From graduate schools to professional jobs, graduates of the Maryville College Class of 2025 line up impressive plans
May 16, 2025
The May 3 Commencement ceremony may have given them diplomas, but the years they spent at Maryville College gave its most recent graduates so much more.
As the Class of 2025 journeys into the wider world beyond the hallowed halls and bucolic grounds of College Hill, they take with them an education anchored by a liberal arts foundation, summed up by the MC adage that by studying everything, they’re prepared for anything.
Guided by “scholarship, respect and integrity” — the inscription on the College’s Covenant Stone, upon which they placed their hands as first-year students and took an oath to uphold — some will go on to graduate schools and higher degree programs. Others are hungry to begin making their marks in their chosen career fields.
All will look for opportunities to carry out the Maryville College creed put forth more than 200 years ago by founder the Rev. Isaac Anderson: to “do good on the largest possible scale.”
Michael Bailey
For Michael Bailey ’25, that means researching neurodevelopmental conditions like schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. A Neuroscience major, he’s headed to State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, where he’s already enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program in the College of Graduate Studies. He plans to earn his Ph.D. in neuroscience, he said, and the enrollment offer came with a graduate assistantship award that will provide him with a stipend and a full-tuition scholarship.
The impressive accomplishment is made even more so by the fact he received a similar offer from Kent State University, but given his success at Maryville College, it’s hardly a surprise. In April, he was announced as one of five finalists for the Carl ’63 and Jean McDonald Outstanding Senior Award, and while he didn’t win, the work he put into his undergraduate career since he first stepped onto campus as an international student from Jamaica has been extraordinary.
“My overall experience was very crucial for my self-development and pursuit of my future goals,” he said. “The Neuroscience major equipped me with the knowledge and thinking skills necessary to conduct research, and our professors here were always supportive. As an international student, I had an amazing experience meeting other students from all over the world, and I am now a better person thanks to those experiences.
“I was also a member of numerous organizations, such as Global Citizenship Organization (GCO), TEDx Maryville College and Black Student Alliance (BSA), all organizations that contributed significantly to my growth.”
While another institution may have provided him with an equally beneficial education, the one-on-one attention he received from faculty members in the Division of Behavioral Sciences likely wouldn’t have been possible at larger institutions. Dr. Chad Schrock and Dr. Jeff Kelly, he said, helped him secure internships as an undergraduate and guided him through the graduate school application process. And while his work earned him the Lori A. Schmied Neuroscience Award at last month’s Celebration of Student Achievement — an honor that acknowledges a senior Neuroscience major with the best academic performance in neuroscience as judged by classroom performance, overall scholarship and grade point average — it’s actually a moment from his sophomore year of which he’s most proud, he added.
“Back in 2023 when I was awarded for Outstanding Achievement in French,” he said. “It was the first academic honor that I received at Maryville College, so it was reassuring. I also discovered my passion for learning languages, especially French. Furthermore, this award showcased that I am not only interested in neuroscience — I am multidimensional with many interests.”
Reese Bailey
Multidimensionality is a common thread among members of the Class of 2025 — like Reese Bailey, a Biochemistry major from Brentwood, Tennessee, who credits the ability she found at MC to focus her studies on the intersection of chemistry, biology and environmental science with the next steps on her path. Her long-term goal, she said, is to earn a Ph.D. related to those three fields, and she plans to find a research position in Nashville to get more laboratory experience before applying to graduate programs.
“My research with Dr. (Jennifer) Brigati (professor of biology and chair of the MC Division of Natural Sciences) and over the summer with the Townsend Little River project strengthened my ability to work with new instruments and my interest in pursuing something where I do that every day,” she said. “My senior thesis influenced my love of research by allowing me to dive deep into literature on a specific topic with the purpose of expanding knowledge. The classes I have taken here have made me feel confident that I am capable of pursuing further education and that there is always more to know.”
Those classes haven’t been solely within the domain of the sciences, either: Principles of Fermentation Science, a beer-brewing course, and karate opened up her MC experience to other subjects and helped make her time at the College both memorable and enjoyable. And the knowledge gained by taking advantage of a broad spectrum of course offerings helped to make her a more-rounded individual, she added.
“Having professors and staff at Maryville College that care about me as an individual, my academic and general success, and shaping my character have truly impacted my future in thinking of both my career as well as my life outside my career in continuing to ‘do good on the largest possible scale,’” she said. “Being a member and officer in ACS/BBB (American Chemical Society/Tri-Beta, a student organization) has instilled a dedication to the community, increasing engagement in STEM, and lifelong learning.
“Playing volleyball at Maryville (Bailey finished her volleyball career with 760 kills, 38 assists, 81 service aces, 171 digs and 255 blocks, with a .255 hitting percentage) developed my time management skills, strengthened my ability to work with a team, and expanded my idea of leadership and giving back to the community. All of these things have led to me wanting to explore different fields for future career choices before jumping into a five- to seven-year Ph.D. program where I can devote my time, passion, and learning towards something that I will love to pursue.”
At the April Celebration of Student Achievement, Bailey received the Distinguished Achievement in Chemistry Award, which recognizes the graduating senior who has demonstrated the most outstanding accomplishments in the field; and at the end of April, she was named as one of the finalists for the J.D. Davis Award at the MC Athletics Awards Banquet, a recognition that “seeks to honor male and female senior student-athletes who excel in leadership, athletic ability, Christian values and academic achievement.”
“Being considered for that award was an incredible feeling of others seeing the work that I have put in the past four years to both my degree, on the volleyball court, and in the relationships that I’ve made with the people around me on the court and in the classroom,” she said.
Olivia Carter
Using their abilities to help others — “doing good,” in other words — is a common theme among members of the Class of 2025. Olivia Carter, for example, is headed to Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, to pursue a master’s in clinical counseling, which she hopes to put to use conducting research on adolescent suicide and how environmental factors affect those rates, she said.
