Stories @ TCAT

HUNTSVILLE  —  Samara Roberts, a student in Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville’s Power Line Construction and Maintenance program, has been selected as the college’s nominee for this year’s Statewide Outstanding Achievement Recognition (SOAR) awards presented by the Tennessee Board of Regents.

Also nominated were three members of TCAT’s faculty and staff: Welding instructor Chris Chambers, Dual-Enrollment Coordinator Kristi Cornelius, and Student Services Coordinator Jennifer Trammell.

Roberts, a Harriman resident, has an inspiring story for prospective adult students who might be looking for motivation to go back to school. Originally from Texas, she did not finish high school due in part to a family illness. She served as her grandmother’s caretaker. While she was caring for her grandmother, her grandfather also fell ill and died.

Roberts originally wanted to be a paramedic. But after the death of her grandparents, she decided she needed a break. And she wound up at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville, where she first went through the adult education program and received her GED. Then she enrolled in the power line program, which is recognized as one of the region’s leading programs for power line workers. Roberts is one of two women currently enrolled in the program. She is set to graduate in December.

“I completely swerved,” she said of her career choice. “When I make life choices, I go big.”

Roberts is an outstanding student. As she prepared for her postsecondary education, she was unhappy with her math score. So, she took classes and increased her college-ready math score by 15 points.

While she’s a student at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville, Roberts also works as a waitress at Ruby Tuesday in her hometown of Harriman. In her spare time, she volunteers with Red Cross as a dispatcher to help delegate resources during crises.

Roberts was nominated for the SOAR recognition first by her program instructor, and then by a panel from the college tasked with conducting interviews with each program’s nominee. She will represent TCAT Oneida/Huntsville at a regional SOAR competition later this winter.

Other program nominees included: Ashley Garrett from Nursing (Fentress County), Dominique Morgan from Nursing (Huntsville), Andrew Garrett from Diesel-Powered Equipment, Ethan Burress from Automotive, Houston Knight from Nursing, Kaleb Woodward from Building Construction, Randy Jarrett from Pharmacy Tech, Bretlee Privett from Welding, Natalie Feinthel from Cosmetology, Donovan Seabolt from Machine Tool, James Kidd from Power Line Construction, Gabe King from Computer Information Technology, and Dilan King from Industrial Maintenance.

The college’s faculty and staff SOAR nominees include Welding Technology instructor Chris Chambers as Outstanding Faculty Member; Dual-Enrollment Coordinator Kristi Cornelius as Outstanding Staff Member; and Student Services Coordinator Jennifer Trammell as Outstanding Counselor.

A luncheon was held Oct. 16 at TCAT’s Huntsville campus to honor each of the nominees.