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A summer Nursing camp at Pellissippi State Community College left a lasting impression on Therese Lloyd when she was just 16 years old. 

Four summers later, Lloyd volunteered at that same camp as a Nursing student at Pellissippi State, helping 12 high school students from Knox and Blount counties with a simulated birth, newborn assessments, swaddling, drawing up medication for babies and other tasks. 

“I remember being really inspired during my week at YouthForce and realizing that this is what I wanted to do with my life,” said Lloyd, now 20 and expecting to graduate with her Nursing degree in spring 2023. “I volunteered to help with the camp this year because I wanted to tell these kids so many things about Nursing that would be beneficial to them. It’s a fulfilling, needed, versatile career, and they can do this – straight out of high school. I feel like I have so much knowledge to share with them!” 

YouthForce is the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley’s workforce development program that introduces high school students to skilled trades. Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus, led by Campus Dean Mike North, has been partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley to provide space for its YouthForce Technical Training Camps since 2016. 

“They’re here with us for a week in the summer, and the camps attract kids from a diverse population,” North explained. “It’s a wide mix, but most of our kids are African American, and this is a good way to bring diversity to these fields.” 

In June Pellissippi State hosted 36 YouthForce students for camps focusing on Engineering, Gaming and Game Design, Nursing and Welding. The College will host another round of YouthForce students in July with camps in Criminal Justice, Gaming and Game Design and Welding. 

Lloyd was a rising junior at William Blount High School in Blount County when she participated in YouthForce under Pellissippi State Nursing Instructor Felicia Murret, who was teaching the YouthForce students again this year. 

“I never had thought about Nursing, but I knew I loved biology and I loved children,” explained Lloyd, who lives in Louisville, Tennessee. “I came here and realized I could put those two together for a career in pediatric Nursing.” 

Lloyd remembers YouthForce providing her with scrubs and a Nursing pack that included everything from personal protective equipment to her own stethoscope. She also remembers learning CPR, First Aid and how to stop bleeding among simulated Nursing experiences like running a Code Blue. 

That one week of exposure to Nursing also exposed her to Pellissippi State. Lloyd became a dual enrollment student at the College while completing high school, getting three Nursing prerequisites out of the way before she graduated from William Blount in 2020. She was able to start Pellissippi State full time in fall 2020 and the College’s Nursing program in fall 2021, after finishing the rest of her prerequisites.  

“It’s been great, and I love it,” said Lloyd, who completed her pediatric clinicals this summer at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. “The Nursing school is a lot of work, but the instructors are helpful and friendly, and that’s what’s gotten me through this. I also love the free counseling Pellissippi State offers, plus all the activities and how the College has helped me get grants and scholarships to keep my costs down.” 

The YouthForce camps have been so successful that North recently applied for and was awarded a Tennessee Board of Regents grant to expand the program so that high school students can come to Pellissippi State two Saturdays in the fall and two Saturdays in the spring before completing their “capstone project” during the summer. 

The SPIKE Academy – so named for “Strawberry Plains Increases Knowledge and Engagement” – will recruit rising high school seniors who are interested in the high-demand fields of Nursing and Welding. Each cohort can accept up to 15 students, North said, and recruiting will begin in August. 

“The governor has been allocating more resources to bring young people into careers that are either projected to be in high demand, like Welding, or that are experiencing a downturn, like Nursing after the pandemic, where we’ve seen shortages due to burnout,” North explained. “But another intent of the SPIKE Academy is to increase enrollment at Pellissippi State as well. Ideally these seniors who are chosen for the program would graduate from high school and step right into being a Pellissippi State student, like Therese did. We will be giving them lots of exposure to how to become a student here, from admissions to advising to financial aid.” 

North added that the SPIKE Academy will address Pellissippi State’s goals of increasing diversity, equity and inclusion at the College by recruiting students from underrepresented populations, like women in Welding and Black students in both Nursing and Welding. The SPIKE Academy also will make creative use of Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus when college students are not in the building. 

“I love that high school students get to come be on our campus during the summers, so let’s expand that and utilize our facilities in other off times, like weekends during the school year.” he said. 

The TBR grant for $19,975 will cover the cost for two Welding instructors and three Nursing instructors for the SPIKE Academy, as well as Welding and Nursing kits for students in the program, bus transportation from the Boys & Girls Clubs sites to the Strawberry Plains Campus, and food. 

