Recipients of the Carlos and Winnie Simpson Scholarship and the John Tummins Memorial Scholarship were honored in March for their academic accomplishments and leadership on Rocky Top. With majors in multiple engineering fields, music, education, business administration, nursing, biology, and more, the scholarship recipients were invited to a reception on March 29 to learn about the origins of their awards and to meet individuals who have helped make them possible.
Simpson and Tummins Scholars, of which there are 324 this year, demonstrate the values of Tennessee’s flagship land-grant institution through their work ethic, leadership, and service to the community. Their willingness to always strive for academic success and personal integrity makes them exemplary Volunteers.
The Carlos and Winnie Simpson Scholarship Endowment was created in 1983 by brothers Claude and Joe Simpson, founders of Simpson Construction, to honor their parents. The John Tummins Memorial Endowed Scholarship was created in 2009 by Ed Taylor (’83, ’09, ’16). Taylor attended UT as an employee of Simpson Construction through the assistance of the Carlos and Winnie Simpson Scholarship.
It is the generosity of donors that allows me to have a more stress-free education. It allows me to further give back to UT, grow myself, and make more lasting relationships.
– Emily Hendrix, Class of 2026
Emily Hendrix, a freshman from Paris, Tennessee, spoke at the event about her experience as a Simpson Scholar. Her goal is to earn a psychology degree and become a mental health counselor or go to law school.
“My town is about 10,000 people, and so coming to a school that was 30,000 people roughly was a bit scary,” Hendrix said. “It is the generosity of donors that allows me to have a more stress-free education. It allows me to further give back to UT, grow myself, and make more lasting relationships.”
Nathaniel Sheets, a senior and triple major in computer science, mathematics, and statistics, is a Tummins scholar. He is also an accomplished pianist and has been accepted into the Data Science and Engineering PhD program at UT’s Bredesen Center.
“I was able to pick harder majors because of this financial funding, ones that I felt I wanted to do,” Sheets said. “I didn’t have to worry about working while going to school. That’s extremely hard. I was always into math, and I was always into computer programming, and the success I’ve been able to have and being able to focus on doing my best means the world to me.”
John Zomchick, provost of UT, spoke at the event about his background as a student with a need-based scholarship and the life-changing power of education. He recognized the legacy started by the Simpson brothers and Mr. Taylor as well as those who continue to support these scholarships and have ensured that “those of us who may need a little extra help in order to realize [their] dreams, we get that help.” “We are so grateful to you for your generosity,” Zomchick told donors. “I get humbled every day in this job because of what I see, because of the generosity that I see. Across the campus we are all committed to a single or a singular goal—and that is to make sure that we do all that we can to provide [our students] with all that we can to help [them] realize [their] goals.”
