The inaugural cohort of the Volunteer Impact Academy (VIA) is graduating in May. Since its founding in 2021, VIA has equipped students with impactful experiences to develop as leaders and engage with their communities over their four years on Rocky Top. Each year of the program is defined by its unique pillar—self-reflection, campus impact, community engagement, and global transformation—to guide their work.
During the first year, students participate in an Ignite session to build valuable connections and immerse themselves in Tennessee culture. They partake in a VOLserve with their cohort, a Saturday session of guided service with Jones Center Ambassadors. In the spring semester, they enjoy a teambuilding excursion and serve community partners at MLK Jr. Days of Service. The cohort also attends a Leading with CliftonStrengths workshop and takes ELPS 211, a course designed to define leadership theories and dissect servant leadership concepts.
The following years continue to emphasize campus and community impact as students complete 25 hours of service annually. As they continue to expand their strengths, students participate in the CliftonStrengths 34 Report seminar to delve into the complete slate of strengths. To conclude the program, students serve community partners with a cohort-driven VOLserve, participate in fall and spring excursions, and complete a career readiness workshop.
As we celebrate the graduation of the 2025 cohort, we reflect on the members’ resilience, who have overcome not only personal trials, but also navigated program changes and personnel as inaugural members. In this time of celebration, the Jones Center is excited to highlight the experiences of students Grace Hardin, Mason Wettengel, and Diamond Clark.
Grace Hardin
Leadership positions within Jones Center programs are vital to the office’s success and critical in enhancing students’ leadership skills. VIA Peer Mentors are second and third-year students who meet individually with first-year members and provide support. Grace Hardin recalls her year as a peer mentor as her most valuable year in VIA.
“I really enjoyed getting to connect with younger students and walk them through the journey of their first year,” said Hardin. “It motivated me to be a better friend to the people in my cohort. It made me feel like I had a purpose in the program.”
Hardin was one of many students whose work is a driving force behind the community-centered culture, as they demonstrate their passion for leadership development and community engagement through their dedication to their peers. Outside of the Jones Center, she has served three years as an ambassador for Rocky Top Recovery—the university’s collegiate recovery initiative—and regularly volunteers with Hope Central, a nonprofit organization that provides various resources to local families.
Participating in VIA has offered Hardin the opportunity to examine and exemplify the principles of servant leadership and contribute to the Knoxville community in environments that align with her academic interests. As a member of the College Scholars program, Hardin unites her passions for aspects of psychology, social work, public policy, sociology, and political science to design a major suited to her unique ambitions. She looks forward to completing graduate studies that will enable her to further analyze the connections between adverse childhood experiences and health and development.
Mason Wettengel
Mason Wettengel’s work demonstrates VIA’s drive to empower students to introduce change on campus and create meaningful impacts. As a senior studying finance in the Haslam College of Business, Wettengel spends most of his time in the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, an office that offers many resources to support student start-ups, as he immerses himself in starting his own business.
“My business is Utopia Relief Strips,” said Wettengel. “Essentially, they function like Listerine strips, but they help prevent hangovers, boost energy, and help with sleep. It’s all-natural ingredients, and I’ve been doing it for about two years now. I’m going to take the leap and I’m going to try and do it full-time after I graduate, which is very exciting stuff.”
Outside of his dedication to his business, Wettengel cited VIA as one of the most valuable experiences in his college career. It provided a community and support network that eased the transition to life at UT and encouraged him to take advantage of service opportunities that deepened his connection with Knoxville.
“I’ve always had a kind of gravitation toward service and trying to make a difference, which I think is really what made the VIA community so special because it’s people who are like-minded,” Wettengel said, noting how the cohort exemplifies the value of leading by example. “It’s very much a group of people who put themselves to the side to try and better the people around them. And I think that is just an amazing resource, an amazing community.”
Diamond Clark
“I’d say the most impactful part [of VIA] has been doing the service hour requirement,” said Diamond Clark. “I’ve gotten to see so many different parts of Knoxville through volunteering, learning about different community issues.”
The cohort’s annual 25 service hours requirement has encouraged Clark to build relationships with local organizations. She named Big Orange Pantry as her favorite community partner to volunteer with, as she enjoys seeing its direct impact on the campus and working to meet the basic needs of her peers. Forming valuable connections with Big Orange Pantry and fellow volunteers has enhanced the impact for Clark. For her, the importance of impact is her biggest takeaway.
“I think being in this program has made me realize that it goes far beyond yourself and you can really get value and joy out of seeing the impacts that you do for others, even impacts that you may not see directly but are often indirect,” Clark said. “I think I have a greater motivation to pursue things after graduation that have a much larger impact than myself.”
Clark’s campus involvement extends far past VIA. A finance major with a collateral in business analytics with the Haslam College of Business, she is the co-president of the Diverse Organization of Business Students, a student advocate in the Community Advancement Program with the Office of Access and Community Connections, and formerly the Torch Fund Manager for the department’s student-managed investment fund. She will be a Rotational Analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. after graduation.
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The Volunteer Impact Academy’s first graduating cohort lit the way for the students that came after them, setting a standard of excellence and commitment to service and leadership in pursuit of bettering their communities. The program’s impact on its students will continue long past their time in Knoxville, as students exemplify their passion and ability to create meaningful change and serve as prepared leaders.