By Chuck Wasserstrom, University of Tennessee Chattanooga -- On Tuesday, March 19, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga staff, faculty, and students will be hitting the road and making the six-mile trek to Chattanooga State Community College for the latest Power C Tour event—an outreach effort to prospective students about educational opportunities at UTC.

ChattState students will get the opportunity to network with faculty, advisors, financial aid experts, and current students and learn about the seamless transition to pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UTC. The event will take place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Omniplex Building.

Among the Power C Tour perks are free food and UTC swag, the ability to apply to UTC for free, and registering to win scholarships.

Click here to register and learn more details about the Power C Tour: Chattanooga State event

Devyn Johnson knows first-hand the importance of attending the Power C Tour event. She received a $1,000 Power C scholarship to UTC at last year’s festivities.

“UTC gave me some financial relief and also gave me a career path. This made me want to work harder,” said Johnson, who received an associate of arts degree from ChattState in May 2023.

The junior is now at UTC pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science and public service with a concentration in public administration and nonprofit management. She is also a communication minor.

The thought of continuing her college experience at UTC became a reality during her second year at ChattState.

Johnson, a 2021 Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences graduate, said the opportunity to attend ChattState for free thanks to Tennessee Promise was too good to pass up.

Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentoring program focused on increasing the number of students attending a postsecondary institution in the state. It provides students with a last-dollar scholarship, which may cover tuition and mandatory fees not covered by the federal Pell Grant, the HOPE Scholarship, or the Tennessee Student Assistance Award at any of the state’s 13 community colleges or 27 colleges of applied technology. (Read more about Financial Aid types here.)

“When you have the option of Tennessee Promise where they give you two years of college for free, that’s kind of a good little steal,” she said. “Plus, I wasn’t ready to go to college yet. I wanted something to basically usher me in a little bit, kind of get me into college life and then go to a big university like UTC. I understand now that it was meant for me to be here.”

Click here for TN Transfer Pathways from Chattanooga State to UTC

Johnson’s road to UTC came on the heels of a trip to Washington, D.C.

Just days before last year’s Power C Tour event, she had the opportunity to attend a community college conference; one of the workshops was about public policy for community colleges and having them grow, she explained, “and I really enjoyed that. I was like, ‘I want to do this in life.’”

Pursuing a career in nonprofit management was quickly cemented during her first semester on the UTC campus.

“Having my major in nonprofit management … I’m glad that UTC was able to grant me the opportunity to do something that I wanted to do in life, something that I love and enjoy,” Johnson said. “I envision myself helping people who are undervalued and underrepresented, and I want to give people that sense of being safe in the world.”

Dr. Michelle Deardorff, the Adolph S. Ochs professor of government and department head of Political Science and Public Service, was Johnson’s Introduction to Political Science and Public Service instructor during the fall 2023 semester.

“The transition for transfer students to a new institution can be really difficult. New people, new campus cultures and vocabulary, and new expectations,” Deardorff said. “But Devyn is a perfect example of how to navigate this transition both competently and with real authority. She quickly found out who to reach out to and engage with to answer her questions.

“I so appreciate Devyn’s efforts in seeking out advice and clarity, asking questions about scheduling for future semesters and working to develop relationships with her faculty. These are skills that will serve her well in the future.”

Well into her second semester on the UTC campus, Johnson was asked what she would say to ChattState students about continuing their studies at UTC.

“It’s going to be different, but it’s not different in a bad way; you’re going to have to change what you’re used to at a community college when you go to a four-year institution,” Johnson said. “If you want to continue, you’ll be fine. If they saw that you do great things at Chattanooga State, then strive for greatness and do great things at a four-year university. And hopefully you’ll come to UTC.”

The ChattState UTC Connect dual enrollment program offers students a clear path to obtaining a bachelor's degree at a lower cost thanks to programs like Tennessee Promise, the HOPE Scholarship, the First in the Family Scholarship, and more. Benefits of the ChattState UTC Connect program include guaranteed admission, personalized advising, guidance from UTC advisors while attending ChattState, early registration at UTC, and access to UTC's aquatics and recreation center, athletic events, university housing, library, and student health services.