Student Spotlights
The Global Citizen Scholars program is new for 2021! Here are some spotlights from
the program it grew out of.
University Honors Scholars Student Spotlights
Jess Potter-Rodriguez (UHS Class of 2023)
The Honors College expands horizons and realizes dreams- as is the case for Jess Potter-Rodriguez. Always passionate about creating platforms and providing support for historically silenced or voiceless communities, the aid provided by the UHS scholarship allowed Jess to pursue involvement in various facets of campus life. Her endeavors range from experience as a student intern with UNICEF's local Children Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) to 150 hours as an academic coach through the Center for Academic Achievement. Therein, she sought to promote student success and improve accessibility to positive educational outcomes by helping students develop time management, organization, and clinically based self-care skills. She continues to advocate for the use of educational resources as the Honor's College representative on the CFAA Advisory Board.
Additionally, Jess has had the honor of serving within the Preview and Orientation Leader Organization (POLO) for three years, wherein she hopes to make a lasting contribution to POLO's commitment to community prosperity as the Social and Service Chair executive.
While finishing her degree in child psychology, early childhood development, and trauma and resilience, Jess also worked for three years as an undergraduate research assistant in Diana Morelen's Affect, Regulation, Coping, and Health (ARCH) infant mental health lab. Her involvement with the lab's Mom Power project, a relationship-based program designed to promote strengths among local mothers and children of high psychosocial need, further ignited her dedication to the welfare of children and families.
Jess's case management and research experiences have led to what is, undoubtedly, the capstone of her undergraduate experiences. In the summer of 2022, she will work as an intern with Outer Atlanta's Friends of Refugees, specializing with Embrace Birth Support. With Embrace, Jess has the opportunity to advocate for and empower refugee and new American mothers as they navigate the perinatal experience following resettlement. By contributing to the resilience of mothers and infants from the population she desires to serve professionally, Jess hopes her ventures with Embrace will expand upon previous clinical experiences and prepare her to pursue a master's education in social work that emphasizes both children and families as well as global welfare.
Amani Patel (UHS class of 2022)
Amani majored in Health Science with a double minor in Public Health and Health Administration. The summer before her senior year, she applied to ETSU's accelerated Bachelor's to Master's (ABM) program, which allowed her to begin working towards a master's in Health Administration during her senior year. She will graduate from the master's program in December 2023. One of the most notable experiences she has had through the ABM is getting to work on obtaining accreditation for ETSU's Pioneer Experience through her Quality Improvement Class.
During her time at ETSU, Amani had the opportunity to join a variety of student organizations that enriched her experience, including the Diversity Educators, the Financial Aid Student Council, the Multicultural Association for Pre-Health Students and the Indian Student Organization. Amani served as president of both the Multicultural Association for Pre-Health Students and the Indian Student Organization. These organizations helped introduce her to individuals who have been crucial to her professional and academic development, along with others who are now her closest friends.
Summer 2022, Amani will be interning at the James H. Quillen Vererans Affairs Medical Center in the Business Administration Office.
Afreen Siddiqui is currently finishing her first year as a medical student at the Quillen College of Medicin and graduated from the ETSU University Honors Scholars program in May 2021. She writes: "The guidance and encouragement during my time at ETSU was invaluable — I discovered a heightened passion for learning and exploring. During my time at ETSU, I served as the President of Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students, vice-president of the Honors College Student Council, and a part of the Muslim Student Assocation. One of my most memorable experiences was when I attended Dr. Brenda White Wright's Emerging Leaders Academy. The philosophy of servant leadership taught me that the success you achieve as a leader is defined by the success you bring to other s. I was surrounded by a very diverse group of students, and it was from that experience that I have learned what it truly means to embody a leader, one with humility and respect. Being a part of the Honors community has inspired me to be an advocate for those around me and to tend to the wellbeing of my society, especially those in underserved areas, and I hope to embody these values as a future physician."
