Elizabeth Nix Awarded Student Library Scholarship

Each year, the Red and Theresa Howse and Jim and Betty Papageorge Library Scholarship provides tuition assistance to a student library worker. Elizabeth Nix, a student library assistant in Community Learning and Engagement, is this year’s scholarship winner. 

In her work with the Libraries’ department of Community Learning and Engagement, Nix participates in outreach programs for K-12 students that build interest in attending college and encourage study of the STEM disciplines. Such programs help to fulfill the university’s land-grant mission by using intellectual capital to benefit the citizens of Tennessee.

The Reading Design Challenge develops elementary school students’ literacy skills through STEM reading comprehension. Nix helps students prepare for the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network’s (TSIN) Statewide Design Challenge. “Together, we read books and complete activities that I’ve created to support them through their TSIN projects,” Nix explained.

She also has helped to plan and facilitate the 2ndBRIDGE program, which brings rural middle school students to campus to participate in activities designed to spark their interest in STEM and college life.

“This work has not only helped K-12 students, but it’s also allowed me to explore where my passions lie,” she said.

Nix, a speech pathology major, added: “Being able to work with K-12 has also inspired me to work with children in a school or clinic setting as a speech pathologist. Every time I meet with the students, I’m making an impact and difference in their lives.”

The Red and Theresa Howse and Jim and Betty Papageorge Library Scholarship was created by Beth Howse Baldwin (Business Administration, ‘82) in memory of her parents, Red and Theresa Howse, and in honor of her aunt and uncle, Betty and Jim Papageorge. The scholarship, which provides $1,500 over two semesters, is open to all applicants who are enrolled at the University of Tennessee, are currently working as a student library assistant for the UT Libraries, and have demonstrated successful academic performance.