May 31, 2023
Knoxville-Area Residents Surprised With $10,000 Scholarships From WGU Tennessee
KNOXVILLE – Nonprofit, online university WGU Tennessee recently surprised Knoxville-area residents Ashley Reilly, Dustin Cordell and Ethan Nichol with $10,000 Tenn-K Scholarships.
Reilly is pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration, with hopes of using her degree to start her own small business.
“Along with WGU’s flexible degree programs, the financial support from the Tenn-K Scholarship is a game-changer for me as I work toward my dream of running a successful online business,” Reilly said.
As a high school basketball coach, Cordell has always been dedicated to providing counsel to his players. He decided to take the jump and pursue a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with hopes of teaching and coaching full time.
“Earning my degree online with WGU Tennessee is helping me prepare for my future,” Cordell said. “One day, I want to be able to walk into my own classroom, and WGU is helping me learn the skills I need to do that while working full time.”
With hopes of growing his skill set and transitioning to the defensive side of cybersecurity, Nichol is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance.
“WGU offers timely and relevant skills needed to succeed in the cybersecurity space,” Nichol said. “Thanks to the certification program, I’m able to directly apply skills I’m learning inside my coursework to my current position.”
Each WGU student learned that they had been awarded the Tenn-K Scholarship during surprise video calls. With WGU Tennessee’s flexible degree programs, they are able to continue working full time while simultaneously earning their degrees. The university, which is celebrating 10 years of helping working Tennesseans achieve their higher-education goals, will award up to has awarded 10 scholarships of $10,000 this year.
“Since WGU Tennessee launched nearly 10 years ago we have awarded more than $5.1 million in scholarships to deserving students like Ashley, Dustin and Ethan,” said Kimberly K. Estep, WGU Southeast Regional Strategic Partner Manager. “Awarding these scholarships is a joy, and all of us at WGU Tennessee look forward to seeing how their respective degrees take them to the next level in their careers.”
The Tenn-K Scholarship – which covers roughly two-thirds of WGU Tennessee’s already-low tuition of around $4,000 per six-month term for most programs – is awarded based on students’ academic records, readiness for online study, and demonstrated financial need. WGU offers more than 80 online undergraduate and graduate programs in K–12 education, business, health, and information technology. To learn more about the scholarship, please visit https://www.wgu.edu/financial-aid-tuition/scholarships/tennessee/tenn-k.html.
About WGU
Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online nonprofit serves more than 156,000 students nationwide and has more than 320,000 graduates from all 50 states. In Tennessee alone, more than 4,600 students are enrolled in WGU, which has conferred nearly 10,000 degrees in the state. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, WGU Tennessee is recognized as a highly effective postsecondary education model. Learn more at wgu.edu.