feel talking about your emotions with your family?” themes included turmoil, hopelessness, guilt, uncertainty and being unsafe.
For “Do you believe therapy and counseling are beneficial?” the most common themes were money and judgment.
Analyzing the data was only part of the experience; understanding what participants meant was the real lesson.
“Sitting down with Dr. Overton and just being able to look through the responses and say, ‘OK, what’s the overall theme of this?’ Then dissecting what participants are responding to and being able to decipher the underlying tone of what they were saying was one of the very cool parts of the entire process,” he said.
From left: Dr. Darrell Walsh, Kristopher Ware, Dr. Lori Waite and Trinity Anthony at the Black Doctoral Network Conference in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Darrell Walsh.
The research, which started as a test of his own abilities, turned into an opportunity to take it further than he ever thought possible: on a plane and to a national conference.
In October, Ware was one of two UTC students chosen to attend the Black Doctoral Network Conference in Los Angeles thanks to support from the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE).
Ware and junior art history student Trinity Anthony, accompanied by Walsh and Associate Lecturer of Sociology Lori Waite, presented their research alongside scholars and professionals from across the country.
The trip was Ware’s first time on a plane.
“My mom and my sister, they were just joking with me so much because I kept texting them like, ‘OK, this is what’s happening now,’” he said.
Once in Los Angeles, Ware was quickly awed by the experience.
“It was special being around other Black scholars who are doing exactly the same thing I’m doing,” he said. “There were psychology majors, sociology majors, science, engineering scholars there … It was a really cool experience.”
Still, presenting his work at a national conference brought a different kind of pressure. Ware said he felt comfortable speaking in front of people, but this time was different.
“I definitely had a lot of nerves,” he recalled. “I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m new to this. This is my first big thing.’”
He worked through those nerves, though, answering the judges’ questions and listening to their feedback. He wasn’t sure how his presentation stacked up against others, so he decided to skip the awards presentation.
“Dr. Walsh told me, ‘Hey, you got third place overall, and you also got the award for most outstanding research,’” Ware said. “I did not expect that at all. I just broke down in tears.
“The fact that people were able to see what this research is about—that meant the most to me. Men’s mental health doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. I want to be one of the people who helps break that stigma down.”
Kristopher Ware (left) and Dr. Darrell Walsh at the Black Doctoral Network Conference in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Darrell Walsh.
Walsh said that watching Ware step into research so thoroughly and so quickly was a rewarding moment in his career.
“Kristopher Ware is what all of us as faculty members really appreciate and enjoy. Students who are real critical thinkers, ones that love to learn, they seek you out,” Walsh said. “When I first met him, I saw just an incredible young man with good character who was real studious.”
Walsh recalled the long conversations after class, the walks around campus discussing theories, and the way Ware engaged with the material. To see him win at the conference, Walsh said, felt like watching a student step fully into his potential.
“For Dr. Waite and me, we really enjoyed that experience because both of those students were so engaging,” he said. “We like to be able to interact with students who love the material. And then they go and present it—and he wins.”
For Ware, the support he received from Walsh and Overton meant the world.
“I think the biggest misconception college students have is thinking they should stay in the background and not talk to their professors,” Ware said. “I took a different approach. If I’m paying all this money, I’m going to talk my professors’ ears off.”
It was a goal that Ware took seriously.
“With Dr. Walsh, our relationship has grown so much that he’s probably going to be at my wedding one day,” he said. “He’s a second father figure to me.”
Ware shared that Overton spent multiple hours a week helping him with his research.
“Little things like that can tell you a lot about a person,” Ware said. “I will forever be grateful to him, and he’s helped a lot.
“Both of them have definitely become a humongous blessing for me.”
Overton returned the appreciation. Despite only knowing Ware for a year-and-a-half, Overton said he has left an impressionable mark.
“He has demonstrated a drive that is unique to only a handful of students that I have had the pleasure of interacting with over the past 13 years,” Overton said. “By drive, I don’t mean motivation. He has plenty of motivation. I mean that he has a clear image and goal of who he is, wants to be, and how to get there.
“As a student, he has never been afraid to ask questions and has had a unique capability to synthesize the material of class into his experiences and future goals. I am so happy to see Mr. Ware graduate but also sad to know that he won’t be in any of my classes.”
As for future goals, Ware has already made major strides.
Shortly after returning from Los Angeles, Ware accepted a position as a care manager with Mental Health Cooperative in Chattanooga. He starts Dec. 15, just two days after commencement.
As a care manager, Ware will work with youth and families to help them access mental health resources and navigate difficult moments.
“For me, starting out working with youth—that’s something I’m really excited about,” he said.
Ware added that he plans to start his graduate studies while working full-time, but he will always be thankful for his UTC experience and the people who helped shape it.
“I think it has definitely been one of the biggest blessings in my life,” he said. “Everything worked out the way it was supposed to … Coming down here, I was able to flourish academically, and I was able to make amazing connections with people that I’ll have for the rest of my life. It’s been an awesome experience.”
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