{"id":73297,"date":"2025-12-16T08:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T13:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=73297"},"modified":"2026-01-13T08:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:54:20","slug":"a-decade-four-sisters-and-one-university-at-fall-2025-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/a-decade-four-sisters-and-one-university-at-fall-2025-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"A decade, four sisters and one University at fall 2025 commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Natale

Natale Mertens graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the fall 2025 commencement, joining her three sisters as UTC alumni. Photo by Angela Foster<\/p><\/div>\n

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s fall commencement ceremonies were a time for families to celebrate their students\u2019 hard work and accomplishments.<\/p>\n

For the Mertens family from Nashville, it was a time to reflect on their family\u2019s journey at UTC over the past decade.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 13, Natale Mertens walked across the stage at McKenzie Arena to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.<\/p>\n

With this achievement, Natale became the latest of the Mertens sisters\u2014joining Kinsey, Claire and Ninah\u2014to graduate from UTC.<\/p>\n

Their mother, Amy, said UTC has been \u201ca family college for us, even though my husband and I didn\u2019t go here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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

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

Amy Mertens, a 1992 University of Belmont graduate, recently retired from nursing. She said graduates with a UTC diploma have \u201cstreet cred.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the No. 1 program in Tennessee, which I was like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s amazing.\u2019 I\u2019m a nurse and I didn\u2019t realize it,\u201d she said. \u201c(Natale) got into UTC as a transfer, and there are about 40 in her class. It\u2019s a small class. She has loved her nursing courses. It reinforced to her that nursing is what she\u2019s meant to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natale started working at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in Nashville. Amy said this is through UTC\u2019s reputation for producing the best nurses in the state.<\/p>\n

While at a soccer game, Amy mentioned to an acquaintance that Natale was looking for a job while attending UTC. This acquaintance by chance, or as Amy would call it, \u201cdivine intervention,\u201d had just started working at Saint Thomas.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was looking for something to do and this lady sitting next to me goes, \u2018Send her my email. She\u2019s where?\u2019 Amy recalled. When she was told Natale was at UTC, \u201cOh yeah, send her my email. You have street cred when you have UTC on your diploma.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Natale) immediately went into the program and she hadn\u2019t graduated. She hasn\u2019t taken her NCLEX yet, but the passing rates on the NCLEX are sky high here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting her collegiate career at Columbia (Tennessee) State Community College to play soccer, Natale said she missed her twin sister, Ninah, who was already attending UTC.<\/p>\n

Ninah graduated in May 2025 with a degree in psychology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard to do when you\u2019re away from your twin, your best friend,\u201d Natale said. \u201cBut also, when I was doing research, it was and still is the No. 1 nursing school in Tennessee. I thought, \u2018You know what? That sounds like a good fit for me. No. 1 nursing school and my siblings are there.\u2019 It just worked perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Mertens sisters, from left to right: Ninah, Natale, Claire and Kinsey.<\/p><\/div>\n

Reflecting on her journey at UTC, Natale explained that her academic experience taught both technical nursing knowledge and practical skills, building her professional confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was honestly a great community and all the teachers were so helpful to me. They were really hammering it in our minds what to do in a hospital\u2014how to take care of the patient. I feel that anywhere else, I wouldn\u2019t feel as prepared with patient care overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kinsey started the Mertens tradition at UTC, graduating in 2017 with a degree in biology.<\/p>\n

Initially prepared to attend UTC without an official tour, her mother insisted on an actual visit. That tour and the apartment-style dorms sealed the deal, according to Kinsey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go to UTC because it had everything I was looking for: the right size, a great community feel, and the perfect distance from Nashville,\u201d she said. \u201cI could have my independence but still be close to home. I also love Chattanooga as a city because there\u2019s always something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kinsey said UTC prepared her to succeed in the workforce as she began her career as a pharmacist.<\/p>\n

She also enjoyed watching her sisters do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the oldest, it\u2019s been amazing to watch my sisters follow in my footsteps but also find their own paths. Even though we shared the same school, each of our experiences was entirely our own, and I love that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing I wish they could\u2019ve experienced is Greek life because it played such a big role in my college journey. But I\u2019m so proud of all of them and grateful that UTC is something we\u2019ll always have in common.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natale echoed her sister\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cUTC as a community\u2014everybody I met, especially as a transfer, it\u2019s harder to make friends and communicate with others\u2014but it was so welcoming,\u201d she said. \u201cEspecially in the nursing school, for somebody who just transferred in, that was the biggest highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mertens also added to their family during the sisters\u2019 time at UTC. Claire, a 2020 marketing graduate, met Blaine Davis while attending the University. The couple married in 2020.<\/p>\n

Amy said from 2014 to 2021, she saw \u201cmore and more\u201d students from Middle Tennessee attending UTC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved that cohesion,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know the system. We know the area. We can figure out where to park without getting a ticket, hopefully. I love the campus security program. You have your own police force and that was huge for me as a mom with girls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thrilled that they have all the big sports teams\u2014things they can do on the weekend. Watch the girls\u2019 soccer team, watch basketball, go to football games, do homecoming, and take part in all these big school activities. It\u2019s not so massive that they get lost, but it had everything all of my girls needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

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

College of Health, Education & Professional Studies<\/a><\/p>\n

Gary W. Rollins College of Business<\/a><\/p>\n

College of Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo gallery courtesy of Amy Mertens<\/h4>\n
\"Claire <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The Mertens family after the fall 2025 commencement ceremony. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Kinsey <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s fall commencement ceremonies were a time for families to celebrate their students\u2019 hard work and accomplishments. Natale Mertens graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the fall 2025 commencement, joining her three sisters as UTC alumni.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2058,"featured_media":73299,"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":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_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":[64,70,123864,123865,15,61,56,4936,3,57,122497,286,661,124930],"tags":[126466,126471,126469,126470,125515,123827,123826,123828,124776,126468,126467,123829],"class_list":{"0":"post-73297","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-biology-geology-and-environmental-science","10":"category-campus","11":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","12":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","13":"category-college-of-nursing","14":"category-community","15":"category-college-of-business","16":"category-marketing","17":"category-news","18":"category-psychology","19":"category-students","20":"category-transfer-students","21":"tag-amy-mertens","22":"tag-ascension-saint-thomas-hospital-midtown","23":"tag-blaine-davis","24":"tag-claire-davis","25":"tag-commencement-2025","26":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","27":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","28":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","29":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","30":"tag-natale-mertens","31":"tag-ninah-mertens","32":"tag-operating-with-excellence","33":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nA decade, four sisters and one University at fall 2025 commencement | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s fall commencement ceremonies were a time for families to celebrate their students\u2019 hard work and accomplishments. 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