Exceptional in their fields. Distinguished at ETSU.

JOHNSON CITY (April 27, 2023) – Eleven members of the Class of 2023 at East Tennessee State University will be inducted into the 1911 Society. Named in commemoration of the year ETSU was founded, the organization honors the university’s most notable graduates from undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The 1911 Society recognizes students who have distinguished themselves among all graduates for academic excellence, service and leadership.

“For more than a century, ETSU has carried forth a mission to improve the quality of life for the people of this region,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland. “The 1911 Society is an elite group of graduates who have embodied that very mission.”

The selection committee evaluated the applicants and based its decision on all of the following:

· Academic achievement (GPA, scholarship, research)
· Sustained service
· Honors, awards, recognitions, publications and presentations
· Demonstrated leadership
· Work experience, study abroad, internships, externships and clinicals

“These students have distinguished themselves in their service, their scholarship and their commitment to the mission of ETSU,” said Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, ETSU provost and senior vice president for Academics. “Their leadership on this campus has made an impact, and we look forward to watching them continue their journeys.” 

Members of the Class of 2023 who are being inducted into the 1911 Society:

Piper Floyd of Kingsport  studied computing and foreign languages. She was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship and became the first ETSU student to win the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. As an ambassador in the ETSU College of Business and Technology Leadership Academy, she provided opportunities for women in STEM by co-founding the Women in Tech event at ETSU and by volunteering as a computing instructor to migrant women during her time in Spain. 

Sadie King of Kingsport is graduating with a B.S. degree in rehabilitative health sciences and a double minor in communicative disorders and nutrition. During her undergraduate career, King has been a part of the Dr. Brenda White Wright Emerging Leaders Academy, Preview and Orientation Leader Organization (POLO)  and Buccaneer Involvement Guides, and served in the Student Government Association (SGA) as a senator and secretary of state, taking on the role of homecoming director for two years. 

Jessica Rodriguez-Potter of Cleveland majored in psychology with a concentration in child psychology and a double minor in early childhood development and trauma and resilience. She presented research at ETSU’s Appalachian Student Research Forum and Dr. Jay W. Boland Symposium. Rodriguez-Potter served with POLO and the Center for Academic Achievement. She also interned as a medical advocate and labor doula with Atlanta’s Embrace Refugee Birth Support group. 

Dr. Jarred Millard of Burns will earn his M.D. from Quillen College of Medicine. He served as class president for all four years of his medical education and is one of the founders and first president of the ETSU Street Medicine Outreach. He was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in recognition of his compassionate patient-centered care and service to others. He will complete his residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Katelyn Haun of Dandridge is graduating with a BBA in general management and marketing communications. As an undergraduate, Haun served as president of both Alpha Delta Pi and College Panhellenic and as a member of  POLO. Her greatest accomplishment was helping create EPIC, a seminar for Fraternity and Sorority Life members on risk management and community awareness. 

Dr. Rhiannon Dunn of Johnson City earned her Ed.D. in educational leadership. She received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and various scholarships, including a dissertation scholarship, the Joan Brandon Hull scholarship, multiple external scholarships and a Quillen Scholars Award. Dunn serves as a teacher, teacher leader, and mentor teacher at Science Hill High School in Johnson City.

Jeremiah Heyward of Knoxville  majored in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science. During his time as an undergraduate, he was a student leader with POLO and various other organizations on campus. His leadership led to an opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate with other young men of color in a listening session with Vice President Kamala Harris focusing on the topics of mental health, economics and criminal justice reform.  

Mason Mosier of Piney Flats  will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and media and communications. Mosier served as the SGA president for two years, was the first outreach intern for a congressional office and combined his fields of study to create a working definition of 21st century American political candidates in his thesis. He was part of the Honors College and The Washington Center. He was appointed the community service chairman in his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and was awarded the Ronald and Edith J. Carrier Award. 

Samuel Alejandro Garcia Olmos of Caracas, Venezuela, is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a minor in culture and health. As a member of the Roan Scholars Leadership Program, he participated in The Washington Center’s academic internship program at the National Hispanic Medical Association, where he advocated for Hispanic health. Additionally, he served on the executive board of Sigma Phi Epsilon, as a member of the Interfraternity Council and as a senator and vice president for finance and administration in the SGA. 

Paulina Ramirez of Morristown  is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with minors in culture and health and psychology. She has held several leadership positions in the SGA and served as a PEAKS mentor for the Honors College. Ramirez has conducted cardiovascular research under the guidance of Dr. Krishna Singh and presented her findings on various occasions, including the Tennessee Posters at the Capitol event, the American Physiological Society at Experimental Biology Conference and ETSU’s Boland Symposium. 

William (Billy) Thompson of Ocala, Florida, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences with a concentration in human health and a minor in psychology as a Midway Honors Scholar. During his time in the Honors College , Thompson conducted epilepsy research under the direction of Dr. Chad Frasier in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. He has presented his research at ETSU's Appalachian Student Research Forum and the American Epilepsy Society’s annual meeting. He also completed a senior thesis on cellular energetics in epilepsy.