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Chettedathu and Harris Named Tucker Scholars in Science and Math

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Blake Harris, left, and Achsah Chettedathu

Lee University students Achsah Chettedathu and Blake Harris were recently named the 2022-23 Tucker Scholar recipients in natural sciences and mathematics, respectively.

The Tucker Foundation Scholarship for Science and Math was established in 2009 by a generous endowment grant from the nearby Tucker Foundation. The scholarship is awarded each year to one senior science major and one senior mathematics major who are outstanding students from East Tennessee.

The scholarship was introduced as part of an institutional initiative to enhance natural science and mathematics at Lee University. The endowed scholarship was established by the Tucker Foundation on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Summerfield K. Johnston, Jr.

Chettedathu is a health science, allied health, pre-professional major. She is from Ooltewah, Tennessee, and is a graduate of Ooltewah High School. At Lee, Chettedathu has been a part of the iMass Scholars Program. She also went on a medical mission trip to Guatemala through Lee this summer.

Upon graduation, she plans to go to school to be a physician’s assistant, eventually specializing in women’s health, dermatology, or pediatrics.

“I have loved coming to Lee ever since freshman year and sometimes worried about how I would be able to afford it, but God always provides a way,” said Chettedathu. “I am beyond grateful to the Tucker Foundation for their generosity and support in my last year at Lee. This was a wonderful surprise, and words cannot express how happy I am to be able to graduate in May and go to PA school.”

Harris is a mathematics major with minors in computer science and cinema. He is from Kingsport, Tennessee, and is a graduate of Dobyns Bennett High School. At Lee, he has been a student worker and a teacher’s assistant in the mathematics department. He also plans to tutor students in general mathematics courses in the university’s mathematics tutoring lab.

After he graduates from Lee, he hopes to continue his education through a graduate program in mathematics. Currently, he is looking at programs in applied mathematics and data science. He has been able to join research projects and is looking to have the opportunity to do so again at the graduate level.

“I am incredibly grateful to be chosen as a Tucker Scholar,” said Harris. “This scholarship will help me greatly as I am nearing the end of my college career at Lee. I have loved my time here studying mathematics, and I am excited to continue my education through a graduate program. While there is still a long road ahead of me, I am glad that Lee has given me a strong start!”

The Tucker Foundation also endows two scholars in the School of Nursing, Destiny Patterson and Zoe Riggins. They are both returning Tucker Scholars who received the four-year, renewable nursing scholarship last year.

For more information about the natural science and mathematics Tucker Foundation Endowed Scholarship, contact the Department of Natural Sciences at (423) 614-8275.

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