Andrew Taylor is excited about the path he is on. This summer he accepted a position at Erlanger
hospital in Chattanooga where he is working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit as
a patient care technician. "I’m grateful for this great experience in the nursing
field as I am about to begin the Nursing program at ETSU."
Aamir Shaikh was fortunate enough to conduct research at Emory’s Clinical Cardiovascular Research
Institute (ECCRI). As a team we were able to verify data on hundreds of registered
patients and administer questionnaires to several new patients every week. This data
would later be used to consider how different social conditions correlated with an
individual’s cardiovascular health. As he heads into his final year as an ETSU undergraduate,
Aamir is making the most
of opportunities to give back to the student organizations that have shaped his college
experience. Aamir also is a visible presence on campus as the 2019-2020 Student Government
Association (SGA) president. Read more>>
Through her involvement in the Timmy Global Health club on campus, Anna Cowan was able to fly to Ecuador to set up a medical clinic in the community of Guangaje.
She worked alongside doctors as a scribe and used her Spanish skills to register people
and record their vital signs, providing aid to over 400 patients. She got the opportunity
to assist in cases of patients with mild illnesses, like gastritis or back pain, to
cases of severe or life-threatening conditions such as cancer and large heart murmurs.
As a pre med student, this experience provideded her with several opportunities to
learn from experienced physicians and to understand the importance of healthcare to
people who have limited or no access to resources. As a Spanish student, this she
was able to immerse herself in South American culture.
Callie Root was able to observe an array of health care professionals such as Ophthalmologists,
Optometrists, and Ophthalmic Assistants while interning at the Regional Eye Center
in Kingsport, Tennessee. She received hands-on experience with patients through performing
tests and pre-screenings before they saw the physician. Alongside a team of medical
professionals and volunteers, she also completed her fourth trip to St. Ann's Bay,
Jamaica. Over the span of one week, she helped to provide eye care to over 900 patients.
She assisted with visual acuities and testing in the clinic and also had the opportunity
to observe eye-related surgeries in the operating room.
Hunter Thomas spent the summer at an internship with Parkway Playhouse where, in addition to the
general construction of set and costumes, he was giving the responsibility of stage
manager, costume designer, and props designer for several main stage shows, a children's
camp, and a special traveling program that brings attention to the environment and
children's literacy. (Hunter is in the back with the yellow headband).
Over a period of three months, Hannah Manis had the opportunity to work with 48 clients doing in-session, participatory observation
in a private clinical psychology practice. She was able to freely give her input during
the therapy and received feedback, training, and encouragement by her mentor. She
gained experience in her field through 105 hours last year and 150 currently. Her
youngest client was 8 years old and her oldest, 83. "It was incredible to watch how
the therapist I worked with was able to help these individuals heal from traumas they
have endured in their past and give them tools to enable them to live their best life."
Interning with Dr. Mike Hoff in Institutional Research this past summer, Alyssa Dingus was able to work on projects concerning campus, national surveys, peer institutions,
and data analysis. She had the opportunity to attend conferences concerning Learning
Communities and tour off campus facilities like Valleybrook. She also worked on some
larger projects including faculty activity reporting software, faculty workloads,
and an executive summary from ETSU’s State of the University Survey. During these
projects she learned new techniques in Excel as well as new software like IBM SPSS
Statistics. In addition to working with Dr. Hoff, she was able to work with Jeremy
Ross, ETSU’s Acting Chief Operating Officer, experiencing many of the different administrative
departments at ETSU.
Collin Peace had the opportunity to work as a contracts intern in the accounting department of
Republic Parking Systems in downtown Chattanooga. He gained hands-on experience in
completing bank reconciliations, entering and checking revenue items, updating the
company's income statement, and compiling parking databases to organize collected
data. His main project was aiding in creating, designing, and implementing the new
Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) accounting system that will replace the out-dated
AS400 accounting system the company currently has in place.
Alex Day had the opportunity to work at Boxwell Reservation as the Quartermaster during his
summer break. He drove a UPS truck to deliver food and empty trash. His interest in
recycling lead him to help with the camp's recycling program. He was able to recycle
more than 500 lbs of recyclables.
