ETSU was founded as a teacher’s college in 1911 with 29 students and one singular mission: to improve the quality of life for the people of the region.
Thousands of aspiring teachers have followed in those footsteps, but that mission of service has remained unchanged. The Clemmer College continues to prepare teachers but has expanded to add a number of new programs.
The college’s Human Services program caught the eye of Elizabethton native Joey Hinkle when he was looking at colleges. ETSU’s mission to improve the lives of others resonated with Joey, who wanted to earn a degree that would enable him to help others.
“The Human Services program really catered to what I wanted to do,” said Joey, who graduated from Elizabethton High School in 2019. “The program is very broad and has a lot of opportunities for students to pursue.”
Joey describes his time in the program as nothing short of eye-opening. His “Intro to Service-Learning” course during his freshman year proved to be transformative.
“This course requires a number of service hours and I was assigned to work for Coalition for Kids. I spent most of my time tutoring kids after school, and that experience affirmed to me that service work is what I want to do,” Joey said.
“The professors are amazing,” he said. “When I have had questions about something a teacher mentions during a lecture, I will email them after class and they respond very quickly, offering time to talk more. There are service hours required for some of the courses. When I started the program and looked at all that was going to be required, I will admit that I felt a bit overwhelmed at first. But as I began getting involved and doing the service activities, it became so meaningful. To be honest, the experiences I have taken away from the courses in some way mean more than the grade.”
Joey says his primary area of interest is in working with families and helping them overcome issues such as drug abuse and neglect so that kids can be resilient.
“This program has taught me about taking the focus away from myself and to look at how I can help others,” he said. “It is easy to get caught up in our own needs and wishes and to take things for granted. Sometimes, you can do so much to help others simply by listening to them.”
Without a doubt, Joey will shape and improve the lives of others, and his journey is being made possible through the support of donors. In addition to receiving the HOPE Scholarship, Joey is the recipient of the Louise Skalko Veterans’ Scholarship. His father, John Hinkle, is a veteran.
“It means the world to students to know that there are people out there who want to invest in their future,” Joey said. “There are a lot of students who have dreams of earning a college degree, but those dreams are at risk for not being realized because of financial challenges. The support from our donors helps students fulfill their goals and achieve their dreams.”
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Want to help support students like Joey? ETSU’s Day of Giving will be held on Thursday, April 15. To learn more, visit here.