“I hope to contribute meaningful knowledge to the field and ultimately work to improve interventions and support systems for at-risk youth,” she said. “The mentorship I’ve received from faculty has been instrumental. Their guidance not only helped me thrive academically but also made it possible for me to work full-time at the Village Behavioral Health residential facility for adolescents while completing my degree.”
For three semesters, her work at Village guided her Senior Study, a centerpiece of the MC experience in which every degree candidate works with a faculty supervisor to expound upon scholarship and ideas in their respective degree fields. For Carter — a Psychology (Counseling track) major — that meant examining “maladaptive behaviors and self-esteem, with a particular focus on how residential treatment can improve self-esteem despite the surrounding stigma of diagnostic labeling,” she said.
“This research has not only deepened my understanding of adolescent mental health but also reinforced my passion for making a difference through psychological research and advocacy,” she added.
Although her journey wasn’t without its challenges, especially as a first-generation college student who worked full time and competed on the MC Equestrian Team, she discovered at MC the tools she needed to set her up for success … as an undergraduate, and as a newly minted alumna who will apply those tools to further her education and her career.
“The faculty and staff at Maryville College have always made me feel supported, no matter what path I’ve chosen, and that kind of encouragement has made all the difference,” she said. “Maryville College has prepared me through its strong academic foundation, particularly the upper-level psychology courses that deepened my understanding of child development and therapy techniques. Beyond academics, the consistent support and mentorship I’ve received have given me the confidence and skills I need to move forward.”
Malachi Chipp
Malachi Chipp is another Scot who balanced academics and athletics, finishing his Scots basketball career with two Collegiate Conference of the South championship rings he earned during his time on the 2022-23 and 2023-24 basketball squads. Although he’s proud to have been a part of the efforts to win them, he’s equally as proud of the honor cords he wore during Commencement exercises on May 3 from the Scots Science Scholars program.
S3, as it’s called, provides financial aid and academic enrichment for select students pursuing degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) fields; Chipp, whose major is Engineering, dove in from the beginning, and he plans to use the knowledge he gained at MC in a career specializing in CAD (Computer-Aided Drafting) mechanical design. Already, he’s worked as an engineering and design intern with Inspire Brands, a fast-food restaurant franchise company that owns Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In, Dunkin’ Donuts and more.
Now, the company has offered him a full-time position after graduation, and while he’s earned it through his hard work in the classroom and on the basketball court, it might not have been possible without assistance from Maryville College, he said.
“MC has helped me learn how to do anything in any business,” he said. “From the career fairs to the Maryville College Works course, MC was always showing me ways to improve my career and my next steps. With a plethora of resources and classes to go along with the support MC gives you, the College played a major part in me getting this position.”
Connor Gahagan
For the uninitiated, Connor Gahagan seemed like just another member of the Maryville College Athletics staff, so ubiquitous was his presence at almost every game in almost every sport. He served as both an intern and a student assistant throughout the majority of his time as an undergraduate, roles that played a large part in his acceptance into the Recreation and Sports Management master’s degree program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
“While earning my master’s, I will be interning with the Office of Strategic Communications within UT Athletics,” he said. “There, I will be doing many of the things I do now at Maryville. I will have the opportunity to keep stats for games, assist with player bios, and help with press conferences, as well as historical projects.”
A native of Maryville and a Management major, Gahagan found his calling when he began working with John Painter, the soon-to-retire assistant athletics director for sports communication at MC and a man Gahagan describes as “a true legend.”
During his time with the Scots Athletics team, he’s been on the sidelines for numerous championships, and the video and multimedia projects he’s put together to hype various sports and various pivotal moments during their seasons have been extraordinary. His proudest MC moment, he added, was having a ringside seat to both watch and support through his work the Maryville College Baseball team in May 2024, when the guys won the Collegiate Conference of the South regular season and tournament championships after “long days and rain delays,” he said.
“Every day going into the office, I’ve learned something different,” he said. “As (Painter) often says about his career, this field doesn’t feel like a job. We get paid to watch sports. Going into College, I never saw myself doing something like that, but the opportunity to learn and grow with Maryville College quickly set me down the path I’m on now.”
Macey Harbin
Opportunities at MC abound for determined members of the Class of 2025, and Macey Harbin is one who took advantage. Last January, the Elementary Education major from Maryville was offered a job-embedded teaching position at Carpenters Elementary School, part of the Blount County School District in the Maryville area. Over the spring semester, she worked as a first-grade teacher, earning the experience normally obtained through student-teaching in a position to which she’ll return in the fall.
“Maryville’s Education program has influenced my career choice by allowing me to work as an instructional assistant since my junior year and gain lots of experience in the field,” she said. “The Division of Education has prepared me for the classroom, and the College in general has provided me with wonderful opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.”
And her hard work has been recognized: In April, Harbin was presented with the Outstanding Preservice Teacher in Elementary Grades Award at the MC Celebration of Student Achievement, a ceremony that also named her first-place winner of the Hall Ethical Thinking Award, which honors a student whose creative or practical essay on ethical thinking on a particular theme from a variety of perspectives could be published in a journal or magazine. When she isn’t teaching or learning how to teach, she’s often helping as a spiritual guide by “leading a small group of ladies at Maryville College with Sevier Heights (Church’s) college ministry, The Walk.”
Long-term, Harbin said, she hopes to obtain a post-graduate degree in an education-related field, eventually transferring her skills from secondary education classrooms to a college or university lecture hall. That she can reach that goal is not a doubt; her time at MC, she said, taught her that.