Madison Loggins and Kelsey Huffer traveled to Kenya for three weeks with The Well, a campus ministry. They spent their
first week camped in a village helping to build a toilet block for a new secondary
school for girls while also evangelizing. The toilet block was a critical project
because the school cannot open without it, and this would be the first secondary school
for girls in that area. "We are both very passionate about education for women and
loved getting
the opportunity to empower other women." Next,
the two traveled to Tenwek Hospital, one of the largest mission
hospitals in Africa. There they were able to
shadow in the pediatric ward and in eye surgery. They were able to see
diseases and procedures they would never see
in America. While at the hospital they also taught at a primary school.
Working toward her CNA license to gain clinical experience for medical school,Sophia Fledderman served as a student nurse assis tant in a nursing home and discovered a fondness
for the elderly population. Due to this discovery, she is now interested i n specializing
in family medicine.She gained experience with residents who had Alzheimer’s, dementia,
and unique beha viors that require specific attention. She found the work to be especially
rewarding. She also interned at a county prosector’s office and realized how beneficial
it was to be able to sit in on various autopsies, getting to see the
“real” uncensored side of forensic pathology.
Brittney Stubbs has a passion for service - local, national and international. Opportunities made
possible through ETSU student organizations to work with new cultures and communities
have heightened her awareness of social justice issues and inspired her to become
a physician. A native of Crossville, Tennessee, Brittney is a University Honors Scholar
and an Honors-in-Discipline Scholar. She recently returned from an Alternative Spring
Break Experience in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing on urban poverty. Read more>>
Abeer Chaudhary knew of ETSU from living in Johnson City and having two older siblings who had been Global Citizen Scholars. But it was the personal touch of a former Honors College administrator that convinced her to follow in her siblings’ footsteps. Born in New Jersey, where her parents settled after moving from Pakistan for her mother’s medical residency, Chaudhary is majoring in microbiology. Read more>>
Being from Memphis, Alexandria Exley had lived her whole life where the land was flat. When she visited ETSU for the first
time and saw the surrounding mountains, the avid hiker thought, “I could definitely
live here and enjoy spending four years studying here.” But what she found she loves
the most is the sense of community on ETSU’s campus and throughout the Johnson City
area. Read more>>
Ever since his freshman year, David Floyd has been reporting the stories of East Tennessee State University. It was during
the spring semester of his first year that he took a position with the East Tennessean
student newspaper. Since then, he has held many roles – reporter, arts and entertainment
editor, copy chief and news editor – before assuming the role of executive editor
this past fall. Read more>>
Pooja Shah loves to have a positive impact on others, and ETSU’s Student Government Association
is one avenue by which she may do just that. Although the Knoxville native was never
involved in student government in middle or high school, she knew she wanted to take
part in it on the collegiate level. “It just seemed like a great way to change and
impact ETSU and the campus,” Shah said. Read more>>
Rana Elgazzar has had a close look at other parts of the world. She was born in Egypt, but spent
her early years living in Japan. “Japanese was my first language,” she says, “but
we left when I was about 7 years old, so I lost my ability to speak and write in Japanese.
Now, when I look at things I wrote back then, I have no idea what they say.” When
she graduated from high school, many of her fellow students headed away from Johnson
City, but Elgazzar wasn’t ready to leave. Read more>>
Ryan Lynch had no idea where he wanted to go to college until late in his senior year of high
school in Morristown. By March of that year, he realized he needed to make a decision,
and though he considered and visited a number of schools, one thing stood out about
East Tennessee State University. Read more>>
A quiet, stress-free life doesn’t appeal to Caroline Drury. The East Tennessee State University sophomore was drawn to the adrenaline rush of
emergencies from a young age. The Nashville native says, “At the age of six, I visited
Vanderbilt’s LifeFlight, the organization that handles emergency transport to hospitals,
and I decided I wanted to be a flight medic. Then I worked as a lifeguard and was
able to respond to some medical emergencies on the job. Read more>>