For more information about the SPIKE Academy, contact North at 865-225-2303. 

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People who are 23 years old are now eligible for the Tennessee Reconnect scholarship if they have not previously earned a college degree. This is regardless of their dependency status on federal income tax forms. 

Similar to Tennessee Promise for college freshmen who are coming straight to higher education from high school, Tennessee Reconnect is a last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition for adult learners after all state and federal financial aid has been applied. 

“This is wonderful news for our students,” said Leigh Anne Touzeau, assistant vice president for Enrollment Services at Pellissippi State Community College. “Now students who are eager to get started back don’t have to wait until they are 24 – they can get started a whole year sooner.” 

The age change from 24 to 23 years old was part of the HOPE Expansion Bill signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on June 1. The bill also increases the amount students at two-year institutions receive from the HOPE scholarship to $1,600 per semester. 

Lee also signed House Bill 2436/Senate Bill 2631 into law June 1, allowing students who graduate from high school early to be eligible for Tennessee Promise. 

The deadline to apply to Pellissippi State for fall 2022 is Aug. 9. Students who already have applied and been accepted should register now to get the classes they need to move forward on their educational path. Aug. 15 is the deadline for students to confirm their schedules in myPellissippi and pay their fees. Fall classes start Aug. 22. 

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Four Pellissippi State Community College students brought home Silver medals in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference last month, the second year in a row the college has had teams finish in the top three on the national stage. 

The team of Ian Johnson and Channing Mendez brought home Silver for Digital Cinema Production while the team of Elijah Ray and Thomas Wilhite snagged the Silver for Audio-Radio Production at the conference held June 21-23 in Atlanta. The annual competition showcased more than 5,200 outstanding career and technical education students – all state contest winners – who competed in 108 trade, technical and leadership fields. 

“We are all extremely proud of our students’ work and representation on the national stage,” said Matt Spraker, director of Student Engagement and Leadership for Pellissippi State. “This happened because of their hard work and dedication, and the wonderful education and coaching they have received from program advisors Sharleen Foster, Katie Lovett and Jonathan Maness.” 

Pellissippi State also was represented at the national competition by Richie Gelfand, who competed in the Welding competition. Coached by advisor Aaron Roy, Gelfand won Gold at the SkillsUSA state conference this spring, a first for a community college student in Tennessee. 

Founded in 1965, SkillsUSA is a nonprofit partnership of students, teachers and industry that empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. During SkillsUSA competitions, students race against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as electronics, computer-aided drafting, precision machining, medical assisting and culinary arts. 

Last year Pellissippi State students Tom Sidorski and Josh Wilson brought home Bronze for Television (Video) Production. 

For more information on SkillsUSA, visit www.skillsusa.org. 

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A high school counselor who spent the past 14 years introducing students to opportunities that awaited them at Pellissippi State Community College is now using that experience to develop financial resources that increase and enhance quality education and training at the college. 

Anna B. Graham of Maryville has joined the Pellissippi State Foundation as director of Annual Giving and Scholarships. She previously served as college and career counselor for Hardin Valley Academy, working with the high school’s 2,000 students to develop plans for college and career pathways. 

“For my career as a school counselor, I’ve been a mile away from the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, so I started diving in deep to understand all the programs Pellissippi State offers so that I could help students make the best decision,” Graham said. “I worked closely with (Dual Enrollment Specialist) Spencer Joy. I’d call (Manager of Recruitment Services) Sarah Davis to come do a presentation, to help students with FAFSAs, to get them ready for advising.  

“I wanted our students to graduate high school, come to Pellissippi State and already be familiar with the people, with the processes and with the website,” she added. “I was selling them on Pellissippi State before I came here.” 

Graham believes her experience working with high school students makes her uniquely qualified to help build the Foundation’s financial resources. 

“Because I’ve been working firsthand with students, I know what students need, and I can talk to donors about that,” she said. “I have been on the hunt for resources for our students because I know that Tennessee Promise won’t cover the full cost of college.” 

While Tennessee Promise pays whatever tuition is leftover for new high school graduates after all federal and state financial aid is applied, Graham knows students need help covering other college expenses, from computers and other technology to gasoline to get to campus. 

“Students of all ages are asking, ‘How am I going to go to college and keep working?’” she said. 

Graham sees building relationships as central to her new role with the Pellissippi State Foundation, and she’s up to the challenge, immediately attending events to introduce herself to Pellissippi State alumni, community partners and friends. 

