{"id":63690,"date":"2023-12-13T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jem.utk.edu\/?p=63690"},"modified":"2023-12-13T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T15:30:00","slug":"graduating-senior-sarah-grace-kennedy-hopes-to-reflect-the-volunteer-spirit-in-her-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/jem\/2023\/12\/13\/graduating-senior-sarah-grace-kennedy-hopes-to-reflect-the-volunteer-spirit-in-her-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduating Senior Sarah Grace Kennedy Hopes To Reflect The Volunteer Spirit In Her Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learning about the Volunteer spirit convinced graduating senior Sarah Grace Kennedy to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTennessee stood out to me from most of the schools I got into because I liked the Volunteer spirit,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cHelping the community is really important to me and I like that we are the Volunteers. That was something special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy has been volunteering from a very young age. She and her family raised more than $100,000 for the American Cancer Society through its Relay for Life campaign. She also recalls working with Seeds of Hope, a nonprofit organization that runs a local food bank in her hometown of Tampa Bay, Florida, to raise money to support families struggling to put food on their plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout her time at Rocky Top, Kennedy has married her love for giving back with the skills she learned in the School of Journalism and Media program. An aspiring multimedia journalist, she hopes to reflect the Volunteer spirit in her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embodying the Volunteer spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has used her media expertise to help bolster the philanthropic efforts of her sorority chapter, Delta Zeta, which focus on speech and hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually have hearing loss so this was a cause I could directly relate to,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cI felt like I actually could have a voice for it and we\u2019ve raised the most money we\u2019ve ever had for the Delta Zeta chapter of the university, while I was there, and it has since gone up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funds raised were used to support the Tennessee School for the Deaf and the UT Audiology and Speech Pathology program. On campus, she has also gotten involved with Best Buddies, and as a peer guide at the UT Center for Financial Wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, she was able to support nonprofit organizations through the VOLs Remote Internship program<\/a>. The program pairs College of Communication and Information (CCI) students with nonprofit organizations to fill social media and digital communication intern roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy completed her internship with Sports Philanthropy Network, a nonprofit group that supports organizations using sports as a vehicle for social good and change. Through the internship, Kennedy worked on newsletters and blogs sharing positive things athletes and sports teams were doing in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Graduating senior Sarah Grace Kennedy on the TVC set with Gracie Schutt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy said journalism allows her to tell impactful stories and she believes she can use storytelling to make a difference in the communities she serves, just as she does through her volunteering efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added she always tries to show that Volunteer spirit in her reporting, and through the School of Journalism and Media program she has covered stories of individuals doing good within their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to go out and do stories that are important for the community,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cBeing able to tell impactful stories is what attracted me to the field of journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite starting her college career during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy was determined to get involved and began getting hands-on experience with The Volunteer Channel (TVC) her sophomore year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She started with running the teleprompter and eventually worked her up to being an anchor and associate producer for one of the TVC\u2019s regular segments, The Morning JEM<\/em>. She said that role taught her a lot about editing, writing scripts, and leading others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through TVC she has been able to flex her multimedia journalist skills by creating news packages featuring figures such as UT alumnus and Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Larry L. Taylor<\/a> and UT System President Randy Boyd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her experiences at the School of Journalism and Media have also led to several off-campus media opportunities. In 2023, she got the opportunity to write, narrate, and co-produce a 60-second segment for ESPN\u2019s Countdown to College GameDay<\/em> alongside fellow students Peyton Gravell and Chris Clark that highlighted the atmosphere on Rocky Top ahead of the 2023 men\u2019s basketball game between the Tennessee Vols and Texas Longhorns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was really proud of that and it was such a great experience,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cIt really showed me how much I wanted to be a reporter. It really inspired me and ever since then I\u2019ve been go, go, go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also worked as a content writer for Ablaze,<\/em> CCI\u2019s feminist magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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School of Journalism and Media student Sarah Grace Kennedy interview UT Alum and Medal of Honor Recipient Capt. Larry L. Taylor in Chattanooga.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Part of the community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along the way, Kennedy benefitted from the mentorship of a number of different individuals including lecturers Annie Carr and Brittany Tarwater, whose advice and instruction has helped her grow as a journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe is so dedicated to excelling in her craft. I\u2019m so proud of her and I know that she will go on to do great things,\u201d Tarwater said. \u201cShe\u2019s an incredible journalist but an even better person, and that\u2019s what\u2019s going to make her shine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy is also grateful for the mentorship of others, including TVC advisor Clinton Elmore, CCI alum Curt Maggitt (\u201914)\u2014whom she met through the VOLs Remote Internship program\u2014and supervisors Becky Sparks and Philippa Satterwhite at the Center for Financial Wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also grateful for the friendships she made as a student and will miss her sorority sisters, professors, and working at TVC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy plans to stay in Tennessee after she graduates, adding she doesn\u2019t feel quite ready to leave this community. She has made connections with other journalists in the area through her experiential learning opportunities, which she thinks will be helpful as she starts her professional career as a multimedia journalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always say that the best decision I ever made was coming to the University of Tennessee because it\u2019s taught me so much,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cI gained a valuable education, incredible friends, made amazing memories and gained important connections. It’s not just a school, it’s a community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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