“My proudest accomplishment at Maryville College has been finding a community that supports and encourages each other,” she said. “I’ve found that at a small school, the friendships you build are so important and impactful! I have loved the last four years at MC so much. I am excited to be a Maryville College alumna and use my degree to shape the future of education!”
Andrew Hastings
That’s another common theme among members of the Class of 2025: Using the foundation of knowledge gained through a Maryville College education to effect positive change in their chosen fields. Andrew Hastings, a Theatre Studies major from Sevierville, Tennessee, is already off to a great start.
His Senior Study — organizing, directing and executing the production of “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches,” which took place in April in the Clayton Center for the Arts — was deemed exemplary, meaning faculty members found his in-depth work so meaningful that it will be forever remembered in the annals of Maryville College history.
“Directing this show truly put everything I had learned over the past four years at Maryville College to the test, and felt like a capstone to my education in the Theatre Department,” he said. “We were able to partner with a local nonprofit, Choice Health Network, to hit on the social commentary piece of the play and to make meaningful change in our community.”
With diploma in hand, Hastings heads next to Sarasota, Florida, where he’s accepted an acting apprenticeship at the Florida Studio Theatre, a village of five theaters in the heart of the city’s downtown with a reputation as a major force in American theater. It’s the perfect training ground for a Scot who one day hopes to open his own theater company “that is dedicated to providing thoughtful discussion and spurring people to action in their communities,” he said.
It’s a goal he didn’t conceive of until he arrived at Maryville College, he added. Back then, he planned to major in History, earn a teaching licensure in the field, and act here and there as a part-time hobby. A theater scholarship, however, changed everything. Getting involved in the MC Theatre Department led to attending the Southeastern Theatre Conference every year of his undergraduate career, which led to a Summer 2024 fellowship at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City, which led to his graduate work.
“Through my scholarship, I was exposed to so many new ideas and concepts in theater,” he said. “Andy Vaught (assistant professor of theater) continued to push me further and taught me how to incorporate community engagement into theater, and how it can be used to balance out the inequalities of our time.”
In other words: Doing good on the largest possible scale. For Maryville College graduates, it’s a mantra that becomes a goal, and by the time Scots graduate, they often already have plans on how to make it happen and how to succeed in their chosen fields.
“Maryville College gave me the tools to be a successful theatre professional,” he said.
Colin Hood
When it comes to friendships, few circles on the MC campus excluded Colin Hood, a Theatre Studies major from Maryville (whose mother, Carrie Hood, works in the MC Business Office). His abundance of talent made him a familiar face on stages across campus, from acting in intimate productions in the Haslam Family Flexible Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts to singing solos on the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre stage with the Maryville College Concert Choir.
“My education at Maryville College has helped me discover all of the things I’m really good at,” he said. “It has improved my singing, my acting abilities, my work ethic, etc. It has helped me fine-tune the things that will help me get a fulfilling job in the future!”
First stop for Hood: The Disney College Program, a paid internship experience that gives participants an opportunity to work and live at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He departs East Tennessee in early August, and he won’t know what his job assignment will be until he arrives in Orlando, but the chance to work with Disney, he said, is a dream come true.
“I want to find a way to do something theater-related full time,” he said. “My main goal is to go into voice acting, because I am a huge fan of animation and have always been inspired by people who can do everything with just their voice.”
Between singing and acting, Hood’s voice is a familiar one that will be missed in the semesters to come. He put his heart into every project, and some of his most memorable, he said, included acting as Truvy Jones in “Steel Magnolias” (a role Dolly Parton made famous).
“That show meant so much to me, and I got to play a dream role that I never thought in a million years I’d be considered for,” he said.
At Maryville College, he added, all things are possible: Including a boy finding his passion, landing a job with a dream employer, and graduating with a liberal arts degree that gives him a broad skillset.
“Maryville College has really proven to me that theater is my life and my one true passion,” he said. “From the range of shows we’ve presented to the roles I’ve been cast in that don’t just fit me in one box, I have grown so much as an actor, and I know now that this is what I’m meant to be doing. I’m so grateful to have had Maryville College in my life, because these are years that I will never take for granted or forget.”
Colby Huffman
As many hours as Hood spent in the Clayton Center, Colby Huffman likely spent just as many across Circle Drive in the Sutton Science Center, where the double major in Biochemistry and Mathematics was involved in numerous research projects.
In the summer of 2023, Huffman received a Ledford Scholarship to develop “laboratory protocols and research assays “ to “use fluorescence polarization to monitor changes in protein conformation”; last summer, he and a partner conducted FIPSE (Fund to Improve Post-Secondary Education)-funded research to determine if anabolic steroids used to fatten up beef cattle stayed in the meat all the way to the marketplace. Thanks to close work with Dr. Angelia Gibson, professor of chemistry at MC, he was accepted into a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at The Ohio State University as a first-year student and Ledford Scholar, and last summer’s hormone research has been a year-long project with Biology Professor Dr. Drew Crain that he hopes to complete by the end of summer.
Also this summer, he’ll be working as a sustainability intern with Dr. Jay Clark, director of environmental and sustainability studies at Maryville College, and preparing for the next step of his journey.
“I will attend the University of Tennessee, pursuing a Ph.D. in genome science and technology,” he said. “This program is a part of UT-ORII (University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovate Institute), which is a collaboration with the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”
Eventually, he said, he hopes to work as a biomedical research scientist, and his lab work over the past several years helped him discover that he has a passion for it. His Senior Study — “Albumin as a Model Protein for a Fluorescence Anisotropy and Fluorescence Spectroscopy Protocol in an Undergraduate Setting” — was also selected as an exemplary one. He submitted it to the Journal of Chemical Education, he added, and when he presented it to his peers and faculty members, his family was in attendance.
For all of the scientific jargon that’s indicative of a world of vast intellect and hyper-specific science in which Huffman moves these days, those small, personal details made his Maryville College experience all the better, he said.
