NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – More than 200 prospective STEM majors from three local high schools got a taste of Tennessee State University’s excellence on Wednesday.
Students from Antioch High, Cane Ridge and Hunters Lane participated in the 2019 TSU STEM Tour. They arrived on campus early and spent half the day visiting several of the university’s Colleges, as well as enjoying some TSU spirit.
Highlights of the day included a visit with TSU President Glenda Glover, and a special pep rally featuring the famed Aristocrat of Bands.
While many of the high school students are interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), they are also considering other majors and fields.
Ninth-grader Erick Guzman plays trumpet in the band at Cane Ridge and said he enjoyed the energy of TSU’s band.
“Man, I was hyped,” said Guzman, adding that he’s seriously considering TSU when he graduates because of the band.
Zybria Holliday wants to be a pediatrician, but the 15-year-old said after visiting TSU, she’s considering it for undergrad.
“I had a wonderful time,” she said. “TSU is great!”
The Colleges the students visited were Agriculture, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts.
Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, dean of the College of Engineering, talked to the students before they viewed some of the College’s research. Even though they still have a few years before graduation, he said now is the time to be thinking about attending a higher education institution.
“I’m sure all of you are bright students,” Hargrove said. “Now is the time to be thinking about what you want to do when you graduate. And I hope it’s engineering.”
The students, who were accompanied by guidance counselors from each of their schools, also heard from other TSU officials and faculty, including Mr. Terrence Izzard, associate vice president for enrollment management, and Dr. Coreen Jackson, interim dean of the Honors College.
The guidance counselors lauded TSU for having the tour.
“The students got the opportunity to be exposed to Tennessee State, to see what’s available to them,” said Antioch counselor Tamika Reed. “A lot of times they don’t get that opportunity.”
Hunters Lane counselor Joe Levickis agreed.
“A lot of our kids are going to be applying to college and are going to be first generation students,” Levickis said. “It’s important that they get on a college campus, because it becomes more real to them. It’s also important to see people being successful, to see what their future could look like.”
Earlier this year, President Glover surprised about 20 students visiting the university with full scholarship offers. Most of the students were interested in STEM majors.
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With more than 7,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
