All posts by Alexis Clark

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile

TSU, faith-based community worship, reflect and connect during presidential prayer service  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University and metro Nashville’s faith-based community came together to celebrate the university through prayer for the new year. Started in 2013 when President Glover took the helm of Nashville’s only public institution, the presidential prayer service was her concept to connect TSU with area churches.

Dr. Glenda Glover’s message for the 9th presidential prayer service is to stay faithful while being ‘up against the wall.’ (Photo by Aaron Grayson)

Prominent clergy members and believers from all denominations gather at historic Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church each January for the event.  President Glover is the keynote speaker.   

“This is our 9th prayer service, and we start it with prayer and thanks,” President Glover said. “I am thankful that God has blessed me to lead such a marvelous university. And I thank him for trusting me with such an awesome responsibility.” 

The community hasn’t attended a presidential prayer service since early 2020, due to the pandemic. Glover’s message was one of being faithful when you’re ‘up against the wall’ and the power of prevailing prayer.  

Faith-based community goers during the 9th Presidential Prayer Service at Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)

“You can stop and give up because it’s too difficult, or you can pray and push forward,” Glover continued during her testimony. 

The TSU family is also a part of the service. This year it included newcomers to the event, TSU freshman class president Sir Ford and Shaun Wimberly Jr., who is the student trustee on the TSU Board of Trustees. 

Ford, a business administration major, says seeing faith-based leaders of various denominations from across Nashville and beyond come together was a great experience. 

Sir Ford

“As a freshman, it just shows how the community can come together,” Ford of Nashville says. “The president had a very powerful message, and I am hopeful to see that message translate this semester. I look forward to TSU showing the state of Tennessee what our HBCU represents.” 

Wimberly noted that the experience was heartwarming to see the community come together in support of TSU’s prosperity, “from the church to the Jefferson Street community, to the Islamic faith, the Hebrew faith and of course our TSU faculty, staff, and students,” he says.

“I think it only highlights the extent in which the university has impacted people.”

Shaun Wimberly Jr.

Rev. Aaron X. Marble, pastor of Jefferson Street presided over the program as the service continued with scriptures from Rev. Cora Alston, soulful singing from TSU’s Renee Craig, and greetings from every faith community by Minister Samuel X. 

Along with members of the clergy and supporters from nearby HBCUs, elected officials also attended in support of TSU. Mayor John Cooper, State Rep. Dr. Harold Love Jr., Metro Council member Sharon Hurt, Davidson County Trustee Erica Gilmore, and many more were present. 

TSU alum Rev. Dr. Love said it’s always a great start to the second semester of the school year to galvanize the community, “to ensure every student and faculty has a wonderful experience at Tennessee State,” he said.

State Rep. Dr. Harold Love Jr.

“The second semester we have students returning and you don’t know what their experience has been like while at home … and we want to give them support and let them know, we are here for them.”

Love says he is grateful for his TSU family and the surrounding community.

“TSU has helped mold me. You can also be shaped and molded by the university.”

The service culminated with moving prayers for the city, its youth and young people, along with TSU students, faculty, and staff. The prayer service concluded with a powerful moment when clergy members surrounded President Glover and asked God to continue to crown her wisdom as the spring semester begins on Jan. 17. 

EVENTS, FEATURED, Featured, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

TSU students get up close with caves, critters and under-told Black history at Mammoth Cave

Story courtesy of WPLN, by Alexis Marshall

Over a dozen Tennessee State University students are descending more than a hundred feet underground, outfitted with knee pads, helmets and headlamps.

This fall 2022 trip is part of a national program to get more students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities involved in the outdoors, and WPLN News is tagging along for the journey.

TSU student Aria McElroy (right) crawls through a narrow passage of Mammoth Cave with fellow students. (Photo by National Park Trust)

TSU student Aria McElroy serves as a college ambassador for the National Park Trust and the nonprofit HBCUs Outside. She recruited classmates from an on-campus club to join the excursion.

“I feel like it’s really good for students to be able to take the initiative to get their peers outside, because if it’s like someone older than you or like a faculty member, you might not be as interested.”

McElroy says she felt called to become a college ambassador after an internship in the Rocky Mountains last summer.