“I’m energized by meeting people and getting to know them because I’ve always been a relationship person,” Graham said. “I want to get out there and tell our story, but I also want to hear their Pellissippi State stories. This region has a heck of a lot to owe to Pellissippi State for its role in economic development. Where would this community be without Pellissippi State?” 

Prior to her career as a college and career counselor, Graham worked in fundraising roles with Sewanee: The University of the South and Maryville College, where she served first as director of annual giving and later as director of campaigns and development. Graham also spent three years as vice president for philanthropy and public relations for Asbury Inc. in Maryville. 

“The Pellissippi State Foundation is fortunate to have Anna Graham on our team,” said Aneisa Rolen, executive director of the Foundation. “She has the perfect combination of experience as a fundraising professional and as a college and career counselor. I look forward to watching our scholarships and annual giving grow through her leadership.” 

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Pellissippi State Community College, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville and community leaders from throughout Blount County celebrated the opening of the Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday. 

The $16.5 million workforce development center is located on Pellissippi State’s Blount County Campus in Friendsville, but also includes space for TCAT Knoxville and a Corporate Training Center for business and industry partners. 

“This workforce development center was created with Blount County partners to serve the Blount County community,” said Aneisa Rolen, executive director of the Pellissippi State Foundation. 

The 51,000-square-foot workforce development center was designed to help fill the area’s need for highly skilled, college-educated employees. Blount County has experienced $2.1 billion in new capital investment and announced 4,570 new jobs since 2015, according to the Blount Partnership. 

“The Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center will help us prepare Blount County students for high-demand careers that will sustain them and their families economically and allow them to stay right here at home instead of leaving in search of well-paying jobs,” said Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. 

The workforce development center will include four Pellissippi State programs: 

• Computer Information Technology, Cyber Defense and Networking concentrations 
• Culinary Arts, including its new Baking and Pastry Arts option 
• Business, Management and Hospitality Management concentrations  
• Electrical Engineering Technology 

The building will include three TCAT Knoxville programs, giving that school its first footprint in Blount County: 

• Industrial Maintenance/Mechatronics 
• Machine Tool Technology 
• Welding Technology 

“We are honored to bring TCAT Knoxville to Blount County,” said TCAT Knoxville President Kelli Chaney. “Developing and being a part of the coalition of educational providers, area businesses, community leaders and community organizations who are focused on promoting hands-on learning to the next generation is exciting and energizing! No one organization can do it alone. It takes all of us working together to drive economic and workforce development.” 

The workforce development center will allow Pellissippi State to increase its dual enrollment opportunities with Alcoa, Maryville and Blount County high schools, helping fill the local pipeline with educated and experienced employees. 

“It’s not like it was when I was young,” said philanthropist Steve West, longtime owner of West Chevrolet and a former mayor of Maryville. “A good attitude and willingness to learn, while important, are not enough in today’s economy. We need more specialized training to fill these jobs.” 

Meanwhile, the 3,250-square-foot corporate training center will increase the college’s capacity to provide training for industry partners. Pellissippi State’s Business and Community Services already trains more than 4,000 individuals annually. 

“This facility is exactly what our employers need to train staff with the necessary skills to quickly introduce them into the workforce,” said Bryan Daniels, president and chief executive officer of Blount Partnership. “This is a huge asset for business retention.” 

In addition to the Wests, the workforce development center received significant donations from the Blount County Economic Development Board (Blount County Government, City of Maryville, City of Alcoa), Arconic Foundation, Appalachian Regional Commission, Blackberry Farm Foundation, Blount Memorial Hospital, Care Institute Group Inc., Clayton, Clayton Foundation, DENSO, William E. Harmon, Crissy and Bill Haslam, Ted and Drama Russell Family Foundation and The Thompson Charitable Foundation. 

Pellissippi State’s fall classes start Monday, Aug. 22. The Blount County Campus is located at 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Friendsville. 

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The Arts at Pellissippi State kicks off its fall 2022 offerings this week with a new installation on the College’s Hardin Valley Campus. 

Sisavanh Phouthavong Houghton Solo Exhibition will be on display through Sept. 23 in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. The gallery is free and open to the public 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. 

Houghton is a Lao American mixed media visual artist who has displayed her work at galleries and museums across the country and internationally. Her experiences as a refugee and immigrant from the post-Vietnam War era are the driving force behind her body of work. 

