Alumni News

Living East Tennessee Host, Mental Health Advocate Embodies Volunteer Spirit

Growing up, Amber Lynn Carroll (‘13) knew she wanted to do something that honored her inner performer. She also loved to write. So, when the School of Journalism and Media alumna discovered there was a career path combining both passions, she wanted in. She joined her high school TV station and started covering sports. It…
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…
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…
Princess Rogers named Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient

School of Journalism and Media alumna and 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient Princess Rogers poses with her book From the Crushing to the Crown, which details how she coped with the murder of her father, relationship heartache, and career struggles. Princess Rogers (‘09) can still remember the first time she learned what lawyers do.…
2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 Recipient Taylor Hathorn discovered 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…
CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 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…
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…
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…
From Chile to UT, PR Masters Grad Valentina Gomez is Ready to Help Families Like Hers

Valentina Gomez (‘23, ‘24) is set to receive her master’s degree in public relations in just three semesters, following her undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she majored in journalism. She will graduate from the College of Communication and Information with a job already secured. During her time at UT, both for…
Journalism Alum Jim Sexton Looks Back on a Colorful Career in Content Creation

There’s a lot Jim Sexton (’81) has recognized in hindsight about his many formative experiences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville—but once he recognizes the impact, he turns around and acts on it. When it occurred to him that working as a photographer for the yearbook and The Daily Beacon helped shape his career as…