“It was just an opportunity for me and other students to get back outside and rekindle the love that they may have had — or just have a new love that they didn’t even know that they had.”

Together, the sponsoring organizations provide funding, resources and mentorship to get more Black students comfortable with things like hiking and camping.

Archaeologist Ed Jakaitis answers student questions about Mammoth Cave. (Photo by Alexis Marshall)

TSU is one of four historically Black schools where the program is rolling out.

Arriving at Mammoth Cave

On a drizzly morning, students gather at the top of a steep staircase leading down into the cave. Rangers and a research professor from the school explain some of the main features.

Sophomore Blake Wright asks about the wildlife.

“What’s the largest animal that lives in the cave today?”

“The largest things that you’re going to see in the cave today are probably bats,” Jakaitis says. Another student inquires whether the bats could pose a problem to the group.

Specialist Rick Toomey offers reassurance.

“I’m going to say the bats won’t bother us,” he says. “The raccoons and rats won’t bother us either.”

The descent

Climbing down into the caverns, students pass a tall, trickling waterfall. They tread through tunnels carved out over millions of years.

“I grew up around suburbs, so I wasn’t in any rural areas,” says Wright. He came into the day hoping to get a deeper understanding of caves. “I enjoy listening to, learning about, just the nature around us, how the ecosystem works and correlates.”

Several students say they plan to return for future excursions through the National Park Trust and HBCUs outside partnership. (Photo by Alexis Marshall)

You can see the awe in students’ faces looking at an enormous naturally vaulted ceiling or a large cluster of stalactites and stalagmites.

Off the main path now, they flip on their headlamps and carefully descend farther into the caverns. A few get startled at the sight of a cave cricket, which looks a lot like a spider.

“This is a crawly passage!” Toomey announces.

Students pull up their knee pads. On hands and bellies, they scuttle across the reddish, sandy floor of the cave to see shark teeth, and the signature of an old explorer.

Black history at Mammoth Cave

Students also learn about darker chapters in the cave’s history. The caverns were once used to mine saltpeter for gunpowder. And many enslaved African Americans did the labor-intensive work.

Stephen Bishop was one of the enslaved people forced to give tours of the cave in the mid-1800s. Because of his work, he developed an unparalleled knowledge of the caverns.

“One of his most notable accomplishments is a work of mapping the cave,” says Jakaitis. “And over the course of a couple of weeks, Stephen created a map that you see here almost entirely written, drawn from memory.”

This was the first time many of the students had ever heard about Bishop — or any of the Black history associated with the cave.

Students flip on their headlamps to see after entering an unlit portion of Mammoth Cave. (Photo by National Park Trust)

History is a big part of why this program exists. Segregation barred African Americans from having equal access to public green spaces. And today, the outdoor recreation industry is overwhelmingly white. Researchers refer to this kind of inequity as the “nature gap.”

Diversifying the outdoors

Ron Griswell, the founder of HBCUs Outside, says reestablishing those historic bonds with nature is especially important for Black students.

“A lot of us don’t have the connections like our ancestors did when we were so tied spiritually and physically to nature. It’s kind of disheartening,” Griswell says.

“I want HBCUs to be the first step in not only diversifying the outdoors, but reclaiming these spaces for joy and ushering in a new, diverse population of stewards.”

Wright may well be one of those stewards. He says he’s eager to continue getting outdoors.

“I want to explore this cave again, just to get another experience and as well explore around the cave, like outside and above. See what the nature has to offer above ground.”

In fact, he says he’s coming back next semester for a fishing trip.

Featured, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

Road to the Grammys: TSU freshman says one call changed the trajectory of her life 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Freshman Me’Kayla Smith’s life changed instantly when she decided to attend Tennessee State University. Smith was initially forgoing college to focus on her budding singing career after experiencing the difficulties of juggling high school academics during the pandemic. However, a phone call from TSU alumnus Sir The Baptist, a two-time Grammy award-nominated songwriter and artist, changed everything.

Me’Kayla Smith

Smith is a part of the Grammy-nominated, groundbreaking gospel album The Urban Hymnal by TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands. Fondly called AOB, they are the first collegiate band in the history of the Grammys to receive a nomination. 

