2021-2022 Stophel Distinguished Students

The Rollins College of Business John C. Stophel Distinguished Student Award is presented annually to recognize high potential business students who have made significant and meaningful civic contributions to UTC and the Rollins College of Business while maintaining a strong academic record.

Students must provide evidence of exceptional extracurricular leadership and community service. Community engagement evidenced by a pattern of strong contributions to the Rollins College of Business, UTC, civic organizations is highly valued, as well as activities resulting in lasting impact and quantifiable results. Award recipients must be an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Business.

Below are the 2021-2022 John C. Stophel Distinguished Students.

Brian is currently a junior with plans to graduate from the Rollins College of Business in May of 2023 with a dual major in business marketing and general finance. He graduated from Lincoln County High School and is from Fayetteville, Tennessee.

Throughout his experience at UTC, Brian has committed his time and efforts to a variety of diverse organizations and opportunities both on and off campus. As a freshman, Brian successfully participated in TN ThinkAchieve, volunteered at UTC’s Blue and Gold Preview Day, accepted membership into the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honors Society, and joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He has served as Director of Media, Head of Alumni Relations, and currently serves as Property Manager for the Lambda Chi Alpha Executive Committee. Brian has been a member of the UTC Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board, and he is currently a junior financial analyst for the Rollin’s College of Business undergraduate led investment fund, The SMILE Fund. Along with academic and extracurricular commitments, Brian works part time as a server at Tony’s Pasta Shop, located within downtown Chattanooga’s Bluff View Art District. Throughout his next three semesters at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he plans to continue to involve and immerse himself throughout the broad campus community as well as the city of Chattanooga.

Within the Spring 2022 semester, Brian strives to secure a business-law related internship. Following graduation at UTC, his goal is to be accepted into the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Law.

Chris Bogans is a senior in the Rollins College of Business and plans to graduate in May 2022 with a degree in Business Analytics. He is from Hoschton, GA.

During his time at UTC, Chris prioritized his academics and found many ways to become involved in campus life. He is currently serving as President of the Mosaic Events Committee and has done so for four years. During the entire 2021 school year, he participated in Undergraduate Research Training Opportunity Program Scholars (URTOPS) with Dr. Frank Butler, using business analytics to research NBA data. Valuing the significant opportunity through research, Chris continued as a Research Assistant for the 2022 academic year. He also works with the Office of Student and Family Engagement as an Event Manager to promote and coordinate all aspects of campus events. Chris has worked on-campus for the men's basketball team as a student manager, served on the Homecoming Student Steering Committee as a Small Event Coordinator, participated in Moc Lead I & II, and has been part of the TRIO program with Student Support Services. With his accomplishments, he was recognized as a Moc Lead Graduate, received an Undergraduate Research Training Completion Certificate, successful Research Dialogue Presentation, and earned a spot on the Dean's List in Spring 2020 and 2021.

After graduation, Chris plans to find a full-time position in a company where he can demonstrate his attention to detail and continue developing data analytics skills at the professional level. His future goal is to pursue a career working for the NBA by conducting statistics and data collection to support the professional basketball industry.

Scarlett is a junior in the Rollins College of Business from Clinton, TN. She will be graduating in May of 2023 with a degree in Marketing.

During her time at UTC, Scarlett has been involved in many organizations on campus and in the Chattanooga community. Most notable is her involvement in the UTC Cheerleading team, where she actively participates in college sponsored events and serves as an ambassador for the university. Moreover, she is the social media coordinator and develops engaging content for the team’s social media, as well as helps promote events offered to students through UTC and the Rollins College of Business. Scarlett has also served as a Peer Tutor in the Center for Academic Support and Advisement. She leads one-on-one or small group lessons that cater to the needs and goals of students to help them better understand key concepts in Business Calculus and Principles of Accounting I and II. This semester, she started working as the Development and Alumni Affairs Assistant to gain more experience in event planning and coordination, as well as connect with UTC alumni who have made strong contributions to the university.

Scarlett also currently works for Varsity All Star and frequently travels across the United States on the weekends to assist in countless roles that are crucial to the operation of cheerleading competitions, from pre-planning, through the event day, and post-event activities. After graduation, Scarlett plans on finding a position as an Event Coordinations manager where she can utilize her energy and optimism to surpass customer’s expectations for events.

Varsha is currently a senior in the Rollins College of Business and plans to graduate in May with a degree in Business Management. She is from Nashville, TN.

While at UTC, she has immersed herself within her community in a variety of ways, both on and off campus. She has worked on-campus through the Admissions office as a Tour Guide while also representing the university as an Orientation Leader in 2019 and 2020. She served as a First Year Experience and First Generation Mentor to incoming students and shortly after joined The Dean’s Student Advisory Council as Secretary. Lastly, an active member in her sorority, Sigma Kappa - She served as Vice President of Alumnae Relations, leading both active and alumnae chapters.

After graduation, Varsha will begin her two year journey with the Office of Customer Focused Government through the Governor’s Management Fellowship program. Selected as 1 of 5 candidates, Varsha is looking forward to creating and implementing lasting and significant change within the state of Tennessee.

Pete is currently a senior in the Rollins College of Business and plans on graduating in December with a major in Economics and a minor concentration in Mathematics. He is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

During his time at UTC, Pete has demonstrated the initiative and desire to be a leader in this community. He is the President of the Economics Club, where he is leading a team of students in creating a Student Price Index as a means of contributing meaningful data and information to faculty and peers. Furthermore, he is an active participant of UTC sponsored research paper competitions.

For the remainder of his time at UTC, Pete intends on further developing his analytical skills and expanding his domain knowledge by conducting an individual research project with hopes of being published in a peer-reviewed journal.

After graduating, Pete aspires to continue his education by pursuing a graduate degree in a quantitative discipline such as Statistics or Data Science in order to adequately prepare himself for the new data-driven world.

In his down time, Pete is an avid fantasy football player, and an aficionado of tacos and foreign cinema.

Mackenzie is a senior accounting major graduating in May of 2022. She is enrolled in the IMAcc program which allows her to work towards her masters while in undergraduate studies. Over winter break, she sat for the Certified Managerial Accountant certification. During her time at UTC she has served as a member of the student conduct board and as vice president for Beta Alpha Psi. She is a certified Green Leader through UTC and local non profit green|spaces.

Recently, she won the City of Chattanooga's Reverse Recycling Pitch and is currently working on a project to increase the efficiency of our recycling system by decreasing contamination through transparent communication. She has even brought her passion for environmental sustainability into her extracurricular activities by organizing a litter clean up community service project for Beta Alpha Psi with local non-profit Green Steps.

After graduation, Mackenzie will be joining Elliot Davis in the audit department where she will explore her interests in non-profits, pursue her masters, and take the Certified Public Accountant certification. She hopes to develop a career where accounting and sustainability go hand in hand.