{"id":72506,"date":"2025-12-07T09:37:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T14:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=72506"},"modified":"2025-12-18T08:52:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:52:34","slug":"charles-in-charge-storyteller-turns-his-utc-student-experience-into-a-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/charles-in-charge-storyteller-turns-his-utc-student-experience-into-a-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles in charge: Storyteller turns his UTC student experience into a career"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"UTC

Charles Kemp and Scrappy. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Charles Kemp walks across the McKenzie Arena stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13, he\u2019ll be thinking about how far he\u2019s come\u2014both as a student and as a storyteller.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll also be doing so already holding a full-time job with the \u201cUT\u201d acronym on his business card.<\/p>\n

Kemp, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in communication with a marketing minor, works as a digital content strategist in the UT System\u2019s Office of Communications and Marketing in Knoxville.<\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2025 stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

Balancing a full-time job with his final semester of coursework has made his final months at UTC \u201cdefinitely untraditional,\u201d he said, but he wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like doing things that not many people do,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the UT System, I think this is my dream job. I get to go around making videos, taking photos, meeting people. I\u2019ve been to more places in the state since January than I have in my entire life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my story shows what can happen when you stay focused and make the most of what\u2019s in front of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kemp\u2019s path to that dream job began at UT Southern, where he started college before transferring to UTC in 2022. He already knew what he wanted to do\u2014create. He had discovered video production in high school and came to Chattanooga determined to turn those interests into a professional path.<\/p>\n

The Memphis native soon found a home in UTC\u2019s Division of Communications and Marketing working under Executive Video Producer Mike Andrews.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached out to Mike before I even got to UTC,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cI told him, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m doing this type of work as a student at UT Southern,\u2019 and he said, \u2018You can do the same thing at UTC.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

During his time on the UTC campus from August 2022 through December 2024, Kemp could be found behind the camera, in front of the camera and everywhere in between\u2014capturing the stories that define the UTC experience.<\/p>\n

Andrews said Kemp\u2019s personality and work ethic stood out immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow confident he is, how he makes people feel at ease, how he draws people into his project and his vision of a project,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cHe kind of elevated our expectations of what a student can bring in here and accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrews quickly learned that Kemp wasn\u2019t afraid to take creative risks, citing a project that featured UT System President Randy Boyd and the cheer teams from Chattanooga and Knoxville.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharles was a cheerleader for UTC, going up to Knoxville and working with Randy Boyd and teaching him how to cheer for UTC,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cThen the cheerleader from Tennessee did the same and they went back and forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe improvised and had the idea of taking him to the Vol Shop. Charles walked in mic\u2019d up and ad-libbed, \u2018Way too much orange,\u2019 and we just fell over laughing. It was an inspired moment and indicative of what he could do and how he could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A

Charles Kemp at the University of Tennessee System\u2019s \u201cFind Your Future\u201d high school visit to Walker Valley High School in September 2025. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

At UTC, Kemp served as an anchor for Mocs News, appeared on the cover of the UT System\u2019s Our Tennessee magazine, studied abroad in Mexico\u2014\u201cI\u2019d never been on a plane before\u201d\u2014and worked on dozens of projects as part of the University\u2019s video team.<\/p>\n

He said his experiences as a student worker set the foundation for his professional confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in the MarCom space showed me how professionals operate,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gave me a foundation\u2014how to plan, how to talk to people in the field, how to broaden my network and make things happen. I learned from everyone around me. They let me try things and trusted me with real projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started seeing ads I created on TV or YouTube\u2014stuff that the University would put money behind. That journey, going from low man on the totem pole to sitting right next to the videographer on staff, really did wonders for my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between classes, campus involvement and video production work, Kemp\u2019s days were packed\u2014but he relished the pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of those people who always needs to be doing something,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s probably why I loved working with the video team. Every day was different. You never knew who you were going to meet or what kind of story you were going to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also learned what it meant to collaborate with people who had higher expectations than he had ever faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re working with professionals, it\u2019s a different level,\u201d he said. \u201cDeadlines are real. Clients expect things on time. People depend on you to get it right. That was the biggest adjustment at first\u2014but it was also where I grew the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January, Kemp accepted a full-time position with the UT System. As a digital content strategist, he now travels statewide to film, photograph and produce stories from every UT campus and institute.<\/p>\n

