Walters State Graduates Stay and Work in Tennessee

Walters State Community College graduates are staying in Tennessee and putting their education to work. 

Five years after graduation, 83% of Walters State graduates are still employed in the Volunteer State, tying for the highest percentage among the state's community colleges. 

For Walters State President Dr. Saul Reyes, the numbers point to an important part of the college's role in East Tennessee. 

“Walters State students come from the communities we serve, and these numbers show that after graduation, they are overwhelmingly choosing to build their careers and lives here in Tennessee,” Reyes said. “That matters for our students and their families, but it also matters for the employers and communities that depend on a strong, skilled workforce. Our graduates are nurses, educators, technicians, business professionals, first responders and so much more. They are helping East Tennessee move forward.” 

An Education That Stays Close to Home 

Walters State serves a 10-county region across East Tennessee, preparing students to transfer to four-year institutions as well as enter directly into careers. 

The new figures offer another way of measuring what happens after those students leave Walters State. 

For every 100 Walters State graduates, 91 are still living and working in Tennessee one year later. Even five years after graduation, more than eight in 10 remain employed in the state.

Behind those numbers are graduates whose paths can look very different. 

Kari Novilla's career took her from Walters State to Indiana University, the Royal Academy of Music in London and performances at venues including the Kennedy Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall. Her career eventually brought her back home to East Tennessee, where she now serves as principal harp with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra as part of a one-year position. 

Daphne Reyes followed a different path. After Walters State, she earned her bachelor's degree at Carson-Newman University and today serves as assistant director of the Child Advocacy Center of the 3rd Judicial District, helping serve children and families across Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins and Hancock counties.  

Their stories are different, but both reflect what the new data show on a much larger scale: Walters State graduates are taking what they learn and putting it to work in Tennessee.

“Community colleges are deeply connected to the places they serve,” Reyes said. “When our graduates stay, work, raise families and contribute to their communities here, the return on their education extends far beyond the individual student.”

See how Walters State is strengthening East Tennessee.