Roane State Community College

April 3, 2025

By Deborah Robbins, Roane State staff writer

Tennessee Reconnect student Melissa Rush is forging a path toward her associate degree thanks to the support and resources available for non-traditional students at Roane State, including a Roane State Foundation scholarship that allowed her to stay on track.

Rush was not a stranger to Roane State when she made the decision to return in 2024. She attended briefly after graduating high school in 1999 but decided she was not ready for college, choosing to enter the workforce and start a family instead.

Today, she is juggling full-time employment, a full course load, and parenting a college student of her own. But before she decided to further her education journey with Roane State, she experienced a lifechanging diagnosis.

“I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer in 2020,” Rush said. “I was 39-years-old at the time, and I was too young to have had a mammogram.”

Having caught the cancer early at stage one, doctors immediately began treatment plans. Rush said she completed 21 weeks of chemotherapy.

“After all of those, I had the lump removed, and then I did 20 radiation treatments, going to the doctor almost every morning,” Rush shared. “My last radiation treatment was, fittingly, New Year’s Eve of 2020.”

When she had her first post-treatment mammogram, doctors gave her the all clear.

“When I got to see that the cancer had been completely removed, it was a feeling that is not easily put into words, other than relieved,” Rush explained.

Once doctors deemed her cancer-free, she said she turned inward with a new outlook.

“After my treatment was completed, I was able to reflect on the experience of it all,” Rush said. “I knew that if I was able to make it through all of that, then I would be able to do anything. That is what started the desire to return to school.”

That desire led to some disappointment initially as Rush said she did not expect to be able to afford tuition anytime soon. It wasn’t until her son started college that she learned about the Tennessee Reconnect grant and the opportunity presented itself.

Tennessee Reconnect is a last-dollar grant that pays the remaining balance of tuition and mandatory fees after other state and federal financial aid have been applied. Reconnect can be used at Tennessee community colleges to pay for tuition while eligible students earn a two-year associate degree.

After confirming she was eligible, Rush applied to Roane State.

She started back as a part-time student before enrolling in her first full-time semester this past fall. She signed up for another full course load this spring in pursuit of a healthcare management degree. Rush is currently employed at a doctor’s office in West Knoxville and hopes completing the program will help advance her career.

“What inspired me to pursue this major is because I wanted to finally earn an associate degree,” Rush said. “Having a degree will allow me to be able to be promoted, earn more money, and have more opportunities.”

While Tennessee Reconnect helps with standard tuition, there are fees and other educational expenses that are not covered. Rush said returning to college and staying on track would not have been possible without additional financial aid.

Rush applied for scholarships with Roane State Foundation and was awarded a $1,000 scholarship for the academic year, breaking down to $500 each semester.

“When I got the email telling me I had been awarded the scholarship, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could breathe again,” Rush shared. “It meant that for this year, I don’t have to worry about how I am going to pay for school. I can focus on my classwork.”

The scholarship Rush received was made possible by a donation from the Good Neighbors Shoppe in Lenoir City. The business gives to Roane State Foundation each year in the hopes of assisting Loudon County students pay for college. Rush expressed gratitude to her community and for her family’s encouragement.

“My parents and family members have always been supportive, especially during cancer,” Rush added. “They are very proud of me for making the decision to return to college and for being dedicated to it.”

Rush earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall and hopes to graduate in 2026.

Additional information about Roane State Foundation, including student scholarships, is available at roanestate.edu/foundation. The scholarship application will remain open through May 31 of this year. For a direct link, students can visit roanestate.edu/foundationscholarships.

Businesses, alumni, and community members interested in supporting Foundation efforts can learn how to get involved at roanestate.edu/donate.