Torchbearer is the highest honor the university gives to its undergraduate students. Recognition as a Torchbearer reminds us all that those who bear the Torch of Enlightenment shadow themselves to give light to others.
Ashlyn Anderson
Ashlyn Anderson is a Haslam Scholar majoring in food security and public health nutrition through the College Scholars Program with minors in Spanish and international agriculture. She serves as president of the Student Basic Needs Coalition and actively leads anti-hunger movements to address food insecurity across campus and in the Knoxville community.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means leaving a sustainable legacy such that the movement to create a more equitable and inclusive campus continues, even in the absence of the leader. UT has empowered me to make a difference by providing the resources of faculty mentorship, research opportunities, and community engagement to scaffold my trajectory and nurture my passions.
Taylor Dempsey
Taylor Dempsey is a College Scholar, Baker Scholar, and Chancellor’s Honors student studying migration studies. They are the co-founder of Students for Migrant Justice and serve as the community development director of the VOLbreaks program. They will be attending Duke University School of Law in the fall.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means being dedicated to building relationships and community with those around me, so we can all collectively work toward a better world. The people at UT are what makes the university special. My classmates, faculty mentors, and staff supervisors have all inspired me to pursue my passions and challenge myself. They have supported all of my ideas and given me the tools to make a difference in our community.
Claire Donelan
Claire Donelan is a senior from Fairfield, Connecticut, studying marketing and international business. At UT she has been a member of Chi Omega and UT Ambassadors. She is also a member of The Haslam College of Business’ official honors program, Global Leadership Scholars, and this past year she has been serving as student body president.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being at the University of Tennessee has empowered me in so many ways that I never expected. Being a member of the UT family has shown me that there can be more to a college career than just taking classes and getting a job. There are ways to impact other students, members of the community, and the campus itself that will go beyond your four years. This is what being a Volunteer is. It is not just showing up and leaving. It is making connections, meeting new people, and helping out when you can. I could have gotten an education anywhere. But coming to the University of Tennessee has shaped me into a lifelong Volunteer.
Savannah Hall
Savannah Hall of Memphis, Tennessee, graduated as a top fall graduate of Haslam College of Business. She served as chairwoman for SGA’s First Year Council and Senate. Hall co-founded Leading Women of Tomorrow and was a Baker Scholar and member of Tri Delta and Kappa Alpha Pi. She completed internships in the US House and Senate and will be attending law school this fall.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
UT has given me more than I ever imagined. It was a place to develop into the leader I wanted to become and a platform to provide me with everything I needed to succeed. I always say that students can mold their experience here however they see fit. There are incredible academic programs, lifelong mentors, and friends, student organizations, and more right at your fingertips. The established community here at UT is unparalleled, and that alone is what being a Volunteer is all about.
No matter who you are, when you attend the University of Tennessee, you are a part of a vast community for life. Beyond supporting UT in various ways, being a Volunteer means embodying the Volunteer Creed at every step in your journey. This includes serving the communities you belong to and leaving them better than you found them. It implies practicing servant leadership and putting others’ interests above your own. It is dedicating your time and energy to your passions to make the world a better place. Overall, being a Volunteer shapes your identity and creates an even higher standard for you as an individual to uphold in all that you do. I am beyond lucky to reflect on my meaningful experience at the University of Tennessee as a graduate and will forever appreciate all it has given me.
Simon Jolly
Born and raised in Knoxville, Simon Jolly is a senior majoring in sustainability with a minor in economics. Since arriving on campus, he has been heavily involved in Student Government, University Housing, and the Office of Sustainability. He currently serves as the student body executive treasurer.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
To me, the identity of being a Volunteer is deeply tied to the Torchbearer’s Creed. To be a Volunteer is to act humbly and serve frequently– it’s about pouring into a community all that you get from it. The University of Tennessee has empowered me to approach advocacy work but also life in general from this community lens I connect to being a Volunteer. The students and faculty and staff which make up this university within the broader Knoxville community have shown me the power of leading together–across perceived divisions.