“I was born in Laos and immigrated at the age of four and with no real memories of fleeing for my life and spending the next two years in the refugee camps in Nong Khai, Thailand,” Sisavanh Phouthavong Houghton says in her artist statement on her website. “My first distinctive memory was someone wrapping a coat around me because I was cold in San Francisco. … My story is nothing different from thousands of other immigrants fleeing from war or oppression. It is not romantic or ethereal, but instead a true act of survival and full of pathos.” 

Houghton’s goals with her artwork are to preserve and educate the public about the untold stories, the forgotten Secret War on Laos and the journey of immigrants such as herself.

“The refugee immigration photographs are a testament that we are not another number, but a reflection of war and humanity’s consequences,” she says. “It is about the larger context of not denying that war is a constant factor in our lives and how this discussion resonates with everyone.” 

“When I first saw Sisavanh’s work at the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga, I was stunned by the quality and virtuoso painting,” said Professor Herb Rieth of Pellissippi State. “The fact that the work has such a compelling and strong impetus makes it all the more powerful. I wanted Pellissippi State students to experience that power and beauty.” 

The Arts at Pellissippi State includes visual arts exhibits as well as theatre and music performances, all of which are open to the public. For a list of upcoming events, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts.      

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A new campus library at Pellissippi State Community College will serve as a repository for regional literature, history and folklore. 

The Appalachian Heritage Project, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, opened Friday, Sept. 9, inside the college’s new Strawberry Plains Campus Library. The ribbon cutting was a perfect prelude to the Strawberry Plains Campus’ 10th anniversary celebration later that day. 

“We expect that the Appalachian Heritage Project will be one of the most unique educational settings in Tennessee,” said Executive Director Aneisa Rolen of the Pellissippi State Foundation, which was tasked with raising $400,000 in donations to match the $400,000 Infrastructure and Capacity-Building Challenge Grant the College received in November 2018. “This library will be a champion for Appalachian history and create a shared space that will bring together students and community members to learn about the people and the land of Strawberry Plains, East Tennessee and the Appalachian region.” 

Designed by Community Tectonics and built by Evans-Ailey Construction, the new Strawberry Plains Campus Library repurposes 9,000 square feet of space on the main level of the college’s campus at 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike, Knoxville. The Appalachian Heritage Project, which is housed inside the new library, features curated collections of materials about all aspects of the region and quarterly programming focused on the art, literature, customs and history of the area will promote a better understanding of Appalachia.  

The Appalachian Heritage Project also provides Pellissippi State with opportunities to expand partnerships in the region and enhance community outreach via exhibits, lectures and workshops. The Project already has been offering quarterly programming while its physical space on the Strawberry Plains Campus was under construction. Earlier this year the project hosted Celebrating Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, an Appalachian Original, with musicians and educators Sean McCollough, Kelle Jolly and Chris Durman, and later a trip to the John Oliver Cabin in Cades Cove with adjunct history instructor and Smoky Mountains Hiking Club Vice President Steve Dunkin.  

“The Appalachian Heritage Project will honor our rich past as well as focus on the future of the region that our students will help to shape,” said Mary Ellen Spencer, dean of Library Services. “The new library is an ideal setting for the Project as it features technology-enhanced spaces that promote student learning. It is our hope that the North Family Community Room will become a central location in the Strawberry Plains community for educational programming about Appalachia.”   

The Appalachian Heritage Project hours are 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays. For more information, contact Assistant Professor and Campus Librarian Allison McKittrick at 865.225.2322 or almckittrick@pstcc.edu. 

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Pellissippi State Community College invites you to join the College in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. 

The College’s Hispanic Heritage Month Committee has planned 10 events, all of which are free and open to the public, that will celebrate the rich and beautiful complexity of Latino and Hispanic culture. 

“As our Hispanic community in East Tennessee continues to grow and thrive, I feel that it is important that we highlight and celebrate the contributions of this very important sector of our population,” said Associate Professor Larry Vincent of the College’s Hispanic Heritage Month Committee. “Being a Venezuelan citizen and a native Spanish speaker, I have always cherished the opportunity to share my culture with my friends and neighbors in East Tennessee.”  

The celebration begins Thursday, Sept. 15, at the College’s Division Street Campus with a panel discussion about refugee and immigrant arrival stories. The discussion will be held 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Division Street Student Lounge, 3435 Division Street, Knoxville. 

