With the help of Mayor Andy Berke’s office, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, a group of UTC students keeps the legacies of Ed Johnson and Styles L. Hutchins alive. Known as the Styles L. Hutchins Fellows, they’ve crafted a plan to retain and attract diverse talent.
“Succeeding in the Fellowship and creating Chattanooga as a city where black students live and thrive would not only mean that I could live and thrive here, but that generations of diverse students could as well,” says Fellow Ryenne McDowell.
Joining together in the Styles L. Hutchins Fellowship, four students united to create a team rich in skills and knowledge. McDowell, Inaugural Cohort President, political science major and Spanish minor, led the cause. Working alongside her were Marquise Tate, a senior mass communications major, Khadesha Gordon, a junior political science and public service double major, and Dominique Malone, now an investigator at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.
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Whether you’re a Chattanooga resident or visitor, you have likely admired our scenic skyline from the Walnut Street Bridge. Crowning the Tennessee River, the bridge offers a unique view of our neighboring mountains and downtown developments. At the heart of Chattanooga’s food, entertainment and outdoor scene, the bridge draws joggers, strollers, dog-walkers and photo seekers. But that has not always been true.