As students prepared for their return to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, during the past month, a number of them received the welcome news from Vols in their home communities that they had been granted chapter scholarships.
Forty-four official UT alumni chapters exist across the nation, and while all offer some financial assistance to students from their areas attending UT, many offer endowed scholarships.
Duane Wiles, associate vice chancellor of alumni affairs, says the Alumni Scholarship Matching Program is a great way for alumni to help students in their communities attend UT, even from out of state. The Alumni Board of Directors has prioritized the growth of chapter scholarships, as well.
“Committed alumni can help students attain the dream of a UT education through chapter scholarships and at the same time bring the best and the brightest talent to Knoxville and the university,” Wiles said. “This is a great way to honor a loved one or a particularly accomplished alumnus from your community.”
In North Atlanta, chapter members selected Sophie Moore as this year’s recipient of the R. Joshua Dobbs North Atlanta Alumni Scholarship. Moore, who began her studies at UT in 2018, comes from a family of engineers and recently declared civil and environmental engineering as her major. She took a class in water resources last year which she found fascinating and helped her decide on a career direction.
“I’m thinking of going into water quality and sanitation for third-world countries,” Moore said. “I want to figure out innovative ways to provide water to people who don’t have access to it. I’m super excited to learn about it and how to help others.”
“ Committed alumni can help students attain the dream of a UT education through chapter scholarships and at the same time bring the best and the brightest talent to Knoxville and the university. – Duane Wiles, Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Affairs
The scholarship’s namesake, Josh Dobbs (’17), joined Moore, other North Atlanta Alumni Chapters, and representatives from UT during the scholarship presentation Zoom call. Dobbs, who played football for the Vols from 2013 to 2016 and majored in aerospace engineering, currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In addition to congratulating Moore on receiving the scholarship for a second year, Dobbs advised her to take her UT experience day by day.
“It can be overwhelming at the moment because it seems like every week the world changes,” Dobbs said. “My advice is to continue to maximize and live in the moment. Try to slow it all down and enjoy your time at UT.”
Across the country in Seattle, sophomore Casey Langsjoen received the good news on a Zoom call as well. Langsjoen is a nursing major and the first member of his family to attend UT. He chose Tennessee as opposed to universities on the West Coast primarily because of cost and the College of Nursing’s reputation.
In Seattle for the summer, Langsjoen is looking forward to being in Knoxville again. He’ll start with his nursing classes and participate in extracurricular activities like the running club and Student Alumni Associates.
“There’s a certain part of me that’s been missing since I left UT for the summer,” Langsjoen said.