“It just shows you that life can change for anyone at any moment,” said Smith.  “A lot of opportunities that are afforded, we don’t know the magnitude of it. TSU was something I did not know I needed. And now I’m singing on a Grammy-nominated album.”

Smith’s captivating voice can be heard on the chorus of the song titled ‘Alright,’ on the10-track album featuring trailblazers within the gospel music industry.

Smith has been singing in church choirs since she was a child. When she turned 7 years old, she realized singing was more than just a hobby.

Me’Kayla sings with New Direction Choir during TSU 2022 gospel explosion.

“Singing is the way that I breathe,” added Smith. “One of the reasons I was created is to sing. I sing because it’s a part of what makes me who I am.  It’s a form of how I connect with the Lord.”

Smith’s road to the Grammys began summer 2022, when Sir The Baptist reached out to her on social media and followed up with a call about attending TSU and being a part of the album. The soprano says she was honored, and the decision was a no-brainer.

“My stepfather has a studio downstairs. I recorded it right then and there at home … and the rest was history,” she says.

Despite her reservations about attending college, she knew furthering her education and career as an artist at the university was a great decision. Smith, who is a business major, had an active first semester as she is a Sophisticated Lady, a member of the New Direction Choir and AOB.

Sophisticated Lady, Me’Kayla Smith during a 2022 TSU parade.

The song ‘Alright’ supports everything Smith believes in, she says, as the record gives her a sense of hope. “It’s an encouraging piece for anyone who need some uplifting … it is innovative, full of creativity, and it feels like home.”

Smith says she wasn’t surprised when the Grammy nomination was announced as she knew the quality of the album and its originality was bound to go far.

The Urban Hymnal is one of five nominated in the Best Roots Gospel Album category. Smith looks forward to the band bringing the trophy back to Tennessee and being recognized as the first collegiate band in history to earn a Grammy. The Grammys will take place on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 

Listen to The Urban Hymnal album on music streaming platforms such as Apple Music, YouTube, and or Spotify.

FACULTY, Featured, FEATURED, NEWS, Uncategorized

TSU Police Department participates in active shooter training

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The TSU Police Department participated in an active shooter training on campus, enacting different response techniques in case of an actual on-campus threat. The TSU police department in collaboration with Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College police officials hosted the professional training seminar on campus using simunition rounds to assist in accomplishing the training.

TSUPD academy trainees participated in the action packed demonstration as well.

TSU police officers hovers over a manikin posed as a shooting victim during an active shooter training session. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)

“To keep us up to speed in lieu of everything that is transpiring at different schools and universities across the country, we want to be as prepared as possible,” says Chief of Police Gregory Robinson “We do this type of advance training to let our TSU community know we take our safety seriously.”

The training covered headline-grabbing shooting incidents, such as the recent University of Virginia fatal shooting, and provided lessons learned from them, increasing emergency preparedness and understanding critical response.

Robinson says officers are trained to respond to an active shooter and to proceed immediately to the area where the shots were last heard with a purpose of stopping the shooting as quickly and safely as possible.

TSUPD uses simunition rounds and role players to assist in accomplishing the active shooter training. (Photo by Aaron Grayson)

Lt. Tommy Phelps says as these unfortunate situations are more prevalent across the country, TSUPD “prepares for the worse, but we hope for the best.”

“We have held classroom training and group training, but we have never done a formalized training where we are going to have simunition rounds,” Phelps says. “We are trying to teach these officers how to slow themselves down and have more cognitive thinking.”

Phelps noted that the officers gained a better understanding as far as situational awareness and that the effective training will, “make us (TSUPD) even better than what we are.”

Lt. Thomas Phelps speaks with colleagues moments before gearing up for the active shooter training at the Humphries building on campus. (Photos by Aaron Grayson)

Critical situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly, demanding immediate deployment of law enforcement resources to stop a shooting and mitigate harm to innocent victims. The 7-hour training sessions on campus were not open to the public, but Robinson says he looks forward to having a public training session next spring.

Visit this link to check out the active shooter training with TSUPD. 

