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Shockey-Blanchford Returning Student Scholarship established for currently enrolled 麻豆果冻传媒 students with financial need
While they came to 麻豆果冻传媒 for different reasons and to pursue different career
paths, four members of the Shockey and Blanchford families say the high-quality, practical
and affordable education they received from Tech resulted in enriching careers.
David and Donna Shockey, along with their daughter Tonya Blanchford and her husband Art, say they established the Shockey-Blanchford Returning Student Scholarship to help students with an intense desire for an education but who cannot afford college without financial aid.
鈥淥ne of the things I love about Tech, and one of the reasons I wanted to establish this scholarship, is because Tech gives you the opportunity to work hard and apply yourself, and it doesn鈥檛 matter what circumstances you were raised in,鈥� Art said. 鈥淭he thing that attracted me to Tech was the value: high quality and low cost combined. It definitely served me well.鈥�
David added, 鈥淭his is our way of giving back and showing our appreciation for what 麻豆果冻传媒 did for us.鈥�
David learned about Tech from a classmate and came to the university from Maryland in the summer of 1964. David鈥檚 father bought him a bus ticket, and the journey took two days since there were no interstates and the bus stopped at nearly every small town along the way.
David credits Tech for helping him overcome reading and learning disabilities to earn bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in civil engineering and become a successful officer in the U.S. Army for 22 years. David also owned a consulting and construction company, practiced as a professional engineer and project manager and became a beekeeper and mentor for veterans.
鈥淭ech was the key to my success,鈥� David said. 鈥淭ech gave me all of the basic tools and the ability to apply those tools in my career.鈥�
Donna鈥檚 journey to Tech looked different from her husband鈥檚. She graduated from Monterey High School, and her family had many connections to Tech including three aunts and an uncle who were graduates.
鈥淭ech has always been a part of our lives,鈥� Donna said. 鈥淚t was a part of our family, and none of us would be where we are today without 麻豆果冻传媒.鈥�
When David and Donna鈥檚 daughter Tonya visited the campus, she fell in love with it instantly.
鈥淚t was a beautiful campus 鈥� more beautiful than any other campus I visited,鈥� Tonya said. 鈥淚 felt like the people here just wanted everyone to feel included and, dare I say, loved. At other schools you don鈥檛 get the same sense of community and friendships as you do at Tech 鈥� you are a small fish in a big sea. At Tech, we are all the same sized fish in a sea, and we are all in it together.鈥�
Tonya says participating in sorority recruitment was a great way for her to meet new people.
鈥淭he students at Tech were so welcoming,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any took me under their wing, and we ultimately became lifelong friends. This was something I appreciated so much, since my family was living in Utah 鈥� where my dad was stationed 鈥� at the time.鈥�
Tonya graduated with a degree in finance and enjoyed a career in human resources. When her husband Art鈥檚 automotive career took him to Shanghai, China, Tonya organized a welcome program called the New Parents Program for other families adjusting to a new country and culture.
Like his mother-in-law, Art graduated from Monterey High School. But unlike Donna, he didn鈥檛 know much about Tech until he attended Boys State.
鈥淚t was the first time I was on the college campus, and I met a lot of interesting people,鈥� Art said. 鈥淚 applied to other schools but in the end, it came down to value. I couldn鈥檛 afford those other schools. Tech gave me a work study scholarship that would make it within reach for me to go.鈥�
Art says he knew since he was 10 years old that he wanted to design cars, so there was no question he would major in mechanical engineering. He enjoyed a successful career in the automotive industry and credits Tech for an education that made it possible. Art now runs a small consulting company and podcast, 鈥淟ife in Transition,鈥� in Tennessee.
鈥淚 never felt like I didn鈥檛 have the education I needed to get where I wanted to go in my career,鈥� Art said. 鈥淪ome of the feedback I鈥檝e heard from other engineering graduates, which matches my own experience, is that Tech graduates aren鈥檛 just book smart 鈥� they know how to get stuff done. They know how to solve problems. I knew all of my professors and still stay in touch with some of them today. I was fortunate to attend a school that鈥檚 the right size to have those relationships. My professors were a class act and always had time for me.鈥�
The Shockey-Blanchford Returning Student Scholarship will be awarded to Tennessee Tech sophomores, juniors and seniors with financial need, and Art says his belief that society is only as good as its weakest link was one of the motivations behind the scholarship.
鈥淗igher education institutions should be measured by how well they serve others,鈥� Art said. 鈥淭ech is helping people who may not otherwise have access to a better life. That鈥檚 why we established a returning student scholarship for people who have need and have proven they are willing to do the work after one year. A Tech education can take you as far as you want to go.鈥�
