Monika Groppe likes to stay busy.
“In high school,” she said, “I had my piano lesson at 6 a.m. before school. … After school, I had clubs, then track practice, then soccer practice. Plus all AP classes. I operate better when I’m busy.”
A senior honors student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Groppe is a double major in international studies and pre-physical therapy and a double minor in Spanish and anthropology. She hopes to pursue a career as a medical anthropologist.
In an e-mail, UTC professor Ralph Covino called Groppe “a model student for the new era of global responsibility.”
“[Her] dedication and service to the global community while balancing an admirable course load merits celebration,” he wrote.