NICU nurse Fatima Sheikh, the recipient of a Richard Brown Inclusiveness Access Scholarship during her time at UTC, graduated from the University in December 2023 (photo courtesy of Fatima Sheikh).
Without scholarship assistance, Fatima Sheikh acknowledged there might have been issues in crossing the finish line on her journey to a college degree.
“Yes, I would have had difficulties,” said Sheikh, a December 2023 recipient of a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “I would have had to worry about books and everything, so it really lightened the financial burden.”
Sheikh was referring to receiving the Richard Brown Inclusive Access Scholarship as a UTC undergraduate, a scholarship designed to provide better access for students to complete college. She was one of the first recipients of that scholarship—a collaboration of the Division of Access and Engagement, the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships—to graduate from the University.
Dr. Richard Brown (photo by Lorraine Brown)
The scholarship commemorates the contributions of its namesake, Dr. Richard Brown, who began working for the University in 1984 and rose to executive vice chancellor for administration and finance. He then took on a dual role in 2021 as a special advisor to UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle and UT System President Randy Boyd before retiring at the end of that year.
The creation of the Richard Brown Inclusive Access Scholarship was announced in November 2022.
“The Richard Brown Inclusive Access Scholarship recognizes the outstanding achievements, academic potential and dedication these students have shown in their high schools and/or at UTC,” said Stacy Lightfoot, UTC vice chancellor for access and engagement. “This scholarship offers essential financial assistance to students who require support in accessing higher education.
“The impact of this award on these students’ lives is significant, and I’m confident they will make positive contributions to UTC.”
These days, Sheikh—who graduated magna cum laude from UTC—is a full-time neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. After getting married in March and moving to Atlanta, she commutes to and from Chattanooga.
A 2019 graduate of Hixson High School, Sheikh received her certified nursing assistant license as a high school student and gained valuable experience working part-time at Morning Pointe Senior Living.
Receiving the Richard Brown Scholarship was particularly meaningful, she said, as it paid for expenses such as “nursing books and the ATI TEAS exam.”
“I did not work while in nursing school; I just wanted to focus on my career,” she said. “The scholarship really helped because it allowed me to excel in school in my studies, do well and graduate.”
Now in its third cycle, the Richard Brown Inclusive Access Scholarship was offered to 26 graduating Hamilton County Schools high school students this May—along with 30 returning UTC students.
Shanayla Moore
One of the incoming UTC students receiving the scholarship, Shanayla Moore, graduated from Tyner Academy on May 14—where she was a student in the school’s Future Ready Institute of Health Sciences.
Moore, who plans to major in nursing, said she is excited about the opportunity to go to college close to home.
“I haven’t really been away from my parents for too long, but actually getting out and living there on campus is going to be a game changer for me,” she said. “I’m a very shy person, so the community is what I’m really hoping for. It’s what I need right now.”
The Richard Brown Scholarship, she said, is impactful to her and her family—both financially and as a first-generation college student.
“When my counselor came to me and told me that this scholarship would fit me perfectly, I really thought I should apply for it,” Moore said. “(Receiving) it meant a lot for me; it showed me that this college really wants me to be there, and it gives me a whole lot of hope that I’m going to have a good experience going into college.”
Another incoming UTC freshman, scholarship recipient E’Shawn Massey, graduated from Chattanooga Central High School on May 17. He was the class salutatorian after finishing his undergraduate days with a 4.0 GPA.
The scholarship will pay for Massey’s tuition, room and board.
E’Shawn Massey
“After applying for it, I really didn’t think I would get it,” said Massey, who plans to major in engineering at UTC. He has also been studying to become a real estate agent. “I heard one person from our school was going to receive it at the end-of-year award ceremony and I was like, ‘I wonder who’s going to get it?’
“When they said my name, I was really surprised. But it was a really good surprise.”
As part of the application process, Massey said he did his research on Brown.
“He had similar thoughts that I have; he thinks that education never really ends, and I think that’s true for everyone,” Massey said. “I think everybody should continue to learn—even if they’re 70 years old.”
Massey will be a first-generation college student, something he hopes will start a trend within his family.
“I think it would be pretty important for future generations to actually be related to someone that went to college and succeeded,” he said.
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