Tasimba Jonga
Tasimba Jonga is a graduating senior studying chemical engineering and economics. He has passions at the intersection of economic equity, tech, and entrepreneurship. Over his past four years at UT he has grown intellectually, becoming a leader in the university’s entrepreneurial and academic community. To name a few of his involvements, he leads the Engineering Professional Practice Office, serves as a student project manager for the Professional Sales Forum, and co-founded a student venture accelerator to champion student entrepreneurship. Post graduation Tasimba will be pursuing a master’s in management science and engineering at Stanford University.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means embodying service to others. It is using the gifts, skills, voice, and platforms you have to uplift and empower others to achieve more. The University of Tennessee community has done just that for me, empowering me to pursue a purpose targeted towards service to others. There is no other place in the world where the Volunteer spirit is front, back and center.
Aruha Khan
Aruha Khan is a Chancellor’s Honors Program student dual majoring in biological sciences and finance. She is passionate about raising awareness for topics like medical disparities and inequalities. Aruha ultimately hopes to pursue an MD/MBA dual–certification to begin a nonprofit medical clinic for underserved and uninsured populations.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
University of Tennessee Volunteers have inherently committed to positively impacting their communities in Knoxville and beyond.
The educational framework, faculty mentorship, and student community at the University of Tennessee have enabled and empowered me to make a long–term difference. I am hopeful that other students recognize their role as Volunteers and commit to pursuing their passions and serving their communities.
Varun Rangnekar
Varun Rangnekar has been involved both on and off-campus. On-Campus he has served as the editor-in-chief of Pursuit, co-director of TEDxUTK, and worked in the academic success center as an SI leader. In the community, Varun serves as a clinic coordinator at the East Knoxville Free Medical Clinic.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means understanding your role in the community and actively trying to make an impact in that community. For me, being a Volunteer in Knoxville means understanding the local Knoxville community and trying to work with the community to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to the problems that the members of this community face. In Knoxville, I am actively working to reduce the barriers that impede people from accessing healthcare. UT has provided me with the knowledge and understanding to leverage my interdisciplinary background to develop actionable services that allow the clinic to not only see more patients but also decrease costs and increase efficiencies. Not only has UT provided me with the knowledge to accomplish my vision, but it has also provided financial backing that enabled me to purchase technology that serves as the backbone of my efforts to modernize the clinic.
Deanna Riley
Deanna Riley is a cheerful senior majoring in neuroscience with the aspiration of becoming a pediatrician and clinical researcher. With an infectious laugh and happy spirit, she has made an impact on many areas of campus including University Housing, Multicultural Student Life, and Alumni Affairs. Her primary goal in life is to support others in any way she can.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
Being a Volunteer means sharing your unique talent, charisma, joy, passion, and bright light with the world. A Volunteer is someone who develops into the best version of themselves while also helping cultivate a path so that others can do the same. They lead to serve in compassionate and genuine ways, because they desire to see their community flourish.
Even before my first day on campus, UT has empowered me to craft my authentic sense of self and be unafraid to share it with the world. With the support of the many amazing mentors, friends, and connections, UT has helped me grow into an individual who is passionate about seeing the light in others and helping them share it in a way that no one else can.
Catelyn Williams
Catelyn Williams, a Memphis native, is studying political science with minors in Africana studies and sociology. She has been actively involved in ME4UT, Multicultural Student Life, the Jones Center for Leadership and Service, the Student Government Association, Haslam Office of Diversity and Community Relations, and more. She plans to study law with aspirations of becoming a Civil Rights attorney.
What does being a Volunteer mean to you? How has UT empowered you to make a difference in a way you might not have imagined elsewhere?
A true Volunteer understands when and how to lead. Leadership doesn’t look the same, but one core value a leader has is the ability to self-reflect on how to become better. When I entered this university, I was eager to get involved but didn’t know where to start. I always knew I wanted to make an impact on my community, and serve as a positive role model for my peers, especially those who shared the same identities as myself. As I navigated the process of learning how to lead, I always reminded myself of my purpose, and that was to show up in spaces as my true, authentic self because vulnerability and transparency is what allows you to grow as a leader, but more importantly as a person.
As I close this chapter, I’m grateful for my close network of mentors and advisors here at UT, because they truly showed me what it meant to be a Volunteer and encouraged me to find the path that aligned with my vision for my future. While attending UT, I was positioned to be successful, but the adversities and challenges I faced, fueled and empowered me to continue to use my voice, because there’s always someone listening who needs to hear your story. There have been countless times where I wanted to give up, but then I remembered my purpose is bigger than me; I modeled the Volunteer spirit for the future generation of leaders rising after me.