The Occupational Therapy Department at UTHSC will award a posthumous degree to Rachel Kay Stevens, who died in 2015. In life, Rachel wanted to help children as an occupational therapist. After her death, her teachers and classmates are ensuring her wish is fulfilled with the establishment of the Rachel Kay Stevens Therapy Center. The awarding of a posthumous degree is a rare occurrence.
Three students have been awarded scholarships to travel abroad to study critical languages that are imperative to the United States’ future security and stability. Katie Plank, a May graduate in ecology and evolutionary biology, will be studying Chinese in Dalian, China. John “Harrison” Akins, a PhD student in the Department of Political Science focusing on international relations, comparative politics, and public policy, will be studying Urdu in Lucknow, India. Jonathan Hubbard-Shaw, a senior in linguistics, will be studying Indonesian in Malang, Indonesia.