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Arden Szepe


Two students and one faculty member from the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling received awards at the Graduate Student Senate Awards Ceremony and Breakfast on April 5, 2019.

Brenna Butler at GSS Awards Ceremony

photo contributed by the Graduate School, Steven Bridges

Brenna Butler | Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching

“As a graduate student considering a future career involving teaching, this award made me feel validated in my ability to teach in an effective way. It was also great to be recognized for my work as a GTA and realizing that the effort placed into this role was appreciated.”

Brenna is a PhD student in the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program and a Graduate Teaching Associate for EDPY 550 – Applied Statistical Concepts, EDPY 577 – Statistics in Applied Fields I, and EDPY 677 – Statistics in Applied Fields II.

This award is presented to graduate teaching assistants and associates for extraordinary performance in teaching.


Gary J. Skolits at the GSS Awards Ceremony

photo contributed by the Graduate School, Steven Bridges

Gary J. Skolits | Graduate Research Mentor of the Year

The Graduate Research Mentor of the Year award was a special surprise and honor for me. Spending quality time working with graduates students on their research efforts is its own reward. To be appreciated and recognized by the students themselves for these research mentoring efforts is a singular honor for me as a faculty member. This award truly will be a career highlight.

Gary is an associate professor and program coordinator of the Evaluation, Statistics, and Measurement program.

This award recognizes faculty and staff members who have shown outstanding commitment to mentoring graduate research students.


Arden Szepe at the GSS Awards Breakfast

photo contributed by the Graduate School, Steven Bridges

Arden Szepe | Excellence in Service

Service holds a special place in the field of Counselor Education and in my heart. Being recognized with this award was validating in my development as a counselor educator and advocate for the counseling profession.

Arden is a PhD Candidate in the Counselor Education program. She was recently recognized as a Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Fellow for 2019/2020. Arden currently serves as president of the Upsilon Theta chapter, UT’s local chapter of CSI, and as a member on the Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Board for the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Previously, she served on the National Career Development Month Committee for the National Career Development Association.

This award is presented to graduate and professional students who are extraordinary campus leaders, participate in service learning or other community initiatives, and/or provide service leadership to their academic discipline through service in professional organizations.


Congratulations to the 2018-19 fellowship and scholarship recipients from the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling!

Zach Budesa Counselor Education
– J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship

Sam Burmester Learning Environments & Educational Studies
– J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship

Kristin Fowler School Psychology
– J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship

Ben Gaertner School Counseling
– Eugene & Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Rachel Geren Clinical Mental Health Counseling
– Charles Lowell Thompson Fellowship

Patricia Higgins Adult Learning
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Jennifer Hightower Counselor Education
– Tennessee Fellowship for Graduate Excellence

Baileigh Kirkpatrick School Psychology
– Mary Phipps Shepherd Graduate Fellowship

Sarah Lucchesi School Counseling
– Eugene & Mary Sue Akins Graduate Fellowship

Brenda Murphy Learning Environments & Educational Studies
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Christina Peterson Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement
– Travis Hawk Fellowship

Ashley Scheyder School Counseling
– Helen Carter Murray Scholarship

Arden Szepe Counselor Education
– Dr. Stephen Lee Alderton Graduate Fellowship

Shelby Wright School Psychology
– Dr. Richard Yoakley Fellowship