Online Master’s Graduate Paves the Way for New Students 

First-Generation Graduate Helps Next Generation Succeed 

First-hand experience is one of the most powerful teachers, and for one new graduate, it was the key to immediately helping fellow students. After earning his master’s degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, through Vols Online, Dakota Hodges aims to increase access to higher education and improve mental health and wellness for students across UT. 

Dakota became a first-generation college graduate when he earned his bachelor’s in philosophy from UT in the fall of 2019. After earning his new degree, he started working in public health, got married, and became a father. In 2022, he made a career change and accepted a job in admissions at his alma mater. As an ambassador program manager and admissions counselor, Dakota helped recruit future Vols and helped current UT students act as examples to others aspiring to start their journey in higher education through public speaking, individual conversations, and on-campus programs. As he helped students get started on their educational journeys, Dakota looked to continue his own by earning a master’s degree in Communication and Information, something he’d always wanted to do. Choosing UT was easy for him, as it offered everything he was looking for, and he previously had a great experience at the university.  

“I had tried the in-person master’s program first, but aligning my job with the needed in-person classes made it difficult to move through the program. I then switched to online because the format provided me the flexibility I needed to balance my full-time career, family responsibilities, and education.” 

– Dakota Hodges, MS C&I: Strategic & Digital Communication graduate

Despite being new to online courses, Dakota excelled in the Communication and Information master’s program. He cites his professors and the support staff of Vols Online as a big part of his success. They helped him sharpen his communication skills with practical applications and taught him how to use tools more effectively. After graduating in December 2024, he was eager to start using his degree. 

Dakota is the East Tennessee Coordinator in UT’s Division of Access and Engagement, helping to make college more accessible to K-8 students. He is developing the strategy and communications for a newly launched office dedicated to building programs and partnerships at schools in economically disadvantaged areas. 

Alongside helping the next generation of Volunteers, Dakota has been developing a new space on UT’s campus dedicated to mental health and wellness called Vol Retreat. The project started through conversations with a friend and colleague, Asante Knowles. Asante and Dakota were interested in making the university environment more supportive of students’ mental health and wellness. They researched successfully dedicated spaces in other universities, including what tools they used, and drafted a proposal. After presenting their plan, Dakota and Asante were awarded a grant to start their space.  

Now, Vol Retreat is preparing to open its doors to students in April 2025. Alongside UT’s Student Counseling Center and Center for Health and Wellness, Vol Retreat will help the university’s continued mental health and wellness advancement.  

Even amidst more and more change, Dakota still aims to further his education. He now has his sights set on earning an Education Doctorate, which he plans to start in the summer. He hopes to use this new degree to help make higher education an attainable goal for even more students across Tennessee. 

Dakota’s is a story of trying new things to create new things. From becoming a first-generation college graduate to creating a new space on UT’s campus, he shows how we can all be bold and creative with our choices and how our choices can help serve those around us.