{"id":55785,"date":"2023-12-10T10:24:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T15:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=55785"},"modified":"2024-01-19T09:33:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T14:33:37","slug":"graduate-student-pregnant-and-nomadic-gentry-whittakers-unusual-path-to-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2023\/12\/graduate-student-pregnant-and-nomadic-gentry-whittakers-unusual-path-to-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate student, pregnant and nomadic: Gentry Whittaker\u2019s unusual path to commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gentry

Gentry Whittaker and her 2-month-old daughter, Echo. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gentry Whittaker graduates from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday, Dec. 15, with a master\u2019s degree in business administration.<\/p>\n

With UTC\u2019s 100% online MBA program, students can complete their studies from anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

Whittaker\u2019s experience, though, was unlike most others. Throughout her academic journey, she lived as a nomad.<\/p>\n

Whittaker and her husband, Brendon Peck, started their new nomadic life in Alaska in May 2022, where they stayed for two weeks. They returned to Whittaker\u2019s hometown of Chattanooga to map out the following months.<\/p>\n

Peck, who graduated from UTC in 2019 with a degree in engineering technology management, works remotely as a project manager. He frequently has to travel, she explained, which partially guided where they would go.<\/p>\n

Whittaker said they put a lot of thought into choosing their exact residence, always opting for a vacation rental to accommodate both themselves and their two dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we want to explore next? What\u2019s the weather like? What are we trying to do in the next month? Do we need to travel anywhere or be near an airport?\u201d Whittaker listed the questions they would ask.<\/p>\n

They drove to their next destination, San Diego, where Whittaker\u2014a graduate of Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology from UT Knoxville in 2017\u2014began working towards her master\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Then came two months in Oregon, then Idaho, back to Chattanooga for the holidays, Florida, Texas and Arizona\u2014where Whittaker and her husband were in for a somewhat unexpected surprise: she was pregnant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn January of this year, we briefly talked about having a child,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it would happen as quickly as it did.\u201d<\/p>\n

They soon realized they had to adjust their plans, ultimately deciding to have their baby in Chattanooga surrounded by friends and family.<\/p>\n

The idea of traveling and school work while pregnant was a bit daunting for Whittaker, but she soon found out her sister, Marlowe Allen, was also pregnant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat made me feel a bit better about such a big life transition,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Whittaker said there were a few difficulties one may not consider while being nomadic. For example, she said she had trouble finding doctors willing to treat her because she would not be able to stay with a single health care provider throughout her pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding care in all the other states was the most difficult,\u201d she explained, \u201cand getting people to return your calls \u2026 A lot of places don\u2019t want to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

When at higher altitudes, Whittaker had trouble managing her high blood pressure. When she got back to Tennessee, it mellowed.<\/p>\n

There were also some unexpected hiccups when it came to traveling, such as their car catching fire in California\u2014requiring them to buy a new vehicle\u2014and finding themselves trapped in a snowstorm in Idaho.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that logistics are so important when you\u2019re traveling,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much that can go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to the flexibility of her professors, Whittaker said pursuing a master’s degree did not add to the stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were like, \u2018We understand people are doing this from all over the country and we want to make sure that you\u2019re able to meet the deadlines and it not be too overwhelming.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

However, she struggled a bit with the constantly changing time zones, which she had to keep up with to ensure she got her work turned in on time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were in Arizona, the time changed for everybody else, but Arizona doesn\u2019t do daylight savings,\u201d she said. \u201cI woke up and was like, \u2018I think I have something due.\u2019 I was all discombobulated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the time zones, the stress of travel and the hardships of pregnancy, in no way was their nomadic journey hindered.<\/p>\n

After discovering she was pregnant, Whittaker and Peck decided to \u201cdo a loop\u201d through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Hoover Dam in the Southwest. Her favorite places and experiences were visiting Crater Lake in Oregon, seeing the hot springs in Yellowstone and stargazing at Zion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the Milky Way for the first time and that was just insane,\u201d she said, \u201cso it\u2019s been really amazing to do school while experiencing all this and seeing the different expectations of each region.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also visited Seattle, where she took her midterms, and explored the Grand Teton mountain range, where she took her finals.<\/p>\n

Finally, they returned to Tennessee. On Oct. 5, Whittaker gave birth to her daughter, Echo. Her sister\u2019s baby, Jameson, was born four days prior.<\/p>\n

After graduating from UTC, Whittaker plans to follow the guidance of a career counselor.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake the time to be a mom. You\u2019re never gonna get this time back. It\u2019s special,\u201d she recalled the counselor saying.<\/p>\n

Her travels, however, will not slow down. Whittaker said she and her husband want to continue their nomadic lifestyle next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still want to be nomadic and show our little one all the places that we love, even though she\u2019s super young,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s already been to her first national park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Graduate School<\/a><\/p>\n

Graduate School Programs<\/a><\/p>\n

Graduate School Admissions<\/a><\/p>\n

Master of Business Administration (MBA)<\/a><\/p>\n

Gentry Whittaker’s “living as a nomad” photo gallery<\/h4>\n
\"Maternity <\/a>
Maternity photos in Williams state park Maine -August 2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Birth <\/a>
Birth announcement – October 2023 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Hiking <\/a>
Hiking through Acadia – August 2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Echo\u2019s <\/a>
Echo\u2019s one month in the Smoky Mountains – November 2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_4643\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pregnancy <\/a>
Pregnancy announcement flagstaff Arizona- March 2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Oregon\/California <\/a>
Oregon\/California state line – August 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Goonies <\/a>
Goonies Filming Location\/Ecola State Park- October 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Crater <\/a>
Crater Lake Oregon- October 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Louisiana <\/a>
Louisiana state Capitol- February 2023 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Salt <\/a>
Salt Flats\/Bonneville Speedway Utah- October 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Grand <\/a>
Grand Teton National Park- November 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"New <\/a>
New York City- December 2022 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gentry Whittaker graduates from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday, Dec. 15, with a master\u2019s degree in business administration, and with UTC\u2019s 100% online MBA program, students can complete their studies from anywhere in the world. Whittaker\u2019s experience, though, was unlike most others. Throughout her academic journey, she lived as a nomad.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":55819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122480,70,123864,59,12743,12659,57,52,8244,99051,661],"tags":[123745,119288,122687,123744,123016],"class_list":{"0":"post-55785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","10":"category-engineering-management-technology","11":"category-events-entertainment","12":"category-college-of-business","13":"category-graduate-school","14":"category-honors-and-awards","15":"category-masters-in-business-administration","16":"category-online-learning","17":"category-students","18":"tag-brendon-peck","19":"tag-chattanooga-school-for-the-arts-sciences","20":"tag-commencement-2023","21":"tag-gentry-whittaker","22":"tag-peyton-schultz","23":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nGraduate student, pregnant and nomadic: Gentry Whittaker\u2019s unusual path to commencement | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gentry Whittaker graduates from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Friday, Dec. 15, with a master\u2019s degree in business administration, and with UTC\u2019s 100% online MBA program, students can complete their studies from anywhere in the world. 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