In the Motlow Smyrna Spotlight: Jonathan Graham

By Charles Whiting

Motlow Buzz Faculty Editor

          Tennessee Promise Director Jonathan Graham quietly goes about his work on a daily basis, helping to fulfill the educational aspirations of hundreds of Motlow students. His excellent work at the college earned a nomination for Tennessee Board of Regents Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition Award for Staff Excellence. In this issue of The Buzz, Jonathan steps into the Motlow Smyrna spotlight to provide insights about the fast-growing Tennessee Promise program.

Motlow State Community College Tennessee Promise Director Jonathan Graham (photo recently published in the Motlow Newsroom at https://news.mscc.edu/news/motlow-tennessee-promise-director-jonathan-graham-nominated-for-tbr-excellence-award.)

QUESTION: Briefly describe your role with tnAchieves.

ANSWER: “I work very closely with tnAchieves to serve Tennessee Promise students. First, I attend mandatory meetings at local high schools hosted by tnAchieves in order to provide high school seniors information about the Tennessee Promise Scholarship as well as information regarding the enrollment/financial aid process here at Motlow State Community College. Second, I work closely with tnAchieves staff to help students who are facing specific obstacles. For example, a student may have trouble submitting their community service hours in which case I will reach out to tnAchieves on the student’s behalf to find a resolution to the problem. Conversely, a student may be having trouble signing up for a new student orientation or understanding their financial aid requirements, in which case tnAchieves may reach out to me on a student’s behalf to find a resolution. So, we work together in order to make sure that students are successful and complete the requirements that they need to in order to successfully enroll and maintain their Tennessee Promise eligibility.”

QUESTION: How many Motlow Smyrna students are participating in the program this fall, and how will it benefit them?

ANSWER: “This Fall 2019, we have 639 eligible Tennessee Promise students registered at the Smyrna Campus who are a part of the new Fall 2019 cohort. In sum, we have a total of 939 eligible Tennessee Promise students from all TN Promise cohorts at the Smyrna Campus who are currently registered for the Fall 2019 term. Roughly 60% of all eligible Tennessee Promise students registered at the Smyrna Campus are receiving some Tennessee Promise funding, so this scholarship is benefiting these students greatly.”

QUESTION: What are the next two or three deadlines on students’ timelines?

ANSWER: “The deadline to complete the Tennessee Promise application is Nov. 1, 2019 for current high school seniors graduating in 2020.

 

The next community service deadline for currently enrolled Tennessee Promise students is Dec. 2, 2019.

The 2020-2021 FAFSA opened on Oct. 1. The deadline for all Tennessee Promise students to complete this FAFSA is Feb. 1, 2020.”

QUESTION: What are some of the community service opportunities for students in the program?

ANSWER: “Broadly speaking, students can volunteer at a state park, a food bank, a school, or library to earn their community service hours. There are more specific opportunities that arise throughout the school year, and many of these volunteer opportunities can be found by going to https://tnachieves.org/community-service/middle-tennessee/. Students can select their county to find local community service opportunities in their area.”

QUESTION: What is the biggest challenge Tennessee Promise students face, and how can we (faculty, administrators and staff) help solve them?

ANSWER: “The biggest challenge that Tennessee Promise students face is often keeping up with the many deadlines that they must meet in order to remain eligible for the scholarship. Faculty and staff can help students by simply asking them if they have completed their upcoming Tennessee Promise requirements. When meeting with students, faculty and staff can simply ask if they are a Tennessee Promise student and, if so, if they have completed their community service requirement/FAFSA/and financial aid requirements. Faculty and staff can also encourage students to stay in touch with the financial aid office to ensure that all of their financial aid requirements are complete as well.”

QUESTION: Would you like to share a student success story? (How has the program made an impact on students’ lives?)

ANSWER: “We had a Tennessee Promise student a couple of years ago who came to Motlow to pursue an AAS Degree in Mechatronics. He and his family were not going to be able to afford him going to college had it not been for the Tennessee Promise program. The student did exceptionally well in the Mechatronics Program and was hired by Bridgestone Firestone directly after graduating from college and is making a very good living. I hosted a campus cleanup day while he was still taking classes at Motlow State, and I remember talking to the student about his goals as we were picking up trash in our ditches on campus. At that point in time, he was just hoping that going to school would pay off and that he would be able to get a good paying job after he graduated. He went on to do just that and has become very successful since graduating from Motlow.

QUESTION: What’s the most interesting or funniest experience you’ve had with Tennessee Promise students?

ANSWER: “Some of the funniest experiences that I have had with Tennessee Promise students are when I attend trash pickup opportunities with them and they get to see what kinds of things people throw away/litter. Once, a student found a stand-up dummy punching bag in a ditch and had a pretty good time with that find. These kinds of opportunities allow for students to see how much people litter and how much trash we produce as a society. It allows them to have conversations about the environment and it’s funny to listen to their reactions as we come across ‘unique’ litter finds.”

QUESTION: What is the best way for participants to contact you for advice?

ANSWER: I can be reached by phone at (615) 220-7839, by email at jgraham@mscc.edu, or by text at (615) 258-6262.