The Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Graduate Student Medal of Excellence is awarded annually to an outstanding student currently pursuing a PhD who has completed at least four semesters of study.
Katherine Cook
Katie Cook is a fifth-year PhD candidate in counseling psychology, working under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Hardin. For her dissertation, Katie developed a career intervention for women living in a transitional housing program in Knoxville. Cook serves as an instructor in the psychology department and works as a student therapist at the UT Psychological 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?
“This is my tenth year as a UT Volunteer. As an undergraduate at UT, I remember the humility it took for me to ask for help; however, the students, faculty, and staff never hesitated to support me throughout my journey. Now, I am immensely blessed and empowered to give that same level of support to those in my community, my students, and my future colleagues. Being a Volunteer has meant that I have a lifelong community of those with the same values of service, inclusion, and engagement that I can share with others. I express special gratitude to Dr. Hardin and Dr. Melinda Gibbons for their lasting impact on my life, and I thank them for pushing me to be my best self in all aspects of my professional identity.”