“Without Maryville’s rigor and lab training, I definitely would not have been accepted into a Ph.D. position,” he said. “Maryville College has provided me with numerous opportunities that have shaped my academic and professional development.”
Julia Jeffress
And the nature of a liberal arts education, Julia Jeffress pointed out, has a way of giving students the freedom and encouragement to work on personal development as well. An English major, she’s considering her professional future as a writer — “either in a journalism or a PR environment,” she says, “and eventually go back to school to get an advanced degree in English” — but taking the summer to return to her first love, dance.
“I have a position lined up with New York Edge — an after-school activities program in the New York City area that brings extracurricular activities in STEM, arts, sports, etc. to public schools,” she said. “I will be working as a dance specialist, teaching dance classes in the city all summer.”
A native of Johnson City, she trained for 13 years in ballet, jazz and contemporary dance and taught creative movement at the Van Metre School of Dance in Maryville. It might have been a career, were it not for the new frontiers she explored as a Scot.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve really fallen in love with writing — academically, professionally and creatively — which is something I never thought I would become so passionate about,” she said. “All my time spent in literature class has reinforced the fact that I think discussing literature is one of the most fulfilling pastimes I can pursue. My time working on the Highland Echo (the Maryville College campus newspaper, for which she served as executive editor her senior year) has made me so passionate about journalism and storytelling, and my time in higher education in general has shown me that academia is an environment that I can really thrive in and one that I want to return to one day.”
She credits her mentors in the Division of Languages and Literature, particularly English Professor Dr. Will Phillips, for nurturing her talent and helping her see a future that includes her on the other side of a college classroom.
“Dr. Phillips has been one of my biggest mentors since I’ve been at MC, and I often joke that once he retires, I’m going to come back and take over his job!” she said. “I have to give a shoutout to Dr. Phillips, Dr. (Sam) Overstreet (recently retired professor of English) and Professor (Christina) Seymour (associate professor in Writing/Communication) for being such incredible mentors in the English department. They have taught me so much over the years, and their support has confirmed to me that choosing English was the right field for me to be in.”
In addition, her experience as an editor and a writer with the Echo, as well as a writing internship in the MC Office of Marketing and Communications, have both been invaluable, she said, for both the writing experience and the other skills required by those roles.
“I’ve been able to develop my leadership skills and work on challenging writing assignments in a huge variety of topics, and I feel so much more confident in my writing than I ever thought I would be,” she said. “More generally, being at Maryville College has helped me grow into myself — I feel like I’ve learned so much about who I am, what I’m capable of, and what I want to be since I got here, and my confidence in myself and my abilities has grown exponentially thanks to Maryville College and the support system I’ve had here.
“When I think back to the shy, timid, scared little freshman I was just a few years ago, I feel so proud of where I am now, and I hope she’d be proud of me too!”
Mattilynn Jolley
Undoubtedly, and so, too, will the friends, family members and loved ones who meet the “new” versions of the Scots who graduated on May 3. Mattilynn Jolley is one of them, and as she returns to her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee, those individuals will see a far different person than the one who left for MC four years ago.
“After one to two years of teaching at a local elementary school, I plan to resume my education to get my master’s in education, and later on, take an administrative role or get my master’s degree with a reading specialist endorsement to help growing readers!” she said. “A very long-term goal would be to go back to school to get credits within the art field and become an art teacher towards the end of my career.”
Those goals are broad, but thanks to the liberal arts approach at Maryville College that encourages undergraduates to study everything in order to prepare for anything, she has no concerns that it’s unobtainable.
“I have known from the beginning of my college career that I wanted to be in education but Maryville College has only confirmed that for me,” she said. “The Education Prep Program (EPP) has always been a huge influence from the start. Since my first day in EDU-199, I knew I had chosen the right school because the classes were focused on student success. When I was accepted, it confirmed all the hard work I put in to get there, but also signified the beginning of a career that truly is my calling!”
The Elementary Education major learned through the EPP program, a track that allows MC students between the times of their second semester of first-year and second semester of sophomore year to apply and begin the work toward passage of the edTPA, or Educative Teacher Performance Assessment used to evaluate the skills and knowledge of prospective teachers. At Maryville College, however, work in the program is about so much more than test preparation, she said.
“Maryville College has taught me to collaborate with coworkers who are alike and different from me,” she said. “I have learned to value all opinions and use them to challenge myself within my career. Maryville College and the EPP have prepared me to look for the good and to be the good in every situation in my career and life. Specifically, the EPP has equipped me with skills and knowledge needed to handle my first year of teaching and career with ease.”
And thanks to her proficiency, she was able to work as a full-time teacher at Fairview Elementary, part of the Blount County Schools system, while still working toward her degree. That opportunity, she added, gave her first-hand experience in lesson planning, classroom management and more.
“I have loved my time at Maryville College,” she said. “Four years ago, I was not the same person I am today. I have become a confident and more empathetic version of myself. It has challenged me to be curious and question everything! It has allowed me to make lifelong friends and build relationships with the best people! I love this place, and I am so thankful for the past four years. It will always have a special place in my heart!”
Jaden Jones
For some Scots, the proximity to home is what made MC a special place from the beginning. Jaden Jones grew up in its shadow, and now his degree in Criminal Justice will offer him an opportunity to serve as a protector for both the college and the community. He already has a position set aside as a deputy with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and that’s just the first step on a journey to a career in law enforcement, he said.
“Long-term, I hope to work in a specialized unit, ideally something involving K-9 work, or working for a federal agency like the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), or another branch that aligns with my skills and interests,” he said. “I’m passionate about hands-on work and investigative roles that make a direct impact.”
