Why This Vol Chose UT to Pursue Nursing
Why This Vol Chose UT to Pursue Nursing
Hannah Moody (Class of 2027) has long been passionate about investing in people.
Her father, a pastor, would take her to visit children in hospitals, an experience that shaped her love for helping others. At her church, she teaches children every Sunday, and in the summers, she works with her congregation to bring food to low-income families. Moody’s passion for dedicating herself to others fit perfectly with her decision to pursue a degree in nursing. And while there are many careers that serve other people, nursing felt special to Moody.
“It’s a really hands-on way to serve others,” says Moody. “It’s a way to see the direct impact you have on people, right then and there.”
When deciding where she would go to college, Moody considered going to a smaller school. But with a new nursing building on the way, a high nursing certification exam pass rate, a commitment to leadership and service, and plentiful scholarship opportunities, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was calling her name.
Now, Moody is considering becoming a nurse practitioner and is drawn to the College of Nursing’s new Pediatric Registered Nurse (PRN) Enhancement Program, created in partnership with Knoxville’s East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
She recently had the opportunity to shadow Whitney Sharp (’18), a dermatology nurse practitioner. Connecting with someone who went through the same program showed Moody just how much of an impact she can have with a nursing degree.
“It was amazing seeing someone with a nursing degree in a position where she can lead a whole team and can give diagnoses and prescribe medications,” says Moody. “It’s just really neat to see nurses in that light, because I don’t think I understood, even going into nursing my freshman year, that that was an option.”
Students who study nursing are often met with challenging courses and hours upon hours of studying, but the community Moody has found within the college helps ease these challenges.
She’s involved in the National Student Nursing Association, and she feels supported by her peers and professors. Having that community matches her love for people and helps prepare her for a career in the medical field where professionals are constantly having to communicate with and rely on each other.
“I definitely think being surrounded by other nursing students in general has really helped,” says Moody. “Studying with them, even just going to class together, and knowing that they’re going through the same thing is helpful.
“It’s building that skill of working with others while we’re still in nursing school.”
That support from the college has been especially helpful because Moody is the first person in her family to pursue a medical degree. UT gives her the opportunity to connect with other people who are either in the industry or figuring it out at the same time as her.
Scholarship opportunities also allow Moody to pursue a career doing what she loves. She receives the Lisa Edwards Reed Nursing Scholarship and recently had the opportunity to meet donors Lisa (’86) and Greg Reed (’85, ’88) at an event.
“It was really incredible to meet the Reeds and shake their hands and thank them because the scholarship just means the world to me.”
Hannah Moody
The scholarship has eased the financial burden on Moody and her husband, whom she met at UT. It also makes attending graduate school—where she will continue exploring her love of caring for others—all the more possible.
After growing up in Knoxville, Moody plans to stay in Tennessee after graduation, thanks to the support of the college that is helping her fulfill her dreams of caring for people in the Volunteer state.
