{"id":64163,"date":"2024-12-08T19:20:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T00:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=64163"},"modified":"2024-12-17T13:40:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T18:40:04","slug":"the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aria

Aria Beloate will graduate from UTC with a bachelor’s degree in economics on Saturday, Dec. 14. Photo courtesy of Aria Beloate.<\/p><\/div>\n

Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best things that happened were accidents,\u201d said the first-generation economics major from Brentwood, Tennessee.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

===============================================================<\/p>\n

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2024 stories<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

===============================================================<\/p>\n

Becoming bored with her routine while the campus was still returning to normal after the pandemic, she stumbled across an opportunity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the little freshman signup thing for SGA (Student Government Association) and I thought, \u2018That seems fun,\u2019\u201d she recalled.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That \u201cgateway\u201d decision, as she called it, opened the door to countless other opportunities, including Freshman Senate, then vice chair of Student Affairs and Academic Success. She later became treasurer and most recently served as the Freshman Senate advisor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her experience in SGA, she said, taught her everything from voting on bills that would better the University to project management and event planning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved being a part of SGA,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been my defining character growth moment. I definitely would not be where I am now without it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond SGA, Beloate also served as a <\/span>Chancellor\u2019s Ambassador<\/span>, an experience she said gave her a chance to interact with University leaders in a meaningful way. Initially intimidated by working so closely with Chancellor Steve Angle and other administrators, she quickly realized it wasn\u2019t so bad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was really terrified at first,\u201d she said. \u201cThis man is over a UT System school and responsible for so much. But he\u2019s genuinely the most down-to-earth, sweetest person.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her involvement at UTC also included the Dean\u2019s Student Advisory Council for the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, where she collaborated with other students and faculty to \u201cfigure out how we can make the College of Business better and more accessible for students,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe helped with resume workshops, we did mock interviews and talked to them about how to build a LinkedIn profile,\u201d she explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beloate also participated in First in Fletcher, a mentorship program for first-generation students in the College of Business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing from her own experience, she became a helping hand to other students who had questions or needed help with their schoolwork.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a place for first-gen students who really don\u2019t know how to go about their college career to come and figure it out together,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s always awkward coming into a place alone. You don\u2019t know anybody and no one knows you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because Beloate didn\u2019t intend to get as involved on campus as she is now, she is often shocked by how much of the campus community she knows.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of stuff that happened to me is just a very nice coincidence that all the stars aligned in my favor,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside of UTC, Beloate worked as a Unum Scholar intern, where she and other student interns helped organize large projects for departments within the company.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my first corporate environment,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was really interesting to see how adults function in the workforce, especially in insurance, because it\u2019s a lot more than claims and filing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She received more project management experience as an intern for New York Life, another insurance agency in Chattanooga.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did a lot of networking there,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was funny. I\u2019m 21 years old, and corporate VPs are telling me, \u2018We\u2019ve been trying to get this project off the ground for two years. We\u2019re so glad you\u2019re here.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As she prepares to graduate, Beloate said she looks forward to starting her career as a functional consultant at Oracle NetSuite, a software company in Nashville. She also plans to work toward a master\u2019s degree and\u2014eventually\u2014her project management certification.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her biggest long-term goal? \u201cI eventually want a house, a baby goat and a cow,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though she\u2019s ready to trade homework for a paycheck, Beloate said she will miss her life at UTC.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love the structure college has given me,\u201d she said. \u201cAll my friends are here. A majority of them are graduating this December, too, but they\u2019re all staying in Chattanooga. I\u2019m moving back home to my job in Nashville so I\u2019m going to miss them.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

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

Commencement 2024 stories<\/a><\/p>\n

Milestones and memories: McKenzie Arena to host UTC commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Aria

Aria Beloate (white shirt) and members of SGA pose with Chancellor Steve Angle.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":64172,"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":[122495,70,123864,15,3,122493,57,64,8325,12756,661],"tags":[125007,70458,119394,124303,123827,125008,124899,368,124776,123829,48407],"class_list":{"0":"post-64163","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-campus","10":"category-community","11":"category-economics","12":"category-education","13":"category-college-of-business","14":"category-news","15":"category-service","16":"category-student-government-association","17":"category-students","18":"tag-aria-beloate","19":"tag-chancellor-steve-angle","20":"tag-chancellors-ambassador","21":"tag-commencement-2024","22":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","23":"tag-deans-student-advisory-council","24":"tag-first-in-fletcher","25":"tag-freshman-senate","26":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","27":"tag-operating-with-excellence","28":"tag-unum","29":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peyton Schultz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Peyton Schultz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Peyton Schultz\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":839,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Aria Beloate\",\"chancellor steve angle\",\"Chancellor's Ambassador\",\"Commencement 2024\",\"Creating the Mocs Experience\",\"Dean's Student Advisory Council\",\"First in Fletcher\",\"Freshman Senate\",\"Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"unum\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"Campus\",\"Community\",\"Economics\",\"education\",\"Gary W. Rollins College of Business\",\"News\",\"Service\",\"Student Government Association\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08\"},\"description\":\"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08\",\"name\":\"Peyton Schultz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Peyton Schultz\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zbz585\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","og_description":"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/","og_site_name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1707,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Peyton Schultz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Peyton Schultz","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/"},"author":{"name":"Peyton Schultz","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08"},"headline":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0","datePublished":"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/"},"wordCount":839,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","keywords":["Aria Beloate","chancellor steve angle","Chancellor's Ambassador","Commencement 2024","Creating the Mocs Experience","Dean's Student Advisory Council","First in Fletcher","Freshman Senate","Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead","Operating with Excellence","unum"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","Campus","Community","Economics","education","Gary W. Rollins College of Business","News","Service","Student Government Association","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/","name":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-12-09T00:20:41+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-17T18:40:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08"},"description":"Aria Beloate keeps a countdown on her phone to the very minute she will walk across the stage at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga undergraduate commencement ceremony.\u00a0For Beloate, graduation on Saturday, Dec. 14, marks a culmination of accomplishments and opportunities. When she came to UTC in 2021 during \u201cthe COVID times,\u201d she said she didn\u2019t have any plans to get involved on campus.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","width":1280,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/the-best-things-that-happened-were-accidents-as-commencement-nears-aria-beloate-reflects-on-her-utc-experience\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018The best things that happened were accidents\u2019: As commencement nears, Aria Beloate reflects on her UTC experience\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/596aca014ad7f89a2a0b86f7393dbb08","name":"Peyton Schultz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9782a322d76538faee70994895b5b4dab6b3b572e6af9d53fa80a7b989977821?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Peyton Schultz"},"url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/zbz585\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Peyton Schultz","author_link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/zbz585\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/241019-Aria-Senior-Photos-32-e1733448041748.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64163"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64690,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64163\/revisions\/64690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}