Jones has long been recognized for his athletic abilities: A baseball standout at Heritage High School, injuries ended his Scots baseball career after his first year. He continued to play for the MC football team, however, and while late-season injuries kept him on the sidelines during the team’s NCAA D3 tournament run last fall, he finished his football career with 404 receiving yards, an average of 1.19 receptions per game, and an average of 13 yards per reception.
Work in Maryville College’s classrooms, he said, gave him the opportunity to explore the criminal justice system from multiple angles, and alongside support from faculty members, he was able to land internships with local law enforcement agencies that helped solidify his decision to make such work a career. His Senior Study — “Trauma on Patrol: Rethinking Policing for Children Exposed to Violence” — provided additional understanding for the nuances that will be required as a civil servant often charged with split-second decision-making that can mean life or death, he added.
“It allowed me to combine my academic interests with real-world relevance, and I’m proud of the work and heart I put into it,” he said. “Maryville College gave me a strong academic foundation and the critical thinking skills needed for a career in law enforcement. The close relationships with faculty, hands-on experiences, and supportive community all played a big role in shaping who I am today.”
Kaitlin Koster
Kaitlin Koster’s stats as a Maryville College athlete weren’t nearly as plentiful — a MC Women’s Soccer goalkeeper from Hendersonville, Tennessee, she stepped away to focus on academics after her first year at MC. And what a focus it’s been — her work as a Biology major earned her the A. Randolf Shields Award during April’s Celebration of Student Achievement, which recognizes the graduating senior who has the most outstanding four-year record in that program of study.
Like many of her peers, she has yet to land a firm job offer, but she’s also unconcerned, given the broad scope of the abilities she’s gained and honed during her time at MC. She’s currently seeking a technician position doing wildlife research, and her long-term goal is to return to school for a master’s degree in wildlife biology.
“I hope to become a wildlife biologist, but I want some more experience first to see what wildlife specifically I want to focus on!” she said. “Conservation and the preservation of biodiversity are my passions, and my dream is to be able to turn that into a career.”
When Koster first arrived at Maryville College, she was interested in the sciences, but her original plan was to focus on pre-med. Environmental stewardship, however, felt like a more fitting calling, she said, and the plethora of courses in both biology and conservation that MC offers helped solidify the decision to change the direction of her undergraduate career.
“The courses I have had the opportunity to take have really set me up for success,” she said. “Already in my internships and research opportunities, the immense amount of hands-on experience and training in different techniques have come in handy and have made me feel much more confident in my abilities.”
A few atta-girls didn’t hurt: As part of a three-woman team conducting water-quality research on the Little River, Koster and MC Biology Professor Dr. Dave Unger conducted a biological survey of macroinvertebrates to assess the overall health of the river last summer, a task spotlighted in an article in The Tennessee Conservationist. And then, after finishing her Senior Study, she helped organize a club trip to a conference in which she presented research, and the praise for a job well done by biologists outside of her “Maryville College bubble” reinforced the notion that her time here was well spent.
“I have really done my best to make the most of my time here, so I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot that I’m proud of!” she said.
Sydney Mahr
For other Maryville College graduates, the pride they feel for certain accomplishments isn’t limited to the classroom: For Sydney Mahr, a Finance/Accounting and Criminal Justice double major from Fayetteville, New York, who served as a standout goalkeeper for the MC Women’s Soccer team, the relationships she discovered at MC are things she’s as proud of as anything else, she said.
“I’ve been fortunate to receive recognition for my hard work in the classroom and on the field, and while those awards have made me feel incredibly proud and validated, they pale in comparison to the connections I’ve formed with my professors, coaches and friends,” she said. “These relationships have shaped who I am far more than any accolade could. The mentorship I’ve received and the friendships I’ve made are the things I’ll carry with me long after graduation. They’ve provided support, growth, and lasting impact; something no trophy or certificate could ever fully represent.”
Still … the accolades aren’t too shabby. On the soccer field, she logged 3,044 minutes and a 21-4-5 record, including a 0.765 save percentage with 91 saves and 11 shutouts. In addition to being a part of two women’s soccer squads that received bids for NCAA DIII tournament action, she also was awarded Defensive Player of the Week honors from the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) on Oct. 8, 2024, after a 3-1 win vs. Covenant and a 9-0 victory over Wesleyan, and the entire time, she added, her journey was buoyed by the support, encouragement and friendship given by her teammates.
At April’s Celebration of Student Achievement, she earned the Judson B. Murphy Endowed Business Award, presented annually to a senior who demonstrates outstanding work in business and organization management with outstanding character and well-rounded achievement and career promise.
That promise will serve her well, given her post-graduate plans: a master of science program at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, and then a possible career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to continue my education in a field I’ve come to truly love during my time at Maryville,” she said. “Studying finance here has sparked a deep passion that I’m eager to continue exploring at the graduate level. My ultimate goal is to work as a forensic accountant for the FBI, investigating white-collar crimes.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in criminal justice, and this career path allows me to blend that passion with my background in finance and accounting. Additionally, I’m fascinated by the stock market and personal investing, and I’d love to help individuals build their financial futures through thoughtful investment planning.”
She credits Dr. Sarah Clinton, associate professor of finance, with sparking the interest that led to such a goal: She first came to MC determined to pursue a traditional accounting path, but Clinton’s finance class, she said, helped her discover “a deep enthusiasm and natural aptitude for finance.” Outside of the classroom, the faculty members who helped her academically turned out to support her athletically, often coming out to her soccer games and offering unwavering support for her ambitions.
“It’s been nothing short of transformative,” she said. “They saw potential in me from day one and have continued to invest in that potential every step of the way. I owe a great deal of my growth, both academically and professionally, to the faculty at Maryville. Maryville has challenged me to become the best version of myself, every single day.
