The Annual Hiwassee College Scholarship Gala raised over $40,000 to help provide promising students with scholarships.  Enjoying this year’s festivities are (pictured L to R):  Alisa Hobbs, Executive Director of CASA Monroe; Dr. Robin Tricoli, Hiwassee College President; Giovanna Donnithorne-Tait, Hiwassee College student and scholarship recipient; Melissa Owens, Hiwassee College Asst. Professor of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security.

Hiwassee College recently held its Annual Scholarship Gala at the Cherokee Country Club located in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Over $40,000 was raised to help provide scholarships for promising students.  The theme for this year’s event was “Those Were the Days”  and The Chessmen entertained the crowd of over 100 with a variety of music from the decades of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Participants to the event enjoyed a social hour from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. at which time a silent auction was held.  The musical group 3MB entertained the crowd during the social hour and dinner was served in the Ball Room at 7:15 p.m.  After Dinner, President Tricoli addressed the crowd with an update on the happenings at Hiwassee College and also talked about the importance of providing scholarships to promising students who achieve academic success.

Giovanna Donnithorne-Tait, a Hiwassee College student and scholarship recipient from Munchen, Germany, received a standing ovation after delivering a heartwarming speech regarding the importance of having an enabler of dreams.  In her speech, she explained how, according to laws of mathematics and physics, a bumblebee cannot fly.  She stated, “Much like a bumblebee, most of us hear quite often, ‘You cannot do this!’” Donnithorne-Tait described how Hiwassee College has been an enabler of dreams for her and so many other students.  “For many students here, Hiwassee College is the one thing that makes dreams possible for people,” Donnithorine-Tait said in her speech.  She went on to conclude, “It is thanks to Hiwassee College that we all are bumblebees. We prove scientists, mathematicians, physicists and other nay-sayers wrong.  We fly.”

Founded in 1849 and chartered by the State of Tennessee in 1850, it has always been the purpose of Hiwassee College to give young people an opportunity to combine Christianity and scholarship in a thoroughly practical way.  Hiwassee’s faith-centered education sets it apart from other institutions.  It is accredited with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), providing students with both financial aid and a faith-centered education.  These are traditions that continue to this day.  Hiwassee College offers programs of study leading to both Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees.