Winter 2018

Difficulties arrive in everyone’s life—usually at the most prosaic of times. The accident that brings paralysis. The cancer diagnosis. The loss of hearing and sight. Navigating the world through an autistic lens. Fleeing from war.

As this magazine begins a new century as the family album for the University of Tennessee and its alumni, we share stories of how people rise to meet the challenges laid down in their lives. We also share how the University of Tennessee is helping veterans transition from regimented military life to the less-structured academic environment and how a researcher moved from the Middle East to the United States to help create more resilient crops for a changing climate. Whether we are currently facing down rising storm winds or when they visit in the future, let us, too, rise. In rising, let us soar.

The Long Walk

After his father was diagnosed with an incurable cancer, he decided to take action that covered more than 2,100 miles.…

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David Platillero onstage at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville

A Broken Life Becomes Art

After a car hit him while he rode his bicycle, he thought his dreams of a wife, family and music—along…

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Jordan Harris stands in the center of the pedestrian walkway in front of Hodges Library in Knoxville

The Next Mission

As the number of veterans attending UT rises, campuses are providing them with help to conquer the move from military…

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Sally Kirkpatrick

Silencing the Sneer

Since the sixth grade, this novelist dealt with anxiety, self-doubt and depression. After she crumpled under its weight, she found…

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Strong Hall, framed by orange and white ribbons and balloons

Campus Kicks Off $1.1 Billion Campaign

UT Knoxville launched its $1.1 billion Join the Journey campaign with a kickoff celebration on Sept. 22.

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