“The rigor of the academics, combined with the compassion of the faculty, created an environment where I could grow through adversity and rise to every challenge. The personal connections I’ve made, including friendships that will last a lifetime, have enriched my experience beyond words.
“Maryville has equipped me with the knowledge, confidence, and resilience to enter both the corporate and professional world with a strong sense of purpose,” she said. “I no longer fear what lies ahead, because I know I’ve been well-prepared for it.”
Hannah Phillips
Like Koster, Hannah Phillips, a native of Maryville, fell in love with Biology and decided to major in it. Her post-graduate plans, however, will include encouraging younger minds to fall in love with it as well. Aftr a gap year, she plans on returning to school to obtain a master’s degree. After that, possibly a Ph.D., because the faculty members who inspired her as an undergraduate led her to consider taking a place alongside them.
“My plans are to teach in the future, and I’m considering opportunities such as working toward becoming a professor that I didn’t think were possible before I came here,” she said.
During the final semester of her senior year, Phillips was named as one of five finalists for the Carl ’63 and Jean McDonald Outstanding Senior Award, the highest student honor given by the College and a recognition of the broad influence she’s had on campus. While minoring in Statistics and Developmental Psychology, she was also named a Ledford Scholar in 2024 by the Appalachian College Association, which helped fund her own Senior Study: testing local waters for the presence of naegleria fowleri, also known as the “brain-eating amoeba.”
Her fascination with the work, and the second home she found in the Scots Science Scholars program, only reinforced her love for the process of learning biology, she said, and translated into a heartfelt desire to help others do the same. As an Admissions Ambassador who helped train new members of the ambassadorship, the hands-on experience of providing instruction, she added, only solidified her choice.
“Maryville College has reminded me how transformative education is and the impact a teacher can make,” she said. “The professors and faculty here have been so supportive and helped me build my confidence. Even when I wasn’t aware, there were always people in my corner, advocating for my success. I want to provide high school students with some of the same opportunities to feel supported and capable in their abilities to succeed.”
In the end, the confident young woman who crossed the Commencement stage on May 3 bore little resemblance to the girl who first came to campus in the fall of 2021, inexperienced and nervous about doing lab work, she added.
“I am so proud of the growth in my abilities and my confidence through hands-on experience and many mistakes along the way,” she said. “I have gotten the opportunity to be a mentor to my peers through being a STEM Success mentor, a supplemental instruction leader, and a lab teaching assistant. All of these experiences have taught me to understand how others learn and how I can help them learn.
“I will forever be grateful for the lessons that Maryville has taught me, and I will carry these lessons and memories with me in all that I do. I hope that I am able to foster a sense of critical thinking and ‘doing good on the largest possible scale’ in my future students.”
Eli Preswood
Every MC graduate, it seems, genuinely wants to make a difference, wherever their future paths take them. Eli Preswood, for instance, plans to return home to Roan Mountain, Tennessee, and use his degree in Environmental Studies to obtain a job with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, or with the state park service, or with the water or soil districts in his home county. It matters little, he said, as long as he can have a positive impact.
“My long-term career goal is to be able to work in an environment and in a role in which I will be able to impact my community positively and leave an everlasting imprint for the betterment of the community,” he said. “The Environmental Studies degree provides me the flexibility to succeed in any role I put myself into, whether I end up working for the government at any level, such as the National Park Service, or pursuing a role in private industry. My goal is to create experiences and lasting memories for those around me.”
At April’s Celebration of Student Achievement, he earned the Outstanding Student in Environmental Studies Award, and last fall, he obtained a championship ring as part of a MC Football squad that won the USA South conference with a perfect record against conference opponents. The offensive lineman played a total of 25 games during his career with the Scots, being named the USA South Academic All-Conference team twice.
In the classroom, his proudest achievement, he said, was the completion of his Senior Study, which examined organic farming in Southern Appalachia, a subject about which he’s fiercely interested. Ever since he came to Maryville College, he added, faculty members have encouraged him never to give up on his childhood dreams of working with and in the outdoors, and the proximity of the school to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the Maryville College Woods in its backyard have reassured him that his career path is the right one.
“Maryville College has prepared me for my next steps in a number of ways, from providing me a liberal arts education in which I am now knowledgeable in a wide range of academic fields that provides me with the flexibility I can use to take advantage of any opportunities I am presented with,” he said. “Maryville College has also prepared me for the next steps through the various requirements for graduation, such as the Senior Study, which pushed me to generate a capstone of my college experience and in which I was able to truly demonstrate the skills and knowledge I have gained over the last four years.
“I would just like to thank the numerous mentors and advisors I found at Maryville College who pushed me to truly reach my full potential and to never settle for less. The mentors I specifically want to give special thanks to for everything they have taught me over the past four years include Noah Bowman (director of the Academic Success Center), Dr. Andrew Gunnoe (associate professor of sociology), and Dr. Mark O’Gorman (professor of political science).
Emmett Roden
The Class of 2025 is populated by so many unique individuals, and some stand out more than others. Emmett Roden is one of them, but not because he’s Deaf and communicates via American Sign Language (ASL).
Roden’s recognizable trait is a broad smile, ever-present and always warm, and for good reason: His gratitude for MC is boundless, he said.
Words can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who is part of my life here,” he said. “Coming to school here in Tennessee, I felt like a fish out of water. The culture was so different, but I never had a difficult time fitting in and finding my people. California is my heart, but Tennessee has definitely worked its way in and planted a seed.
“So many amazing things have happened in my time here: I was published in Gabby & Min’s Literary Review (issue No. 7, winter 2025 edition); I received a student achievement award in American Sign Language (the ASL Outstanding Senior Award, given at the Celebration of Student Achievement in April); I was acting president of the Sign Language Club for the 2024-25 (academic) year; I earned honors in the American Sign Language Honors Society; I went on a leadership retreat to Atlanta as part of the TRIO program; and so much more. These experiences have molded me into the person I am today, and I will never forget it!”
