Graham Thomas (’08) may not have his name on any yard signs during election season, but his travel itinerary is similar to most aspiring politicians.
Thomas is the chief community and government relations officer for tnAchieves, a nonprofit that exists to increase higher education opportunities for Tennessee high school students by providing financial scholarships alongside mentor guidance.
Thomas, who graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in communication studies, is frequently on the road trying to recruit mentors and find job shadowing and community service opportunities for students.
“I tell people all the time, I might be the only person that has been to all 95 counties who is not running for a statewide office,” Thomas said. “I am going to every Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, chamber board, and large business to find support for our students.”
Thomas, 37, began working at the nonprofit in 2010, when it was only operating in Knox County and was privately funded by Randy Boyd, the current president of the University of Tennessee System. It has since grown to include 83 counties and became a statewide organization nine years ago.
Thomas spent his first 10 years running the mentor program. Although he remains involved in the mentor program, his role at tnAchieves has expanded to include working directly with the state legislature to advocate for funds and try to ensure the integrity of the mission remains intact to serve the betterment of students.
“The thing that is great about working for a small nonprofit is you get to wear a lot of hats and do a lot of things. That is exciting to me,” Thomas said. “I am not doing the same thing every day over and over. Every day is different and every day is a new challenge, new opportunity, and new place to go. That, to me, is fun.”
Thomas credits his time at the College of Communication and Information for helping prepare him for his work at tnAchieves.
“I use my degree every single day. There is absolutely no doubt about that,” he said. “I go out and speak in public about our program regularly, so all those public speaking classes I took that I know a lot of students dreaded, I enjoyed those and those skills have helped me.”
The Volunteer spirit translates into the work Thomas does every day at tnAchieves, as so much of it involves encouraging students to participate in their communities. The students in the tnAchieves program are required to meet with a mentor, maintain at least a 2.0 gpa, and perform eight hours of community service. tnAchieves has nearly 9,000 volunteers serving as mentors, each of whom give one hour a month or more to support students.
At one point, only 32 percent of low-income students were reaching their sophomore year in college, according to Thomas. But after tnAchieves provided coaching and mentorship, 74 percent return.
Recently, tnAchieves began providing a $1,000 stipend to help students pay for extra things such as textbooks, computers, gas, and groceries. Of the students who received mentorship and a grant, 82 percent returned for their sophomore year.
“tnAchieves is built on the foundation of giving back,” Thomas said. “If you are fortunate enough that you have the means to make a donation and write a check, there is a way to give back. If you can give one hour monthly, you can give back and impact our students. And finally, students are putting days worth of work by giving back to their community through service.”
Thomas considered John Haas, School of Communication Studies associate professor, as a mentor and someone who “shaped his time” at UT. Haas always encouraged Thomas to make professional connections and explore potential job opportunities.
“He had really strong potential for leadership,” Haas said of Thomas. “He held a number of leadership posts on campus. He was president of a fraternity (Lambda Chi Alpha) and he was active in the Communications Studies Club, and he was also somebody who was really good at developing effective workplace relationships.”
During college, Thomas accompanied Haas to Washington, D.C. on a trip with a communication studies group. He served as the navigator as Haas drove one of the school vans. They debated Tennessee sports.
“That is the thing about Graham; a lot of times, talking to professors, students will either defer to them, agree or not say anything at all. But Graham will respectfully share with you his point of view,” Haas said. “That is a really good quality to have. He is not intimidated by age or titles.”
Thomas went to work briefly on Capitol Hill after graduating, but he realized he enjoyed being out in the field more and building support for a cause. He found a calling at tnAchieves.
The Franklin, Tennessee native used the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship to help him attend UT, where he made lifelong friends. He didn’t technically find true love on campus, although he came close.
“My wife and I were at UT at the exact same time and graduated on the same day and never met each other while we were there because it’s such a big place,” Thomas said. “Now, we have these stories reminiscing about being at the same places at the same time and somehow not bumping into each other.”
Thomas is fulfilled by helping kids receive the benefits of a college education. He wants them to enjoy their time on a campus as much as he did at UT. He has been part of the Young Alumni Council at UT for the past five years, including three as chair, and wants to remain connected to the university as much as possible in the future.
“I am thankful for the University of Tennessee and thankful every day that I have ways to stay engaged and give back to a place that has meant so much to me,” he said. “I can’t say enough great things about the university. If I had it to do all over again, I would do the same thing.”