{"id":75916,"date":"2026-04-09T08:37:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=75916"},"modified":"2026-07-15T16:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:50:18","slug":"a-moment-of-thanks-scholarship-luncheon-celebrates-students-and-donors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/a-moment-of-thanks-scholarship-luncheon-celebrates-students-and-donors\/","title":{"rendered":"A moment of thanks: Scholarship Luncheon celebrates students and donors\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

Scholarship recipients and donors gathered at UTC\u2019s annual Scholarship Luncheon. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Siya Patel didn\u2019t think she would graduate from college debt free.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now a senior nursing major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she said scholarships will make that outcome a reality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think that was possible,\u201d Patel said. \u201cUTC has made it possible.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patel was one of several student panelists at UTC\u2019s annual Scholarship Luncheon, held on Wednesday, April 8, in the University Center Tennessee Room during <\/span>I Love UTC Week<\/span><\/b><\/a>. The event, <\/span>hosted by the Division of Advancement,<\/span> brings together <\/span>scholarship recipients and their donors<\/span>, offering a rare opportunity to share stories <\/span>face-to-face.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the panel, students shared that scholarships <\/span>reshaped their college experience<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patel discussed the everyday pressures students navigate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know that we have courses. I have clinicals, we have professional and social challenges that we have to go through,\u201d she said. \u201cReceiving scholarships just helps us so much. It provides us a little more comfort, and we don\u2019t have to worry about the stress of being financially able to just attend classes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Izzy McPherson, a junior psychology major and point guard on the Mocs women\u2019s basketball team, said the support makes it possible to fully commit to both academics and athletics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBasketball is basically a year-round sport. I don\u2019t know what I would do if I had to pay to go to college and also play basketball here,\u201d McPherson said to the crowd. \u201cSo, I just want to say \u2018thank you\u2019 to everybody from the bottom of my heart. You have all my love and gratitude.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

James Kalla, a senior accounting major in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, said his scholarship allowed him to attend a trip to Japan with his fellow Rollins Scholars. He added that the scholarship experience speaks to something larger at UTC.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look beyond this school, the amount of debt that people are taking on, it is increasing and it is a lot,\u201d Kalla noted. \u201cThe fact that we\u2019re able to have more than half of the students graduate <\/span>debt-free<\/span> is a massive accomplishment.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Asha Lee, a junior applied leadership major <\/span>and a member of the UTC Honors College\u2019s Innovations in Honors program,<\/span> said scholarships allowed her to stay involved on campus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a transfer student from Chattanooga State Community College, Lee did not qualify for the HOPE Scholarship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I was still able to receive a ton of scholarships,\u201d Lee said. \u201cTo be able to be debt free is amazing to me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those opportunities, she added, made it possible to take on leadership roles and stay engaged.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cScholarships have changed my life,\u201d Lee said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carolina Shank, a sophomore double major in mechanical engineering and criminal justice, said scholarships allowed her to step back from constant work and invest more fully in her college experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have worked part-time jobs since I was 15. I currently have three or four jobs technically,\u201d Shank said. \u201cWorking and balancing school with that is really difficult.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve allowed me not to work as much so that I can go and actually hang out with my friends; I can join more clubs and I can attend national conferences all over the country. It\u2019s really just kind of changed my life. It\u2019s changed who I am and it\u2019s changed what I think is possible.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shank, Lee, Kalla and Patel are Chattanooga natives. McPherson hails from Pleasant View, Tennessee.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

The scholarship recipient panel included moderator and Interim Vice Chancellor of Advancement Andrew Sheehy (left) and students Carolina Shank, Siya Patel, Izzy McPherson, Asha Lee and James Kalla.<\/p><\/div>\n

The value of those experiences is what Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement Andrew Sheehy described as the purpose of the event.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoments like this are a reminder of what philanthropy makes possible,\u201d Sheehy said. \u201cIt creates opportunities \u2026 and most importantly changes lives.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the room, students sat with the individuals and families whose support helped make their education possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For some donors, that support is rooted in their own experiences.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack Marcellis, a retired City of Chattanooga public works administrator, said he worked his way through school before eventually receiving a fellowship for graduate study.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI decided I\u2019m going to make sure a few people behind me, younger than me, get that opportunity,\u201d Marcellis said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He and his late wife\u2014a former UTC employee\u2014established a civil engineering scholarship at UTC more than two decades ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just made sure that higher education is available in my small way to a few other people,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Movita Steiner, a long-time donor and supporter of women\u2019s athletics, said the motivation is simple.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to see them get an education,\u201d Steiner said. \u201cThat was always very important to me and my late husband \u2026 I feel blessed that I can do it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A donor perspective was also shared through a video featuring Ken Harpe, a 1971 graduate of the University of Chattanooga and namesake of the Ken and Cary Harpe Scholarship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the video, Harpe reflected on how his time at the University shaped his life, including meeting his late wife, Cary, outside an English class under an oak tree.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCollege doesn\u2019t so much change your life as it helps you discover who you are, what your talents are,\u201d Harpe said in the video. \u201cAnd we want that opportunity for other people.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chancellor Lori Bruce addressed the crowd, sharing the impact scholarships had on her life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She grew up in a small farming community in Lincoln County, Tennessee, where higher education wasn\u2019t always a direct path. Over time, she watched that change within her own family and saw how access to education could reshape what was possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the students at UTC, she said, are navigating similar challenges as they work toward their degrees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we invest in students, we\u2019re not just investing in them as individuals,\u201d Bruce said. \u201cWe\u2019re investing in their families, their future families. We\u2019re making generational investments and that really, really matters.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n
\"Three

Movita Steiner (left), a longtime supporter of women’s athletics at UTC, stands with donors Judy and Earl Brown.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Three <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a> <\/div>
\"Chancellor <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Scholarship <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Three <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Two <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Division of Advancement held its annual Scholarship Luncheon in the University Center Tennessee Room during I Love UTC Week. The event brings together scholarship recipients and their donors, offering a rare opportunity to share stories face-to-face.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":75923,"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":[64,70,122424,123864,15,61,59,56,4936,3,122419,57,12740,286,781,661],"tags":[126118,125352,125115,126934,126491,123827,127069,127079,127073,127061,12698,126930,126932,126931,126933,124776,124912,48191,126929],"class_list":{"0":"post-75916","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-accounting","9":"category-advancement-and-alumni","10":"category-campus","11":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","12":"category-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","13":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","14":"category-college-of-nursing","15":"category-community","16":"category-criminal-justice-college-of-arts-sciences","17":"category-college-of-business","18":"category-mechanical-engineering","19":"category-news","20":"category-psychology","21":"category-scholarship","22":"category-students","23":"tag-andrew-sheehy","24":"tag-asha-lee","25":"tag-carolina-shank","26":"tag-cary-harpe","27":"tag-chancellor-lori-bruce","28":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","29":"tag-goal-1-2-enhance-learner-success-strategic-plan-2030","30":"tag-goal-1-4-alumni-development-and-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","31":"tag-goal-4-3-diverse-revenue-streams-strategic-plan-2030","32":"tag-goal-5-1-community-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","33":"tag-i-love-utc-week","34":"tag-izzy-mcpherson","35":"tag-jack-marcellis","36":"tag-james-kalla","37":"tag-ken-harpe","38":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","39":"tag-movita-steiner","40":"tag-scholarship-luncheon","41":"tag-siya-patel","42":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nA moment of thanks: Scholarship Luncheon celebrates students and donors\u00a0 | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Division of Advancement held its annual Scholarship Luncheon in the University Center Tennessee Room during I Love UTC Week. 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