Such accomplishments make it easy to see how Roden, an ASL-Deaf Studies major, landed a spot in the Teaching American Sign Language master of arts program at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. The program begins at the end of the month, and it includes 1 ½ years of study, at the end of which he’ll have his K-12 World Languages licensure.
His long-term goal, he said, is to return to the Golden State and teach in low-income school districts, either in Deaf education, mainstream public secondary education and/or higher education. When he’s not in the classroom, he’s looking forward to promoting Deaf culture and awareness through the ASL Honors Society and student-led programs, he added.
Undoubtedly, his experiences at MC — even though he transferred to the school at the beginning of his sophomore year — have shaped his desire to work as an educator. Upon his arrival, he said, he knew he wanted to pursue ASL education, but he wasn’t keen on the idea of teaching it to others. His advisor, Stephanie Proctor (an assistant professor of ASL) helped him see the light, he said.
“(She) helped me see how much need there is, and what a difference I could make if I were to accept a position at a Deaf school in the future,” he said. “Now, I am more than happy to pursue a career as a Deaf educator. I think Maryville College has given me the tools and confidence I need to achieve whatever I set my mind to.”
Serving as an educator, he added, was solidified as the right path thanks to an ASL teaching internship at Maryville College, which Proctor helped him secure, he added. Real-world experience, combined with academic coursework, is a critical part of the MC experience, and for Roden, it made all of the difference, he said.
“Through my internship, I was able to gain more skills and experience in classrooms and with students — all of which was a huge part of my acceptance into the University of Northern Colorado’s Graduate school program,” he said. “This accomplishment made me feel so proud and successful, like I really mattered enough to people to be able to actually go do something important with my life. I’ve struggled all my life with feelings of self-doubt and low self-esteem, but being part of something greater pulled me out of that mindset and gave me a purpose.”
At MC, that “something greater” didn’t just give him a degree; it changed his life, in ways he never conceived were possible before enrolling.
“Being the first person in my family to obtain a bachelor’s degree, as well as (the first to) have the chance to pursue a master’s degree, is something I never could have done without the amazing staff and professors here,” he said. “I not only improved my writing skills, but my speech and ASL proficiency as well. Maryville College has prepared me with a well-rounded education to take my career goals even further than I ever thought possible.”
Kaylee Savell
At the aforementioned Celebration of Student Achievement, one name seemed to be called over and over again.
At the end of the evening, Kaylee Savell, a Criminal Justice major, took home three awards and was in the running for a fourth. And while she wasn’t named as the Carl ’63 and Jean McDonald Outstanding Senior of the Year, being nominated for MC’s highest honor is quite the accomplishment, especially when all of the other trophies are brought into consideration.
For her work in the Office of Admissions, Savell was named Ambassador of the Year; for her service as a resident assistant, she was honored with the Resident Life Distinguished Service Award; and for her excellence in the classroom, she was received the Gina Benedict Outstanding Senior in Criminal Justice Award, which honors a graduating senior who has exhibited academic excellence and dedication to criminal justice in and beyond the classroom.
And that’s exactly what Savell plans to do as a Maryville College graduate, having accepted a position as a corrections officer in her hometown.
“I do plan to, in the next five years or so, apply to be a special agent with a federal law enforcement agency such as the FBI or ATF,” she said. “My dream is to be a special agent with one of those two agencies and to specialize in an area such as fire investigation, explosives or forensic psychological analysis.”
While law enforcement was her tentative career choice coming into MC, her internship with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) as an undergraduate, as well as the wide array of connections to whom she was introduced by Dr. Rachel Ponder, assistant professor of criminal justice at MC, made the decision an easy one, especially when she realized that a government career was within the realm of possibility. Combined with the extracurricular activities in which she involved herself during her time as a Scot, she’s feeling confident that one of those two offers is the right one.
“Maryville’s liberal arts education has been fundamental in my ability to secure job offers for post-graduation,” she said. “The jobs I am looking at prefer people with experience in the field who can talk to people well. While I don’t have the work experience in the field that they are looking for, Maryville has helped me build up a repertoire, academic and otherwise, that allows me to stay a competitive candidate even without that experience.
“From my prior internship at the ATF to rebuilding our Crime Talk club, they can see my passion for criminal justice and my drive to pursue my career thanks to the opportunities Maryville helped me with. Further, the liberal arts education has helped me become a more well-rounded person, able to keep up with and participate in conversations in a wide range of subjects, including philosophy, sociology, data analysis, music, and so much more that I would not have understood prior to college.”
The broad foundation of liberal arts knowledge upon which her specific career is built, she added, doesn’t just prepare Scots intellectually for a wide variety of job opportunities; it helps mold them into ideal candidates through a whole-person approach to education.
“I think the core curriculum of the liberal arts experience and how that develops you as a person has been one of the biggest reasons I have been able to secure job offers from these agencies that prefer candidates with three or more years of experience in the field,” she said. “I could not have asked for a better college experience and will always remember how Maryville College has been such a loving, safe, welcoming home to me during my time here. We may forget the specific words said and the moments shared, but we always remember the way a place, and the people within it, made us feel.”
Kylee Warwick
It’s difficult to say whether the college career of Kylee Warwick, a Marketing major from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, would have unfolded differently if she hadn’t been sidelined during her one and only season on the Maryville College Women’s Basketball team, but it’s most definitely difficult to imagine it turning out any better.
Warwick plans on taking a gap year, she said, during which she’ll work at the University of Tennessee Medical Center to gain experience before beginning her medical school journey.
