Jamil Price, right, with his parents William and Rochell Price.
Jamil Price (‘10) was facing a problem many children can relate to: he was having a hard time finding a birthday gift for his father.
William A. Price doesn’t ask for much. He has everything he needs, and whatever he doesn’t have, he usually buys it for himself.
But Jamil still wanted to find a special gift for his father. He ended up giving William something he could have never expected.
Jamil, an alumnus of the School of Journalism and Media, established an endowment in his father’s name for the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The William A. Price CCI Student Success Scholarship will give CCI students in the UT Success Academy (UTSA) an opportunity to study abroad each year. UTSA helps support and enhance the college experience of first-year Black and Latinx male students.
“It’s a really cool and unique way to honor my father and leave a legacy,” Jamil said. “Being able to provide this experience for CCI students to study abroad and get this global experience is going to be invaluable for them as they look to continue their career and be a member of this global society.”
Jamil, 34, who is a senior manager for talent acquisition at Johnson & Johnson, surprised his father with the news on his birthday last December.
“I am honored and blessed that my son is fortunate enough to be able to give this gift in my honor,” William said. “I am very proud of my son for getting his degree at the University of Tennessee and being successful in his career, but also for thinking about others and giving back, because that is really what it’s about at the end of the day.”
The father and son worked together to name the endowment and decide the purpose of the scholarship. As both men have a passion for traveling and exploring the world, they wanted to offer the same opportunity for students to expand their horizons.
“Unfortunately as a child and young adult, my father was not in the place financially to be able to do so,” Jamil said. “But as he continued throughout his life and worked, he has been able to really travel and experience different cultures and parts of the world and has been fortunate enough to take me on some of those trips.”
Jamil, a Lebanon, Tenn., native, was recognized as a Torchbearer when he was a senior at UT. He served on the Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council for CCI and was the press secretary for Student Government Association. He was also a student representative on the Student Affairs Council, recruitment chair of the Student Alumni Associates, an ambassador scholar and an orientation leader. Now that he’s an alumni, Jamil has continued serving his alma mater as a member of the CCI Board of Visitors.
“It was the best four years anyone could ever dream of. It absolutely shaped me to become the leader that I am today,” Jamil said. “CCI really laid a solid foundation for me and gave me the technical skills to be an effective communicator in this world. I am thrilled this endowment is just a small way to be able to make an impact and give back to a university that has given me so much.”
Mark Geller, CCI’s senior director of advancement, “Having people like Jamil create an endowment like this to help our students will make an impact that will last forever. With this gift honoring William, students will always have the ability to study abroad.”
Before his senior year at UT, Jamil took a month-long trip to Europe and visited eight countries.
“It’s a really unique experience to travel and experience various cultures and languages,” he said. “I think it’s invaluable, especially even now that I work as a part of a global company. I have team members I meet with on a weekly basis from various countries like China, Dubai and Singapore.”
In establishing the endowment, Jamil thought of the Volunteer Creed: “one that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.”
He wants students who receive the scholarship to immerse themselves in different cultures and be open to new experiences. He wants them to push beyond their comfort zones and discover how rewarding travel can be.
“I am hoping this scholarship is going to be able to open the eyes of Volunteers to prepare them to be global citizens,” Jamil said. “I want them to know the world is bigger than just Tennessee or the United States. I want them to understand and have an appreciation for different cultures and see things from different lenses and different views.”
Jamil’s father went to an all-Black high school and did not attend college, but he made higher education a priority for his children and always wanted them exposed to as many opportunities as possible.
William is a big UT Athletics fan and has season tickets for football. He proudly wears the orange and white anywhere he travels.
Although having a scholarship at UT named in his honor is something he could have never imagined, William is grateful his son gave him the birthday gift of a lifetime.
His greatest joy will be seeing the scholarship recipients graduate and earn their degrees while never forgetting the Volunteer spirit.
“I hope they understand and know that somebody cares about them as they pursue their education,” William said. “Hopefully one day when they are able to give back, they can pay it forward to others.”
Written by Rhiannon Potkey