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News: Roane State 2+2 students have close bond with each other, instructor

Tennessee Tech instructor Angie Jones, second from right, is proud of her graduating 2+2 students, from left, Tonya Terry, Brogan Dople, Morgan Gazay and Jeremiah Garrett.

Tennessee Tech instructor Angie Jones, second from right, is proud of her graduating 2+2 students, from left, Tonya Terry, Brogan Dople, Morgan Gazay and Jeremiah Garrett.

May 15, 2015

Tennessee Tech instructor Angie Jones stands quietly in the background while her students share their stories.

The students explain why they picked Roane State Community College and how the college’s 2+2 elementary education program with Tennessee Tech allowed them to earn their bachelor’s degrees without leaving Scott County.

Jones listens.

Then, the students start talking about Jones.

Jones can’t stay in the background anymore. It’s time for hugs, smiles, a tear or two. The students, Jeremiah Garrett, Tonya Terry, Morgan Gazay and Brogan Dople graduated this spring with bachelor’s degrees in elementary education. They took all of their classes at Roane State’s Scott County campus and are among 13 graduates of the 2+2 program with Tennessee Tech.

“It’s a great program,” said Jones, who teaches the Tennessee Tech courses at the Scott County campus. “These guys are committed. They wanted this, and they worked hard for this. The sincerity from this group of students is what I really love. We share a sense of community and feeling for our communities.”

Staying in the community is one of the main benefits of the 2+2 program. For the first two years, students take Roane State courses at the Scott County campus. For the second two years, they take Tennessee Tech courses, also at the Scott County campus.

“If it was not for this, I would not have a college degree,” Gazay said. “I have two kids, a family. I would never want to leave home.”

Terry is in the same situation.

“I work full-time and have kids,” she said. “It was this, or I was not getting the degree.”

Another benefit of the 2+2 program is that it’s a cohort program. In a cohort program, students take the same classes as a group. Students learn together and encourage each other.

“I feel like they are all my friends,” Gazay said of her classmates. “If I needed encouragement, I knew I could get it from them. We can talk about juggling work and kids. I feel like I have 12 friends who are finishing the program with me.”

A cohort offers more than emotional support. The structure also helps students learn.

“A lot of times, I didn’t know where to begin, and I could get ideas from my classmates,” Garrett said.

Dople added, “Students can learn better from their peers. They know exactly how my mind is working and how to explain things to me.”

As the students finish their college degrees, they speak with a confident tone as they discuss their plans. They are, clearly, proud of what they accomplished. Terry said the confidence comes from the hard work she and her classmates devoted to their goal.

“There was a lot of hard work and dedication,” Terry said. “The encouragement is the big thing. Everybody has led each other.”

In addition to Garrett, Terry, Gazay and Dople, students Jennifer Casey, Kanoa King, Cody Sexton, Denise England, Kelsey North, Kelsey Chapman, Brittani Laverdiere, Jennifer Reynolds and Ben Shirley also completed the 2+2 program this spring.

“I am extremely proud of the caliber of these 13 students,” Jones said. “They have shown integrity and dedication. I appreciate them so much.”

About Tennessee's Community Colleges

Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. All colleges in the system offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit tncommunitycolleges.org.

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