Every commencement season, the College of Education, Health & Human Sciences spotlights our Top Grads who are graduating with the highest GPAs in their class. Learn about the Spring 2022 Top Grads down below.
Congratulations, graduates! We can’t wait to see where the future takes you!
Lily Deinhart
Audiology & Speech Pathology
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Favorite thing about being in CEHHS: The support that CEHHS has provided through advising has encouraged me to continue to persevere through challenging times and work towards being successful in my classes and future career.
Next steps: After graduating, I will be attending UTHSC for a masters in speech-language pathology!
A piece of advice for current and future students: Invest time in making memories! Studying and school work are important but so is doing things you enjoy with the people you enjoy doing them with! Also Cruze Farm trips are a necessity!
Holly Fussell
Audiology & Speech Pathology
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Taylor Gonzalez
Audiology & Speech Pathology
Hometown: Nolensville, TN
Favorite thing about being in CEHHS: My favorite thing about being in CEHHS is the exposure I’ve gotten to extracurriculars through professors and other students that are related to my field of study. Participating in some has given me a bit of hands-on experience as well as brought so much joy to the past couple years of my college experience that I would not have come across otherwise!
Next steps: After I graduate this semester, I will be continuing my studies at the University of Tennessee Health and Science Center in the graduate program for Speech-Language Pathology.
A piece of advice for current and future students: I would highly recommend looking for opportunities to experience some form of what you are studying as early on as possible. Whether that’s though a job, internship, extracurricular, etc. it will be so helpful! If you try it out and find you don’t enjoy it, don’t be afraid to change your major! If you do enjoy it and stick with it, you’ll have racked up a lot of experience that will help you with your studies as well as strengthen your resume in the future!
Katelyn Henderson
Recreation & Sport Management
Hometown: Gainesville, GA (the chicken capital of the world)
Favorite thing about being in CEHHS: I believe the quality of professors in our college is high and because of that, the college has given me a great education with professors that can help me deepen my understanding on topics of interest or misunderstanding.
Next steps: I will be starting in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga in August. I am most interested in working in acute rehab with adults or working with children with disabilities.
A piece of advice for current and future students: My advice would be to make sure you take time for yourself. Set school aside for a while and get outside, get some exercise, and/or do some of your favorite activities. Make sure you are organized. Get a calendar and put all your assignments and exams in it. By doing this early on, you can better plan and take more time for yourself.
Moira McCabe
Child & Family Studies and Psychology
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Madeline Pabst
Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management
Favorite thing about being in CEHHS: My favorite thing about the CEHHS has been the incredible faculty who I felt have truly cared about my growth and success, have challenged me to become a better student, and have enabled me to feel so ready for my transition into the workforce!
Next steps: After I graduate, I am moving to Hilton Head Island to intern at a Marriott Vacations Worldwide resort in the Recreation Department.
A piece of advice for current and future students: My main piece of advice for current and future students is to get to know your professors and form relationships with them! Not only does this promote success in the class, but also makes you more comfortable asking questions and staying engaged!
Amy Walker
Child & Family Studies
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Favorite thing about being in CEHHS: My favorite thing about being in CEHHS is how supportive and understanding all of my professors have been. They truly want to see every student succeed not only academically, but emotionally and socially as well.
Next steps: I just finished my practicum hours at the Wesley House Community Center, which is a non-profit organization that serves the Mechanicsville, Beaumont, and Lonsdale communities here in Knoxville. I plan to continue working as a Counselor during their summer program.
A piece of advice for current and future students: My advice for future students is to be organized. Take clear and concise notes and find a good planner to write down all of your exam times, assignment due dates, and extra curricular activities so you won’t miss important deadlines!
Jessica Woidtke
Kinesiology
Hometown: Louisville, TN
