Arly Perez-Morales is navigating uncharted waters—and redefining what’s possible along the way. Perez-Morales, a junior at UTC, is a first-generation college student pursuing civil engineering—a field historically underrepresented among women and Hispanic/Latinx professionals. With a desire to make a difference, her first-gen story reflects the purpose and the importance of family support.
UTC faculty takes business skills to the Pacific Rim
This summer, a new wave of future global business leaders was guided by the expertise of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty members who brought their teachings across the Pacific. Dr. David Witt, Dr. Damitha Bandara, Dr. Navid Aghakhani and Dr. John McKinney, all with the Gary W. Rollins College of Business; Dr. Jennifer Goodrich, an engineering management lecturer in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; and former UTC Marketing Lecturer Kennedy Horton traveled in teams of three—over two-week stretches—to teach business classes at Shanghai Normal University’s Tianhua College.
Record-tying five UTC students land prestigious Gilman international scholarships
A school record-tying five UTC students, Ashlyn Roberson, Bailee Fiste, Bryce Sanders, Kamila Vargas and Kylie Knott, are recipients of U.S. Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships.
Pomp and circumstance: Celebrating the sights and sounds of UTC commencement
Processionals, gonfalons and the “Imperial March.” The revelry of past University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commencements was back. For the first time since 2019, commencement at UTC was held without the restrictions of COVID-19 and McKenzie Arena renovations. Three ceremonies were held over two days starting Friday, May 3, with more than 1,300 undergraduates and nearly 300 graduate students presented for degrees.
Stories of strength: Ukrainian UTC graduates embody resilience and hope amidst turmoil
Arsen Martyshchuk and Nina Klimenkova, recipients of UTC Global Response Assistantship scholarships, will be receiving master’s degrees from UTC on Friday, May 3. Before they say goodbye to UTC, the two talk about their journey from Ukraine, their shared time in Chattanooga and their future.
Language learning and cultural exchange: Two UTC students receive national scholarships
A pair of UTC students have created paths to learning new languages after landing national competitive scholarships. Lauren Graves, a senior English major and Brock Scholar in the UTC Honors College, will spend about a year in Japan as part of the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program, which brings university graduates to Japan as assistant language teachers. Vinny Nguyen, a sophomore political science and public service major, is the recipient of the CLS Spark scholarship. He will spend eight weeks in an online course learning Mandarin Chinese.
Belgian bound: A Gilman Scholar’s adventure abroad
This semester, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior Jayda Fowler—a double major in international studies and French—is studying in Brussels, Belgium, thanks to the Gilman Scholarship.
Capstone achievement: UTC’s Emma Sprayberry lands Fulbright Scholarship
One of the most highly decorated students in recent UTC history has received another prestigious award before her time as an undergraduate comes to a close. Senior Emma Sprayberry, an Innovations in Honors student in the UTC Honors College majoring in both humanities: international studies (with an emphasis on Asian studies) and Spanish, along with a minor in anthropology, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Global citizen: UTC’s Emma Roy awarded Boren Scholarship
Emma Roy, currently completing her junior year at UTC, has been selected for the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship, an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense. Beginning in mid-September, she will spend 25 weeks—the equivalent of an academic year—at National Taiwan University as part of the International Chinese Language Program.
Lessons learned: Takeo Suzuki shares his experiences from a Fulbright visit to India
Dr. Takeo Suzuki is on a mission to spread the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga name worldwide. He is also on a mission to bring the world to UTC. Suzuki, executive director of the UTC Center of Global Education, recently spent two weeks in India after being selected as a 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar as part of the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program.