Roane State President Chris Whaley is joined by Middle College students and Roane State faculty to accept a scholarship check from Leigha Humphries, protocol and community relations manager with UT-Battelle. (Photo courtesy Roane State)
Ten Roane County students participating in Roane State Community College’s Middle College have received $3,400 annual scholarships thanks to UT-Battelle.
Roane State’s Middle College program allows high school students to take college classes in their junior and senior years and then graduate with their associate degrees and their diplomas. Middle College graduates are then able to complete their bachelor’s degrees just two years after finishing high school.
Middle College students pay for tuition through a combination of out-of-pocket funds, use of the Tennessee dual enrollment grant (funded by the state lottery), and private scholarships. The UT-Battelle Scholarship was established in fall 2015 and is awarded to one Middle College student from each high school in Roane County.
First-year recipients are Trinity Clark (Harriman), Reagan Dudley (Roane County), Rebecca Michaud (Midway), Lindsay Buck (Oliver Springs), and Leif Erickson (Rockwood).
Second-year recipients are Ashlyn Blackburn (Roane County), Dakotah Harris (Harriman), Juliann Hopper (Oliver Springs), Dalton Quigley (Midway), and Jonathan Watson (Rockwood).
“I am so glad I have been allowed to have this opportunity,” Watson said. “It makes me so happy to be one of the few in my family to go to college, and without the support of the scholarship, I seriously doubt I would have been able to make it on my own.”
Of the 13 public community colleges in Tennessee, Roane State is one of only four to offer a Middle College-like program. Roane State’s program is unique because it allows students to take Roane State classes while fully participating in their high school activities. The program is especially helpful for students, such as Dakotah Harris of Harriman High School, who are already planning to attend graduate school.
“The chemistry classes I was able to take during my first year of Middle College really strengthened my love of science,” Harris said. “I have a strong passion for research, particularly related to Alzheimer’s disease, and I plan to go on to medical school. The UT-Battelle scholarship has given me a chance to pursue my dreams, and I really appreciate the investment in me and my future.”
Since the fall 2014 launch in Roane County, Middle College has expanded to include Anderson, Campbell, and Morgan counties and enrolls 92 students.
For more information about Roane State’s Middle College, contact coordinator David Lane at (865) 882-4538 or lanedr@roanestate.edu, or visit roanestate.edu/middlecollege.
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