Alumni News
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Malik Allen’s Path from UT, Knoxville’s Tombras School to the Tombras Agency in the Big Apple
Malik Allen’s (‘21) dreams have come true since he started working at the Tombras Agency in New York City just this past year. Allen graduated from the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations with a degree in advertising in 2021 and credits his classes and internships for helping him get to where he is…
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Alumna Goes Viral for Coverage of LA Wildfires
When Ashley Sharp (‘18) learned about the 2016 Great Smoky Mountain wildfires, she wanted to help. She knew WBIR Channel 10 News would need assistance covering this tragedy, so she requested to be excused from Professor Sam Swan’s class to join their team. The journalism and media student at the time worked part-time for the…
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Attorney Princess Rogers Named Volunteer 40 Under 40 Recipient
Princess Rogers (‘09) can still remember the first time she learned what lawyers do. She was in the third grade when her school invited various speakers to come speak for career day. Among the speakers was a lawyer who shared how his favorite thing about the profession is helping people. That interaction inspired Rogers to…
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Rachel Fleming-May Associate Professor: Empowering Students and Alumni
Associate Professor Rachel Fleming-May’s passion for libraries didn’t originate from a family member or a past teacher; rather, it was inspired by a comic series she loved during her childhood. “If I’m being completely honest, I idolized Batgirl as a child. I watched Batgirl on the old Batman television series after school. Barbara Gordon, who…
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2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 Recipient Taylor Hathorn Discovered Her Passion on Rocky Top
Alumna Taylor Hathorn’s (’14, ’19) post-graduation path received a jump-start when she signed up to be a part of Land Grant Films’ Medal of Honor Project. “I cannot begin to explain how formative that project was in my career,” the 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient from the School of Journalism and Media said. The…
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Tombras School Celebrates 30 Years of Networking Trips to New York City
For 30 years, the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations has provided students with invaluable networking trips to New York City. These experiences offer opportunities to connect with industry professionals and include tours of various agencies and departments. This year, 40 students—20 each from advertising and public relations—visited notable companies including Goodby, Silverstein and…
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CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater in Class of 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40
From the moment Brittany Tarwater (‘09, ‘13) stepped into the College of Communication and Information to where she is today in her career, there’s been a network of supportive faculty pushing her to succeed. She didn’t realize when she arrived at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus on her 18th birthday that CCI and UT would…
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Alum Pays it Forward after Decades-Long Career in the Industry
School of Journalism and Media alumnus Wesley Loy in Cordova, Alaska (Photo courtesy of Bob Hallinen). School of Journalism and Media alumnus Wesley Loy (’84) can still recall his father’s misgivings when he decided to pursue a career in journalism. “But once he saw my name for the first time on the cover of The…
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From SIS Alumnus to Cichlid Enthusiast
Scott Wells (’89, ’96, ’13) is a proud alumnus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he serves as the chief of staff for the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD from UT. Wells graduated with his master’s degree in information sciences in…
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Frankie Perry is Advancing Her Career Graduating with her Second Master’s in Information Sciences
Frankie Perry (’24) enjoys her role in the circulation department of the University of Memphis Ned McWherter Libraries. She has worked for the University of Memphis for over 30 years, spending the last 20 years in the library. However, until recently, she did not have a degree in information sciences. “I’ve been assisting the librarian…