While working full-time, he completed his remaining UTC coursework online. His final semester included fulfilling his Department of Communication internship requirement by working on a project supervised by Andrews.<\/p>\n

\u201cMike had an idea\u2014what if you just send us packages from what you normally do at work?\u201d Kemp said. \u201cIt\u2019s been fun to keep that connection and still be part of the UTC story, even from Knoxville.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A

Charles Kemp in Knoxville during the 2025 University Photographers’ Association of America Symposium. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Melissa Tindell, vice president for communications and marketing for the UT System\u2014and a UTC doctoral student in the Learning and Leadership program\u2014first met Kemp several years ago when he attended the UT System\u2019s Summer Communicators Retreat as a student intern during his time at UT Southern.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a lightness that just exuded from him, just immense joy in his being,\u201d Tindell said, \u201cand that really stuck out to me and so many others.<\/p>\n

\u201cFun fact: Charles did the first-ever back flip at a communicators retreat. That was another reason he stuck out to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That impression never faded. After Kemp transferred to UTC, Tindell and her team stayed in touch, checking in periodically on his progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt such a young age, he had a great head on his shoulders,\u201d she said. \u201cWe would always check in with Charles. We\u2019d have business from time to time at the system level and we would try to catch up with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the opportunity came to hire him full-time last winter, Tindell said she jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to get really creative about what that hire might look like since he was still an undergraduate,\u201d she said. \u201cFull credit to UT Chattanooga for working with us to figure out a way to allow him to take his remaining coursework online while he worked full time here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She called the arrangement \u201ca wonderful partnership\u201d between UTC and the UT System office\u2014and a reminder of what can happen when leaders think outside the box.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real testament to not getting stuck in the mindset of, \u2018This is the way we\u2019ve always done things,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIf you see a high-potential, high-capacity individual, think creatively about how to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tindell said she has been proud to see how Kemp has adjusted to professional life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to remind myself regularly that he\u2019s 22,\u201d she said. \u201cHe presents so much more mature than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith his classes, we\u2019ve had to juggle some things on our end from a workload perspective, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s all worth it to see Charles succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Left

During his time on the UTC campus, Charles Kemp was a member of the UTC cheer team and appeared on the cover of the UT System’s Our Tennessee magazine.<\/p><\/div>\n

For Kemp, commencement marks the culmination of a journey that took him from Memphis to Murfreesboro\u2014where he attended high school\u2014to Pulaski to Chattanooga and to Knoxville.<\/p>\n

And, of course, across the entire state filming and creating stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be great to cross that stage and say, I finished this in one go,\u201d he said. \u201cMy grandmother always says, \u2018Charles, I know you work hard and I know you do all these things, but bring me that paper.\u2019 No matter what I do, she\u2019s like, \u2018That\u2019s good, that\u2019s great, but make sure you bring me that paper.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to say, \u2018Here it is.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He knows the moment will carry emotion. And like many stories he\u2019s helped tell for others, this one ends with gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just thankful,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cUTC gave me opportunities I didn\u2019t even know existed. I learned how to work, how to connect, how to see the world differently. I wouldn\u2019t trade this experience for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Department of Communication<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Charles Kemp walks across the McKenzie Arena stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13, he\u2019ll be thinking about how far he\u2019s come\u2014both as a student and as a storyteller.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":72512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123864,61,56,4866,7712,57,52,8244,122497,99051,8288,661,124930],"tags":[124214,125515,83634,123827,123826,123038,126354,48070,124776,12694,123829,126355,124931],"class_list":{"0":"post-72506","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","10":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","11":"category-communication","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-college-of-business","14":"category-graduate-school","15":"category-honors-and-awards","16":"category-marketing","17":"category-news","18":"category-online-learning","19":"category-school-of-education","20":"category-students","21":"category-transfer-students","22":"tag-charles-kemp","23":"tag-commencement-2025","24":"tag-communications-and-marketing","25":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","26":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","27":"tag-learning-and-leadership","28":"tag-melissa-tindell","29":"tag-mike-andrews","30":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","31":"tag-mocs-news","32":"tag-operating-with-excellence","33":"tag-our-tennessee","34":"tag-ut-system-president-randy-boyd","35":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nCharles 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