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Anna Cox was selected as the Roane State President's Award winner for the 2023-2024 academic year. Cox earned the college's highest student honor in the spring of 2024 and spoke to her peers during commencement in May.
“When I found out I was going to get this opportunity [to speak at graduation], I nearly hyperventilated," Cox stated in her speech. "To say I’m honored is truly an understatement."
Cox was involved with Phi Theta Kappa, Roane Choral Society, and the Roane County Children’s Theatre. She also served as co-president of the Roane State Playmakers and a Roane State employee as a theatre technician.
She held several roles in Playmaker’s productions, including Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, costume designer for They Promised Her the Moon, and Liesl in The Sound of Music.
As a nod to her time with the Playmakers, Cox chose to connect her message to the Class of 2024 with a recent performance.
"I am a theatre major and I immediately knew I had to use this opportunity share my favorite spoken line from The Sound of Music: ‘Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow ‘til you find your dream,'" she stated. "During my president’s award interview, I was asked the most valuable lesson Roane State has taught me. My answer was ‘Don’t be afraid to fail. Because if you’re not afraid to fail, then you’re not afraid to try.’"
After graduating with her associate of art degree in theatre arts, Cox continued on to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). She was also one of two recipients of the MTSU Transfer Scholarship in 2024 after being nominated by her faculty advisor, Professor Courtney Minton.
Minton stated that Cox had gone above and beyond expectations, earning a full 12 credit hours more than required for her degree.
“In addition to her course work, Anna participated in eight theatre productions – four as a cast/crew member for Playmakers productions and four as a director or assistant director for the Roane County Children's Theatre,” Minton said. “The additional activities Anna tackled during her time at Roane State are a testament to her drive and her dreams.”
Cox is majoring in musical theatre at MTSU. She said she enrolled in extra music classes offered at Roane State in order to better prepare for transferring into MTSU’s program.
She plans to earn her master’s degree in theatre and work as an actor and director at professional theaters, open her own studio as an acting coach, and eventually become a theatre professor.
To watch the Awards Night ceremony and 2024 Commencement Ceremonies where Cox gave her speech to fellow graduates, visit youtube.com/roanestatecc.
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