The Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling wants to congratulate the graduates from ten of our programs who earned their degrees during the fall 2016 semester.

To see photos of our recent graduates, please go to the “EPC Graduates” album on our EPC Facebook page.

Alyssa Michelle Adorati
MS in Educational Psychology – Applied Educational Psychology

John Lyman Ayers
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Rochelle Butler
PhD in Counselor Education

Lakita Renae Dawston
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Amanda Christine DeDiego
PhD in Counselor Education

Melisa Renee Donahue
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Brittany Harris Elkins
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Raven Kirby Gibson
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Emily Carter Gray
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Collaborative Learning

Melissa Ann Harness
PhD in Education – Learning Environments and Educational Studies

DeAnna Lynn Hawtin
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Shannon Rae Huffman Frias
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Lena Karin Logan
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Courtney Myers McInturff
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Stacy Lynn O’Connell
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Cory Lemont Parker
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Annalise Christine Romeiser
MS in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling

Roseanne Michele Sasso
PhD in Education – Instructional Technology

Emily Pendergrast Taylor
PhD in School Psychology

Jason Tyler
MS in Education – Instructional Technology

Christina Valiquette
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

Dammika Lakmal Walpitage
PhD in Educational Psychology and Research – Evaluation, Statistics & Measurement

Kevin Wayne Webster
MS in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

David Austin Willis
MS in Educational Psychology – Adult Education

*If you are one of the graduates listed above and would like to have your photo added to our EPC Graduates Facebook album, then please email your picture to Synthia Clark sclark41@utk.edu.

**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.

Adult Education

David is currently seeking his MS in educational psychology with a concentration in Adult Education. Originally from Parsons, TN, he received his BA in psychology and political science from University of Tennessee, Knoxville and joined EPC in 2015. We asked him to reflect on some of his past and current experiences. Read his responses below.

Awards

• Selected to join the academic honor society Gamma Beta Phi
• Appointed to the professional development chair in Gamma Beta Phi

Accomplishments

Since I joined the Adult Education program I have created my own company, Davonos LLC. A consulting business that focuses on training and education system design. Davonos LLC is working with virtual reality to provide innovative learning for companies and educational systems.

Refer to Resume for more details.

Current Occupation

CEO and Lead Training Consultant
Davonos LLC

Personal Interests

I am a vested volunteer at Harmony Family Center at Montvale. I am recently engaged to the most wonderful woman on the planet. A day on the water and a night on a dock with some music is a perfect day. I love the mountains. I love the outdoors, especially golf. I am a sports fanatic. I love to put myself in uncomfortable situations because I believe that is how we learn the best. I am a passionate person that gives everything to what I am doing. I believe in love and try to make every person I interact with, see love. I want to be a professor in higher education and I hope to continue to a PhD Program. I am dedicated to creating innovative approaches to learning with my company. I am dedicated to the American system and I seek to serve the system in the future.

Future/Vocational Goals

I want to be a professor in higher education and I hope to continue to a PhD program. I am dedicated to creating innovative approaches to learning with my company. I want to build a learning platform that utilizes virtual reality to increase learning outcomes. I want to be a leader in technological learning solutions. I am dedicated to the American system and I seek to serve the system in the future. I strive to be the best husband I can be, and the greatest father once I have kids.

What would you tell an incoming student who joins the program/department?

I will quote the great Martin Luther King Jr. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Get out of your comfort zone, do things that scare you. I would look into research and all that it offers. Talk to your teacher and your advisors, for they are wonderful people. Get used to proving yourself wrong, and making a habit of it. If we can’t see what we are doing wrong then how are we to better ourselves. Don’t stay locked in your belief that there is one way to do something. Find the intrinsic motivational value that drives you to challenge yourself and find the uncomfortable areas of life. For if we can operate in the unknown, then we should be fine in the known.

What do you think has been the most rewarding/challenging about this program?

The most challenging aspect of the program is getting used to writing a specific way: APA. The change for me from business writing to formal scholarly writing was very hard. I thank the lord that the teachers have been hard on me because as I move on to go to a PhD program, and work towards writing research, I now have a very solid base to fall back on. The most amazing teachers you will have are in this program. Listen to them and never be afraid to ask questions.

The most rewarding part of this is the connections I have made with staff, peers, and people around the program. What a strong community this program has. I didn’t expect in a online master’s program to have such a wonderful learning community. If you need anything, someone is there to help and guide you. The teachers go well beyond their job descriptions to make sure you have the tools you need, and that you feel comfortable and safe.