Alumni, College of Agriculture, FACULTY, Featured, FEATURED, GRANTS, NEWS, RESEARCH, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Uncategorized

TSU receives $5 million grant that could lead to state being top hemp grower in region

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has received nearly $5 million in a hemp research grant, an investment that could make the state of Tennessee the number one grower in the Southeast region. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the investment this week, awarding the grant to the College of Agriculture towards a new partnership for a Climate-Smart Fiber Hemp Project.

This investment for sustainable hemp fiber research will promote market development of industrial hemp supply as a climate-smart commodity through incentives to underserved Tennessee growers enrolled into the program.

Dr. Emmanuel Omondi

Dean and Director of Research/Administrator of Extension Chandra Reddy said the department is excited to support hemp producers in the state, particularly with climate smart production practices.

“We have been at the forefront of identifying appropriate hemp varieties to grow in Tennessee and have been facilitating producers’ meetings on our campus,” Reddy says. “This multi-million-dollar project strengthens our Center of Excellence focusing on developing Climate Smart practices in managing Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, and Environment.”

The hemp project is a collaborative initiative to expand the production of industrial hemp as a climate-smart commodity, evaluate its greenhouse gas benefits, and promote the value of market development to a cross-section of production agriculture, including historically underserved producers across the state of Tennessee.

Dr. Emmanuel Omondi and PhD student Anand Kumar at Tennessee State University’s agricultural farm. 

The project is led by Dr. Emmanuel Omondi, Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Industrial Hemp Extension Specialist.

Omondi says the greatest percentage of funds will be used to provide support and incentives to historically underserved farmers owning up to 500 acres to grow fiber hemp. The fiber hemp will then be processed and supplied to the motor vehicle industry as raw materials for manufacturing critical motor vehicle parts such as fabrics and bioplastics, he says.

“Funds will also be used to continue research into the best management agronomic production practices such as crop rotations, reduced tillage, alternative sources of fertilizers, and good genetics for Tennessee.”

Omondi said he is excited about the opportunity and looks forward to having a, “strong team of multidisciplinary partners who are totally committed to the successful execution of this project.”

TSU alum Frederick Cawthon, President of Hemp Alliance of Tennessee (HAT), who is a key partner within the project, said the overall goal is to create opportunities for underserved Tennessee growers.

“Tennessee can become the leading producer of hemp in the Southeast United States,” Cawthon said. “It’s a proud moment in my career to work alongside my alma mater to create opportunities for Tennessee’s diverse hemp producers. We are committed to growing this industry responsibly, and we encourage all industries to examine how they can utilize this climate-smart and regenerative raw material.”

In collaboration with TSU for the project is HAT, University of Tennessee (UTK), and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to address the global challenges posed by climate change.


Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

Tennessee State University professor part of historic Civil War Trails marker unveiling in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The first Civil War Trails marker paying homage to three African American regiments has been unveiled in Nashville. The marker is located on Foster Avenue near STEM Prep High School. Tennessee State University associate professor of history Dr. Learotha Williams played a major role in the historic project that details the story of the former slaves fighting in the city during the Civil War for the first time as United States soldiers. 

The historical marker is located on Foster Avenue near STEM Prep High School.

Williams said during the event that the marker site highlights the important contributions of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). 

“This battle, this marker, and this moment only represents a new chapter in our understanding of the Civil War in history and our collective memory,” Williams said. “Be mindful that this should be the starting point and not an end. There is much more that we have to discover and learn about the Civil War.” 

Dr. Williams helped bring the marker to light by providing his research about the regiments of the USCT. It was noted that this dedication took place 158 years to the exact date of the Battle of Nashville in 1864, involving the three Black regiments. 

The unveiled marker is the story of the former slaves fighting in the city during the Civil War for the first time as United States soldiers. 

Those attending included representatives from the Battle of Nashville Trust, Stem Prep High School, Civil War Trails, and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. During the unveiling, several presenters spoke about the need to preserve and expand the number of markers that honor the impact African Americans made on the war. 

One of Williams’ history students, Jasmine Sears, said she is excited to see another part of history being honored in a positive light in Nashville. 

