Stories

Because Vols Help Vols.

By supporting the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, you are changing lives. Your generosity ensures hardworking Volunteers are able to achieve their dreams. Your support creates a better future for our Volunteer community through exceptional student experiences, access to expert faculty, top-ranked academic programs, and enhanced learning environments.

We are grateful for your thoughtful demonstration of the Volunteer spirit.

Two students hold Vols-themed signs for a 360 picture

Your Impact

Tyler Myers, wearing safety goggles, orange gloves, and a lab coat, working in a lab.
Giving

How’s Your Microbiome? One Graduating Vol Wants to Know

Torchbearer Tyler Myers (Class of 2025) has spent his time at UT exploring the gut-brain connection. Inspired by a clinical trial that changed his life as a child, he’s turned his passion into purpose through research, service, and mentorship.
Read More
Stephen Arthur showing a young student how to play the cello.
Giving

UT String Project Makes Music Accessible to Knoxville Schoolchildren

UT’s String Project, funded initially through the National String Project Consortium and a grant secured through the UT Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development from the Tennessee Arts Commission, has grown to about 80 children enrolled and is sustained through the generosity of donors Sally and Alan Sefton.
Read More
Bridget Freisthler talks with students.
Giving

Partnering with Hope

Bridget Freisthler, the Cooper-Herron Professor in Mental Health at the UT College of Social Work, is leading a multistate intervention in fatal overdoses.
Read More
Caterina Obenauf and three colleagues hold an orange balloon with white words that say 'Connecting Across Disciplines'.
Giving

Finding Strength Through Adversity

Thanks to the support she receives from the Arthur E. Yates Graduate Fellowship, Caterina Obenauf can dive headfirst into the world of neuropsychology, improve advocacy in the mental health landscape for Knoxville, and create more mental health awareness at UT.
Read More
Sierra Stancil, wearing maroon scrubs and a mask with multi-colored pawprints, hugs a golden-colored doodle.
Giving

UT Senior Supports Local Veterinary Hospital Post-Hurricane Helene

Receiving a scholarship has been life-changing for Sierra Stancil, helping her pursue a calling to help those that are disadvantaged and their pets.
Read More
Dante Grayson, wearing an orange Tennessee polo, smiles at the camera. A window in Ayres Hall is behind him.
Giving

Dante Grayson Receives Highest Student Honor

As the Student Government Association president, a proponent of service and stewardship, as well as a dedicated and involved student, Dante Grayson fully embodies the Torchbearer in every way.
Read More
The 2025 Regal Scholars with UT Knoxville Senior Vice Chancellor of Advancement Brian Broyles.
Giving

Welcoming the Fifteenth Cohort of Regal Scholars 

Leaders from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and representatives of Regal and the Regal Foundation joined together to celebrate UT’s 2024-25 Regal Scholars during an event held March 4.
Read More
Denise Tran, Jonathan Mai, and their two sons pose for a photo with the Smokey mascot during a 2023 UT alumni tailgate.
Giving

UT Parents’ Journey to Education Fuels Volunteer Futures 

While Denise Tran and Jonathan Mai hold several degrees between them, not one diploma came from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville—yet several of the more than two dozen students they financially supported to attend college studied at UT, including their two sons and multiple recipients of the UT scholarship they established. 
Read More
Eli Roberts sits across from another student.
Giving

Student Tutors Empower Growth

Thanks to donor generosity, the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center has added about 20 tutors since 2017 and offers a variety of discipline-specific writing services, from nursing to music, and tailored support for veteran, graduate, multilingual, and many other types of students.
Read More
12316 Next