For senior Angela Kirkpatrick, being a Regal Scholar helped make UT a possibility.
“I come from a low-income single-parent household,” she said. “If it weren’t for this scholarship, I wouldn’t be at this university. It is a blessing, and I feel very grateful.”
Dedicated to students from families making less than $40,000 a year, the program provides a $2,500 scholarship annually to forty UT students from Knox County.
The Knoxville-based Regal Entertainment Group’s foundation invests $100,000 each year in the program. For Volunteers from lower-income families, the need-based scholarships help make the dream of earning a degree from UT a reality.
“When I received the letter congratulating me on receiving the scholarship, I was speechless,” said Kirkpatrick, who graduated from Bearden High School and is majoring in journalism and electronic media. “I was so excited. I couldn’t believe it. It’s been so helpful to be able to pay for books, school supplies, and extra fees that come along.”
The Regal Scholars program, offered for the fifth year in a row, provides scholarships to ten freshmen, ten sophomores, ten juniors, and ten seniors.
“One of our primary goals is increasing access for all students who want to be Volunteers, and the generosity from partners like Regal makes it possible,” “said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek.
To be eligible, students must be admitted to UT and meet the same income guidelines as those for the need-based Tennessee Pledge scholarship.
“This is one of our favorite things at Regal that we do,” said Amy Miles, UT alumna and CEO of Regal Entertainment Group. “As part of the corporate culture at Regal, it is important for us to give back to the communities that we live in. We are extremely proud of the Regal Scholars and our partnership with the University of Tennessee.”
Students applying to UT should visit their high school guidance counselor and ask for more information about the Regal Scholars program as well as other scholarships.
The scholarship program is just one of several ways that Regal supports UT. The company has endowed two Regal Entertainment Group distinguished professorships in the Haslam College of Business and supports the college’s technology fund. The company has also helped make several new UT athletics facilities a reality. Regal’s generous support of UT Athletics has led to the creation of the Regal Soccer Stadium, the Regal Entertainment Group Plaza, and the Regal Scoreboard at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Regal also established the Mike Campbell Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship at UT Medical Center and the UT Graduate School of Medicine. The fellowship fosters research and training for physicians specializing in pulmonary disease.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Regal Entertainment Group is the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States. The company operates theaters in forty-six of the top fifty US designated market areas.
For more information on UT financial aid and scholarships, visit One Stop.
Regal Scholarship holders for 2015 are:
Freshmen—Kendra Anderson, Powell High School; Hope Buchanan, Bearden High School; Madelyn Collins, West High School; Jacob King, Halls High School; Preston Laine, Webb School of Knoxville; Steven Lam, Apostolic Christian; Thomas Nipper, Hardin Valley Academy; Meet Patel, Carter High School; Courtney Puckett, South Doyle High School; and Jessica Sneed, Farragut High School.
Sophomores—Salena Chowdhury, Hardin Valley Academy; James Deal, Halls High School; Thomas Jean, Gibbs High School; Kylene Johnson, Fulton High School; Austin Lim, Farragut High School; Jenine Omari, South Doyle High School; Rachel Poppert, Berean Christian High School; Lucas Sheridan, Central High School; Matthew Sowards, Central High School; and Hannah Wunschel, Bearden High School.
Juniors—Kristen Asbury, Gibbs High School; Savannah Callaghan, Central High School; Molly Cross, Central High School; Adam Koson, Halls High School; Catherine Meadows, Powell High School; Samantha Medina, Bearden High School; Bethany Miniard, Webb School of Knoxville; Alexander Perry, Farragut High School; Amy Pham, Knoxville Catholic High School; and Tabitha Smalley, Knoxville Catholic High School.
Seniors—Randall Bundren, Hardin Valley Academy; Ashley Coward, Hardin Valley Academy; Dallas Dearmond, South Doyle High School; Hayden Eidemiller, Hardin Valley Academy; Cameron Hensley, Farragut High School; Angela Kirkpatrick, Bearden High School; Connie Liu, Webb School of Knoxville; Spring Smith, West High School; Nicole Talley, Berean Christian High School; and Garrett Wamack, Gibbs High School.
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CONTACT:
Karen Simsen (865-974-5186, ksimsen@utk.edu)