“I view the unveiling of this marker as a testament to the achievements of African Americans and their role in the development of Nashville,” Sears of Atlanta, GA, said. 

Jasmine Sears

“Many people don’t fully understand the impact African American soldiers had on a war that was fought so close to home, but I hope this marker will change that.” 

Sears said she looks forward to pursuing a career in public history to educate people on unknown history that is closer to them than they think. 

USCT regiments are also noted to have fought valiantly at Peach Orchard Hill, which is five miles south of were the new marker stands. Dr. Williams says he has hopes that a marker will be placed there in the near future.

The state of Tennessee joined the Civil War Trails program in 2008 with over 350 sites in Tennessee for guest to visit the footsteps of trailblazers like the men who were honored this week for their bravery on Dec. 15, 1864. 

In 2018, Dr. Williams also spearheaded and unveiled a historical marker recognizing victims of Nashville’s slave market. This marker is located at the corner of 4th Avenue North and Charlotte Avenue. (Photo by Emmanuel Freeman, TSU Media Relations).

Visit this link here to hear Dr. Williams’ remarks and see the unveiling of the historic marker. 

To learn more about the Civil War Trails visit www.civilwartrails.org/. 

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, NEWS, RANKINGS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

TSU students to compete as finalist in Morgan Stanley HBCU Wall Street Exchange Case Competition

Four students from the college of business department of economic and finance will be headed to New York next year to compete as finalist in a Morgan Stanley HBCU Wall Street Exchange Case Competition.

Dr. Izadi and finalist during the Exchange Case Competition.

The students who were selected to advance in the next round of the competition are Leandra Sanchez and Jalen Hatton, who are both seniors studying finance, from Taos, NM, and Columbus, OH. Mylan Townsel, a senior from Memphis, majoring in economics and finance, and Julian Mitchell, a junior from Jackson, MS, also studying economics and finance.

Tennessee State University is one of four finalist out of 13 HBCUs who participated in the competition.

Hatton said he is more than proud to be a finalist representing the university. “It was a real team effort and we did our best,” Hatton says. “It’s a blessed feeling. The case scenario was a real world example … and it took a lot of collaboration and research.”

Students were given a case study to present and had three weeks to prep for the first round of judging. Morgan Stanley’s central regional judging committee selected four university’s as finalists to attend the Professional Development Bootcamp and Regional Case Competition.

TSU’s competition team sent a PowerPoint and video of their presentation for the finance scenario case study and were selected to advance to the next round in New York.  

Townsel said with many other HBCUs being apart of the competition, he was in shock when he was notified about being a finalist. “It was much of a surprise,” Townsel said. “We worked hard and put in a lot of effort and time. I look forward to meeting with Morgan Stanley representatives and getting able to go to New York.”

Dr. Selma Izadi

Dr. Selma Izadi, assistant professor of finance, in the college of business formed and advised the finance team of undergraduate students. “The team worked very diligently on the Wall Street Exchange Case … this is a great opportunity,” Izadi says. “The students invested a lot of time, including late night meetings, doing research, preparing this report, and recording the video.”

The case study was presented to Morgan Stanley representatives via zoom earlier this semester.

TSU alum Chuck West, who is a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, is apart of the companies HBCU initiative committee and his goal was to ‘advocate for TSU students.’ “This opportunity is getting more kids to work for Morgan Stanley,” West says. “This is  just a small step on the grand scheme of getting our graduates hired.”

Chuck West

The students will have an all-expense paid trip to New York to present their case study findings and networking opportunities to land employment after graduation.

TSU students will be competing against Texas Southern University, Jackson State University, and Florida Memorial University. The official date of when the competition will take place in New York has not been announced as of Dec. 2022.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a financial services company. Corporations, organizations, and governments rely on Morgan Stanley as a global leader in investment banking. The company advises clients on transactions including mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, initial public offerings (IPOs), convertibles, share repurchases, debt offerings, derivatives and more.

Alumni, EVENTS, FACULTY, Featured, FEATURED, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

A Dream Come True as TSU Choral Group Prepares for Performance of a Lifetime at Carnegie Hall 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – It’s a singers dream to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in front of thousands. For the TSU Meistersingers, it was on their Christmas wish list – a once in a lifetime experience that has come to fruition sooner than expected. 