“Long-term, my goal is to become a physician assistant and engage in extensive research to help solve the many challenges people face,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to become a doctor, but for a long time, I didn’t believe in myself. Honestly, I didn’t realize how smart I was until my junior year, and Maryville College changed that. It showed me that I am smart enough and that I can achieve anything I put my mind to.”
She’ll get a strong start on a medical career through her UTMC job, in which she’ll assist patients with appointment readiness, conduct research and assist with publications, and observe surgeries. Thanks to a Marketing degree, she’ll have the versatility for a backup plan, if needed, or the chance to work with other offices in the UTMC system. Her Senior Study, after all, was a 50-page thesis titled Sports Marketing: The University of North Carolina and Maryville College, “an analysis of the ways UNC and MC market their schools through athletic program achievements, effectiveness and recommendations moving forward,” she said.
A constant presence on the Maryville College dean’s list every semester, Warwick feels that her academic accomplishments are rivaled only by her personal ones.
“Maryville has equipped me with skills that will be essential not only in medical school but throughout my life — skills like responsibility, time management, effective communication and more,” she said. “I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned and use it to make a difference in the world.”
Jared Willis-Schoeman
Making a positive difference is the living embodiment of “do(ing) good on the largest possible scale, and it’s no surprise that Scots in the Class of 2025 feel that whatever they choose to do after Commencement has to include it as a component.
Jared Willis-Schoeman, an Elementary Education major from South Africa by way of Knoxville, found his in the job offer he recently accepted to teach fourth-grade math and science at Montvale Elementary School, part of the Blount County Schools district.
“Long-term, I hope to stay at Montvale to inspire students to do their best every day,” he said. “I hope to coach soccer at Montvale so that I can strengthen my relationships with students inside and outside of the classroom. I also plan to attend grad school for a master’s in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on math.”
At April’s Celebration of Student Achievement, Willis-Schoeman was presented with the Jackson Outstanding International Student Award, which goes to a senior who has been a student at the College for one academic year, has a minimum GPA of 3.5 and has shown leadership inside and outside the classroom. Also in April, Willis-Schoeman was recognized at the Smoky Mountain Teachers of Promise Summit held in Kodak Tennessee, where the organization “identifies and recognizes excellent future teachers and connects them with a network of expert practitioners for celebration, elevation, and activation,” according to the summit website.
“This honor is given to education students who show outstanding potential to become strong, caring and effective teachers,” he said. “Being nominated means that my professors recognized not only my academic success, but also my commitment to students, leadership skills and passion for teaching. It was a huge encouragement and reminded me that I’m on the right path toward making a difference in education.”
While he planned on majoring in education from the beginning, the curriculum in the MC Division of Education solidified that choice. On top of that, the division’s faculty members have gone above and beyond, he added, to ensure that he stays committed to the vocation.
“My professors have supported me in and out of the classroom and put me in placements that helped shape my passion for teaching,” he said. “From my first year at Maryville, I was placed in elementary schools where I was able to observe and participate. Being exposed to many different schools so early in my college career put me in the deep end, and I am grateful for this, as I feel that it really helped me know that teaching is for me.”
The experiential learning through student teaching, he added, was a game-changer, and the academic knowledge he received as an undergrad in the Division of Education was bolstered by the soft skills taught alongside it — traits like confidence and adaptability, which are indispensable in the classroom.
“Through student teaching, I’ve learned how to manage a classroom, connect with students, and adjust to different learning needs,” he said. “The program emphasizes critical thinking and reflection, which has pushed me to always ask how I can do better as an educator. I feel ready not just to graduate, but to walk into a classroom and lead with purpose.”
Izzy Wright
Speaking of purposes, Isabella “Izzy” Wright found hers on the banks of the river that flows through her home community of Walland, Tennessee — where she grew up as the daughter of an MC alumnus, Gordon Wright ’96, and was joined at the College by her younger sister, Victoria Wright ’28.
As one of the first undergraduates brought on board the Little River Water Quality study, a joint venture between the City of Townsend and Maryville College, she decided to take her Biochemistry degree and turn it into a springboard for a master’s in marine biology, she said.
“I hope to expand my interests from working on the Little River Water Quality Project to my graduate school education and continue studying microplastics and how they can cause endocrine disruption in fish,” she said. “Getting my master’s in marine biology will grow my skill set in working with fish and knowledge of marine environments.
“My ultimate goal is to obtain my Ph.D. in toxicology, continuing to study microplastics and their potential effects on humans and the environment. My path through graduate studies will prepare me so that I can return to East Tennessee and help determine how microplastics are affecting our stream environments in order to protect the extreme diversity distinct to the region I grew up in.”
She credits her adviser, Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Nathan Duncan, for leading her to that conclusion, she added. His faith in her ability as a potential water quality technician led to her involvement in the Little River project, and work on the project solidified her love of researching the familiar environment of the Great Smoky Mountains region, and the negative effects human-caused pollution can have on it.
“This project gave me opportunities to present at American Chemical Society (ACS) conferences, where I was inspired to study microplastics,” she said. “Dr. Duncan also encouraged me to follow my passion for microplastics, leading me to integrate it into the Little River project and develop my own method for reusing total suspended solids samples as a microplastics collection method and developing a way to utilize a TECAN Spark microplate reader as a way to quantify microplastics.”
Although spoken like a true scientist, Wright wasn’t sequestered solely to labs and the river’s banks: She served as president of the MC Student Government Association (SGA) during her senior year, and she served as co-president of the ACS, as well as a member of the Maryville College Concert Choir. The epitome of a well-rounded Scot, she used those experiences, along with her participation in intramural sports and volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley, to make the most of her Maryville College education.
“Maryville College allowed me the opportunities and supplied me with the skills, resources and support from my professors needed for success in my research at the college and beyond,” she said.