Three students from the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling received awards at the Graduate Student Senate Awards Ceremony and Breakfast on April 4, 2018.

photo contributed by the Graduate School

Jennifer Moralejo | Excellence in Teaching

Jennifer is a PhD Candidate in the Counselor Education program and a Graduate Teaching Associate for COUN 480 – Skills for Counseling. She said, “I am honored by this award, it is rewarding to be recognized for something you truly enjoy. The department faculty have been excellent mentors and role models in teaching. It has been an honor to learn from them and have them be such a huge part of my development as an instructor.”

This award is given to graduate teaching assistants/associates for extraordinary performance in teaching.

Erin Garty | Excellence in Service

Erin is a PhD Student in the Learning Environments and Educational Studies program and has been working with UT Service-Learning since 2014 and has served on the Graduate Student Advisory Board the last two years. She said, “I am grateful for this award. It’s wonderful to receive recognition for meaningful work.”

This award is presented to graduate students who are extraordinary campus leaders or participate in service learning and other community initiatives.

photo contributed by the Graduate School

Kala Taylor | Excellence in Research

Kala is a PhD Candidate in the School Psychology program and focuses her research on reading interventions and diversity issues. She said, “I am honored to receive this award, and so grateful for the strong mentors who have encouraged me to grow as a researcher during my time at UT.”

This award is presented to graduate students who have received national and/or international recognition in their fields and show professional promise in their areas of research and creative achievement.

Rachael C. Marshall, PhD Candidate in Counselor Education, was given the 2017 Tennessee Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (TACES) Outstanding Doctoral Student Award at the Tennessee Counseling Association Annual Conference in Nashville, TN last month.

“I am honored by this award. Our department faculty helps us feel proud of our accomplishments. We all work so hard in our programs and it is nice when that work is acknowledged.”

This TACES award recognizes doctoral students who exceed the already typically high demands of doctoral work in a Tennessee counselor education program. Recipients have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, teaching, supervision, clinical work, service, program development, leadership, and/or advocacy for disadvantaged students, clients, or the counseling profession.

Marshall also said, “No work is done alone and I have many amazing supporting people in my life. I greatly appreciate all that.”

TACES is a branch of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and a division of the Tennessee Counseling Association (TCA). Its purpose is to foster the development of counselor education and supervision in the state, as well as providing an organization for members to exchange ideas, seek solutions, stimulate professional growth, and improve standards of professional services.

Counselor Education

Megan earned a PhD with the Counselor Education program in 2013. She is originally from Ocean Township, NJ and currently lives in Knoxville, TN. We asked her to reflect on past experiences with EPC and discuss where she’s at now. Read her responses below.

Current Occupation

Assistant Professor & Coordinator
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
Carson-Newman University
Jefferson City, TN

Awards and Accomplishments Earned as a Student

• Recipient of Dean Wallace $15,000 Fellowship, University of Tennessee, 2010

Accomplishments since Graduating

• Voted Smoky Mountain Region’s Counselor Educator of the Year, 2015

Personal Interests

Running, and hanging out with all my children.

What sold you on this program?

What sold me on the program were the professors, they were as engaging and attentive during the interview process as they were throughout my time there. I still so much appreciate the mentorship and friendships I developed there.

What was the most memorable experience during your time here?

My most memorable experience was going through the first semester of the program pregnant, which I found to be the most challenging semester to acclimate to. I delivered my daughter the day after classes ended and kept on going!

Did you end up where you thought you would?

I truly believed that I would continue to work in a clinical setting when I entered the program. As I grew personally and professionally I realized that teaching was my calling, and that clinical work needed to take a back seat, for now.

The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from seven of our programs who earned their degrees during the summer 2017 semester.

Amber Nicole Abel
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Brooke Lauren Browarnik
PhD in School Psychology

Emily Courtney Brown
PhD in Counselor Education

Sharon Leah Bruner
PhD in Counselor Education

Sarah Megan Bunn
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Emma Christine Burgin
PhD in Counselor Education

Joel Matthew Clark
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Robert Charles Cox
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Adult Learning

Jaewoo Do
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Trisha Danielle Franklin
PhD in School Psychology

Lauren Anastasia Green
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Leslie Allison Hart
PhD in School Psychology

Anderson Freemason Hatfield
MS in Counseling – School Counseling

Patricia Jean Smith Higgins
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Amanda Lynn Johnson Praino
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Judy Fisher King
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Everett W. Painter
PhD in Counselor Education

Ivory Elizabeth Patten
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Katelyn Crabtree Scott
PhD in School Psychology

Jordan Beth Sherrod
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Kelly Harrington Smyth
PhD in School Psychology

Anna Lora Taylor
PhD in Counselor Education

Stephanie Jean Teague
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Kelly McCullough Thompson
PhD in School Psychology

Samantha Sue Turnbull
PhD in School Psychology

Caroline Elizabeth Whitaker
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

**If you were an Educational Psychology and Counseling student who graduated during this time frame, yet have unintentionally been omitted from this list, please send your name, degree, and major/concentration to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu. We will add you to the list after receiving this information from you and confirming your graduation status.