Next May, for the first time ever, 11 members of the TSU Meistersingers are set to participate in a festival performance with MidAmerican Productions at Carnegie Hall. 

The premier chamber choral ensemble is raising $20,000 to make the trip of a lifetime to perform with professional orchestras. 

Dr. Dunsavage left, and a few of TSU Meistersingers students after a performance at the McKendree United Methodist Church in downtown Nashville.

TSU senior Dominic Davidson, who is a voice major, says he looks forward to the choir raising the funds to be able to participate in a life changing experience. “I have actually always dreamed of performing at Carnegie Hall ever since I was a child,” Davidson of Hendersonville, says. “As a choir, we have always wanted this kind of opportunity. We love singing, we love music, and we love the power that singing gives us and brings to others.” The tenor singer says performing at Carnegie Hall will give him a new level of confidence and a greater appreciation for his gift of singing. 

Marla Lowery of Knoxville says she was in disbelief when they received the news about the performing. Lowery, a sophomore studying political sciences, says she has never performed in front of a crowd of thousands. “It will be great to network with other schools and to see how orchestras practice up until the actual performance day. This will be exciting,” Lowery, says. The alto singer has been hitting notes since elementary school and looks forward to showing off her vocal skills in New York. 

Rhameek Nelson, a senior music education major, says this experience will be an opportunity to better his education and bring exposure to HBCUs. “TSU has never done anything like this before,” Nelson says. “This will take our choir to the next level. The experience will show that … people who look just like me will have the same opportunity here at TSU. I chose TSU, and now they chose me to travel and perform to Carnegie Hall … this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Nelson of Georgia. 

TSU Meistersingers during their last performance of the Fall semester.

Director of Choral Activities, Dr. Angelica Dunsavage, says she is just as excited as this will also be her first time performing at Carnegie Hall.  

“To be able to do a work, especially with a professional orchestra on the stage of Carnegie Hall is going to be a really amazing experience for the students,” Dunsavage says. 

“We would like the community’s help to be able to get us there.” 

So far, the choir has raised $3,500 by performing at cooperate and church events, along with small fundraisers on campus. Dunsavage says this experience will open doors to endless possibilities for the students and their careers.  

The $20,000 will cover airfare, housing and participation for the Carnegie Hall performance. The students are slated to stay in New York for the event May 10-14, 2023. 

See the TSU Meistersingers’ final performance of the semester at TSU Meistersingers – Fall 2022 (vimeo.com)

If you are interested in making a donation or would like to sponsor a student, please visit Meistersingers Fund (tnstate.edu). For more information contact Dr. Dunsavage at [email protected]. 

Alumni, Commencement, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, Graduation, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

Nashville firefighter receives undergraduate degree from TSU

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – He’s been fighting fires in Nashville for 11 years. But now, Edwin Feagins Jr., is one degree hotter after securing his diploma from Tennessee State University this week.

Feagins of Nashville, received a bachelor’s degree in human performance sports sciences with a concentration in exercise sciences. A milestone that he was once told that he couldn’t accomplish. After graduating high school from Pope John Paul II Preparatory School in Hendersonville, he began his higher education journey at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in 2007.

Edwin Feagins Jr. (Photo by Ryan H from Ryanhmedia)

Feagins started off his first semester of college with a .7 GPA.

“My freshman year of college was a lot of newfound freedom and responsibility,” Feagins says. “I wasn’t a focused student at the time. And I was told by my advisor that four years of college isn’t for everyone.” Feagins said he was placed on academic suspension shortly after. But he knew he was capable of walking the stage eventually. Feagins re-enrolled at UTC and continued his studies there for three years, until he was accepted into the Nashville Fire Training Academy in 2011.

Feagins, 33, says his grandmother, who is a former Memphis educator, was proud of him for being a fireman, but told him to finish what he started by graduating college.

A holiday portrait of the Feagins family. (Photo submitted)

“I wanted to fulfill that promise for her,” he says.

