Fatimah Musa, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics during University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 16, was born with cone-rod dystrophy—a type of inherited retinal degeneration affecting the retina’s photoreceptor cells. The condition is characterized by progressive loss of function and death of the eyes’ cone and rod photoreceptor cells, leading to vision loss.
Graduate student, pregnant and nomadic: Gentry Whittaker’s unusual path to commencement
Gentry Whittaker graduates from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday, Dec. 15, with a master’s degree in business administration, and with UTC’s 100% online MBA program, students can complete their studies from anywhere in the world. Whittaker’s experience, though, was unlike most others. Throughout her academic journey, she lived as a nomad.
Final act: Theater graduate finds ‘a sense of fulfillment’ from acting
Isaiah Mark Owens took acting classes in high school and, when all was said and done, the thrill of acting stuck. The end result is a degree in theater he will earn in December 2023 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Shot at a goal: UTC soccer star wants to become seventh doctor in her family
UTC graduating senior Mackenzie Smith aims to become the seventh physician in her immediate family, but medical school will have to wait until after her soccer career ends. Smith has her eye on playing professional soccer overseas. Then, the two-time all-Southern Conference player and biochemistry major plans to join her five siblings and father and attend medical school.
Graduating senior Emmy Davis shares how she balances life as athlete and finance major
Being a well-balanced student is not an easy feat, and as a student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA, Emmy Davis knows this all too well. Her hard work as an undergraduate student is coming to an end on Saturday, Dec. 16, when the cross country and track and field runner graduates summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in finance.
It’s a celebration: UTC to host commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday
Fall commencement at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will be celebrated with three separate ceremonies taking place over two days starting Friday, Dec. 15.
Noted achievement: Trio of UTC music therapy graduates ‘confirm they picked the right career’
Keely Phillips and Kyndall Blum are the first students to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as music therapy majors for all four years they were enrolled. They are graduating as part of December commencement ceremonies. Joseph Taylor, who transferred from Belmont University in Nashville to UTC as a junior, also is graduating with a music therapy degree—the first transfer student to earn the degree.
UTC School of Nursing voted tops in nation in Nurse.org competition
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Nursing has been selected the best in the country by student and alumni voters in the inaugural Top Nursing School in the United States – Student Choice Awards contest launched by Nurse.org—an influential national organization.
For bachelor’s degree recipient Lorina Upshaw, “If you want to do something, be determined. That’s what I always tell my kids and my grandkids”
On Dec. 16, Lorina Upshaw, who officially completed her UTC coursework in August, will hear her name called as a recipient of a Bachelor of Applied Science: Applied Leadership degree (BAS-AL). Her journey toward receiving a bachelor’s degree started 53 years ago.
Alum Sunny Fleming maps out a plan for a career in GIS
UTC’s Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technologies Lab hosted for GIS Day, a workshop for users of GIS technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society. The event featured special guest Sunny Fleming—a UTC alum and environment lead at Esri.