A keynote address will be held on Zoom at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15. Assistant Professor Arlene Amarante of Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law will give an overview of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, 10 years after its implementation, looking especially at its impact in Tennessee. 

Other events include Latin music, lectures and films. For a full list, visit our webpage. 

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Math for Jonah Weston may be as “easy as pi.” 

The 16-year-old Pellissippi State Community College student finished first in the Southeast region – and ninth in the nation – in the 2021-2022 Student Mathematics League competition sponsored by the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges. 

Perhaps more impressive is that Weston, who started Pellissippi State full time this fall, was a dual enrollment student at the college when he took the two-part test last year. He graduated from Christian Academy of Knoxville Homeschool in May, the day before his 16th birthday.  

“I’m currently double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science,” said Weston, the son of Brian and Tina Weston of Knoxville. “So far I’ve taken 30 hours at Pellissippi State, and this is my first semester as a full-time student. I’m taking Calculus III, Statics, Physics I, Macroeconomics and Engineering Computer Methods this semester.” 

Pellissippi State has a tradition of math excellence, having finished first in the Student Mathematics League competition in Tennessee every year since 2009 and having had three other students finish first in the region: Trevor Sharpe in 2011-2012, Lily Turaski in 2016-2017 and Jingxing Wang in 2019-2020, the last year the competition was held before the coronavirus pandemic. 

This is the first year, however, that Pellissippi State has finished in the top 10 teams in the nation, finishing 8th in the nation. The college’s previous best finish was 20th nationally in 2019-2020. 

“I thought the math competition was very fun because it challenged me in ways I’d never been challenged before,” Weston said. 

The competition is open to any Pellissippi State student, each of whom have one hour to answer as many of 20 questions as they can. Questions may involve precalculus algebra, trigonometry, statistics, analytics geometry and probability. 

“These are very challenging questions,” said Associate Professor Robert “Bobby” Jackson, who coordinates the annual competition for Pellissippi State. “It’s hard to answer all 20 questions in one hour. I know I can’t.” 

Weston agreed. 

“The first time I took the test, I thought it was very difficult, and I could only answer about half of the questions,” he said. “The second time, I had prepared better and was able to score much higher. I was very surprised to see that I had placed first in the Southeast.” 

Weston plans to enter the competition again this year and will do his best to represent Pellissippi State again, he said. 

“After Pellissippi State, I plan to continue my education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and I hope to do graduate work there,” Weston noted. “I job shadowed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this summer, and I hope to work there after I graduate.  

“I would like to thank all of my math, science and engineering professors for their support and encouragement,” he added. “I would like to thank my parents and brother, Jacob, as well.” 

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Hip-hop innovator Grandmaster Flash is coming to Pellissippi State Community College next month – and you’re invited to experience his master class on the Birth of a Culture. 

Grandmaster Flash will hold an audio and visual lecture and demonstration 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Clayton Performing Arts Center on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville. The event is free and open to the public. 

“Student Engagement and Leadership caters to all our students, and this event targets nontraditional students but also will teach our traditional students the history of what they know today,” said SEAL Coordinator Delnita Evans. “So much of their music today is sampled from those that laid the foundation. Why not host the pioneer of what we know, love and continue to use in music today? If it weren’t for Grandmaster Flash, our TikTok sound bites wouldn’t be a thing.”  

Grandmaster Flash is one of hip-hop’s original innovators. From the South Bronx in the early 1970s, he manipulated music by placing his fingers on the vinyl, perfected beat looping and discovered many of the most iconic beats still sampled today.  

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was the first rap group induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From his electric live shows to his production role on Netflix’s “The Get Down,” Grandmaster Flash is a historian, storyteller and a cultural force.  

Grandmaster Flash’s appearance at Pellissippi State will be an educational, entertaining and interactive experience. He will show the audience how, as a teenager, he used his knowledge of electronic repair to begin experimenting in his bedroom with different styles and techniques. As the architect of the quick mix theory and science behind turntablism, Grandmaster Flash will visually lay out these formulas and concepts using two turntables equipped with live cameras. He also will show classic footage of his extensive record collection and treat the audience to some rare break beats. 

The mission of Pellissippi State is to provide a transformative environment fostering the academic, social, economic and cultural enrichment of the individual and the community. For more information about the college, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865.694.6400. 

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