Feagins received his associates of applied science degree in fire science at Volunteer State Community College in 2014. Four years later, he enrolled at TSU. “I went searching for that newfound freedom (at UTC) but in retrospect, I should have leaned on my resources that I had available to me right here at home,” Feagins says. “I am excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity to even attend TSU.”

It was difficult being a non-traditional student while sometimes working 24-hour shifts, but he kept faith and believed in himself, Feagins says, graduating with a 3.3 GPA.

He noted that he had instructors at the university like Dr. Jason Smith, that kept him going. “His passion is beyond the degree,” says Smith, the department chair of the human performance and sports sciences department. “The degree was important for him to continue giving back to the community. Edwin has devoted a lot of his time to the community and to people that are in need,” Smith continued.

Edwin Feagins Jr., has been with the Nashville Fire Department more than 10 years.

“He has a servant heart.”

Smith says that Feagins has extended his services by becoming an adjacent professor next semester, teaching CPR courses at the university.

District Chief of the Nashville Fire Department Moses Jefferies IV describes Feagins as a hard worker who has been a ‘tremendous asset’ to the fire department.

“Along with his work, he has shown dedication and a level of commitment that is consistent with the Nashville Fire Department to prepare its members physically to be able to do the job and deliver the best service possible to the citizens,” Jefferies says.

“He’s just really a great guy.”

In the near future, Feagins says he looks forward to creating health initiatives centered around fire fighter fitness with wellness and health disparities.

Alumni, Commencement, EVENTS, FACULTY, FEATURED, Featured, Graduation, NEWS, SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, Student Profile, Uncategorized

TSU first-generation college student continues to fulfill family dream with graduate degree

When Adam Traoré receives his master’s degree from TSU this Saturday in agricultural sciences, he wouldn’t be walking the stage only for himself, but as a first-generation college student. By getting his degree, Traoré’s is also fulfilling the dream of his family as well.

The child of a West African immigrant father, Traoré says obtaining his second degree from Tennessee State University means everything to himself, his parents Habib and Mattie Traoré and his younger brother.

Adam. M. Traoré creating endophyte-colonized sweet sorghum plants in Dr. Ondzighi’s greenhouse at TSU. (Photo submitted)

“He knew that moving to the U.S. would provide opportunities for us that aren’t as easily accessible in his country,” Traoré says, referring to his father. “That sentiment has always motivated me to recognize the opportunities I am given, and appreciate the sacrifices that both my mom and dad made to get me where I am today.”

The 24-year-old Knoxville native describes this moment as ‘surreal.’ 

“I went directly from undergrad after graduating early and went straight into my master’s. To be so young and have job opportunities lined up afterward, it feels good.”

In 2017, Traoré came to TSU to study agricultural sciences as an undergrad and followed that up immediately with his graduate program, with a concentration in biotechnology.

He finished his master’s program with a 3.6 GPA.

Adam Traoré. (Photo by SupermaPhotography)

Months before the upcoming graduation, Traoré received great job offers. One of which, from the federal government for a biosecurity position and another within the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences as a drug chemist. Traoré says he has not made a final decision on which job to take just yet.

Traoré says his family and loved ones have supported his educational journey every step of the way, but also credits his TSU advisor, Dr. Christine Ondzighi, for his progress and success in undergraduate and grad school. 

“Adam is a very good student,” says Ondzighi, an associate professor in Department of Agricultural and Environment Sciences.

“Coming from TSU, and coming from my lab, I am very proud of that.” She noted that the early job offers Traoré has received speak volume of his work ethic and the talents the university produces. He is a great person, super enthusiastic and passionate. I am very proud of him on graduating and he is so far deserving.”

Adam Traoré says as a first-generation college student he looks forward to paving the way for his family and to inspire his younger brother Maleek. (Photo submitted)

In addition to Traoré academic achievements at TSU, he is also a mentor with the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP) program. He is a member of Collegiate 100, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS), and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Traoré looks forward to being a role model to his younger brother, Maleek, who is a senior at Maryville High School.

Traore’ is one of 269 graduate students receiving master’s degrees during TSU’s fall commencement on Saturday, December 3, 2022. MSNBC television host and political analyst Symone D. Sanders-Townsend will deliver the keynote address.