I moved around frequently as a child, going wherever my mom would take my older sister and me. My parents had been divorced since I was two, so it was just the three of us. We would randomly switch houses, states, schools, and be constantly making new friends. I don’t remember a whole lot of the schools, but the one that sticks out the most was a private-christian school in Mobile, Alabama. We attended this one from third to fifth grade which was a long time period being in one school for us.
Category Archives: UTC Interns
Articles by students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Shatter the Glass Ceiling – by Caroline Bledsoe
For thousands of years, women have been oppressed. For thousands of years, women have carried the burdens of stereotypes and unrealistic expectations.
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Educational Divide Shapes Understanding of Diversity – by Heather Kounthapanya
At 25 years old, the echoes of racial commentary still resound in my life. It’s a reality that echoes not just for me but also for my parents, deeply entrenched in the working class where racial slurs seem to find fertile ground. Their narrative, etched by a lack of educational opportunities due to the struggles of mastering English, intersects with mine, shaped by the privilege of pursuing higher education.
In this division lies a personal revelation: education serves as a beacon, illuminating the path toward understanding and combating racial discrimination. Witnessing firsthand the disparity between my parents’ experiences and my own highlights the significant influence of educational opportunities on how diversity is perceived.
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Embracing Culture – by Alondra Mejia-Rendon
My journey of self-discovery and cultural identity unfolds in Grandview, Tennessee, a gorgeous area filled with nature, wildlife, and a beautiful mountain view. My parents, hailing from Michoacan, Mexico, immigrated to the United States with little to no knowledge of English, along with my two older brothers, before I was born. As the first US born citizen in my family, I was introduced to a world that was a blend of Mexican heritage and the new American life.
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Living with a Disability Shaped Me – by Jasmyne White
It all started with a car accident that my mother was in while she was pregnant with me. My mom and dad were rear-ended that caused the seatbelt to tighten up on my mom’s stomach which inevitably tore her placenta. She was rushed to the hospital where I was born about a month before my due date. I was born a healthy baby, just smaller than the others in the nursery.
Fast forward about seven or eight years my mom noticed that I started to walk a little differently that normal. It was nothing too serious, it started off with me just walking on my tippy toes. Then I started to fall, like a lot. Finally, it progressed into me walking hunched over and with a limp. My mom, a nurse, put her medical knowledge to use to try to figure what could possibly be going on with me but it was no use. She couldn’t figure out what the problem was so we did what any sane person would do and went to the doctor. My primary care physician looked at me, and he was just as lost as we were.
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A Girl’s Experience – by Jana Pursley
I never understood the significance of women empowerment until the lack of it inadvertently affected me.
I was raised in a two-parent household, where all of the attention was devoted to me and my sister. My dad taught us how to treat others, he always treated my mother with respect and wanted nothing but the best for his daughters. He led by example and allowed us to express ourselves and our femininity freely, which as I’ve grown up, I’ve realized that most men don’t do. My mother was also an excellent parent, she was the breadwinner of the family, teaching my sister and I how to be independent and take care of ourselves. Like my father, she also wanted nothing but the best for us, and was always there when we needed her.
The Diversity Garden – by Sammy Mckenzie
Once upon a time, in a beautiful garden, there existed blooms of all hues and sizes in blissful harmony. A group of flower friends soaked up the sun every day in their same patch of peaceful land. On this land lived Rosemary Rose, Donna Daisy, Fran Fern, Heather Hydrangea, and Lila Lavender. Their closeness and bond are what nurtured this patch of land and caught the attention of many ongoing spectators. Every day the flowers continued to grow and spread their seed among the patch of land.
Life was seemingly perfect, that is until one dark cloud gathered over the friend’s patch of land and later that day a storm blew through the peaceful garden causing chaos. In the midst of the storm, the group of flowers were ripped from their patch and strewn all over the landscape.
Letter to Bella about Pasta – by James Ortiz
Bella, my dear friend, I hope that you have been doing well since I last saw you. I really do appreciate you taking care of Mom in my brothers and I’s absence, but I cannot afford to get sick at this time. However, I plan to visit later this week to help take care of her and the house to ease your burden just a bit.
With her falling ill, I imagine that the task of preparing food has been designated to you in my absence. I have nothing short of absolute faith in your abilities, as you have helped taste test many dishes as well as provide your deft service of cleaning plates as my sous chef. With that said, Bella, given your current stature, I feel like I would be remised if I didn’t share my insights and advice to you, so that you may not have to carry this responsibility on your own.
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Liverpool’s Egyptian King – by Carter Graham
Sports have long provided a platform for diversity and tolerance. Jesse Owens, Bill Russell, and Jackie Robinson are examples of athletes who challenged the cultural norms and the prevalent prejudice at the time. There are countless examples of athletes over the years who have been prevalent in combating racism.
Some people may question the significance of sports and its role in diversity. Some people may think that sports are just a game. But sports, like art or other media, can be studied over time and people can see the clear progression in things like racial diversity compared from the 1950s to the present.
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The Autistic Wanderer – by Alfred Bolden III
Have you ever thought about how you think differently than others? My story starts when I was little in a place called Tennessee. I was 2 or 3 years old at this time. At this stage of age, toddlers like me are supposed to talk or speak in little sentences. Well…according to my mom I didn’t exactly speak “normally” like the rest of my family. My mom, who’s a doctor, told me that I spoke in one or two syllable words. Sometimes if I was asked to repeat a word I would but I wouldn’t speak in clear sentences.
Fast forward to when I turned 5, after my younger twin brothers were born, my parents (mostly my mom) would begin to notice how strange I acted at the time. I don’t know what exactly the details were, but my mother told me that I was quiet and liked to have fun with myself. My mom and dad thought back to when I was 3: I showed signs of having Aspergers or high-functioning autism. However, being the good parents they were, they didn’t want to assume it onto me early. Back to my 5th year of age, they decided to get a check up on me; to their surprise, it turns out they were right. I did have high functioning autism.
Continue reading The Autistic Wanderer – by Alfred Bolden III