{"id":65999,"date":"2025-03-03T08:30:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T13:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=65999"},"modified":"2025-03-06T13:39:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:39:38","slug":"surprise-gift-hits-the-right-note-for-recent-utc-graduate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/surprise-gift-hits-the-right-note-for-recent-utc-graduate\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprise gift hits the right note for recent UTC graduate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Music

Music students Collin Sutton, Emily Bruce, Christian Cantrell, Bradley Bee and Remington Prado-Bonner and Associate Professor Ali Allerton (yellow top) surround DuPont Elementary School music teacher Lauren Cardenas after presenting her with a gift of $1,042 for school supplies. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

A heartwarming surprise awaited University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alum Lauren Cardenas when she walked into her DuPont Elementary School music room on Friday, Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

Members of UTC\u2019s Music Educators Social Society student organization, accompanied by the group\u2019s faculty advisor\u2014Associate Professor Ali Allerton\u2014had come to DuPont to present her with $1,042 raised to support her classroom. The visit, staged under the pretense of observing her in the school, left Cardenas both shocked and overjoyed as she accepted the generous gift.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw that (UTC\u2019s student organization) would be giving it to a Title I school, but I hadn\u2019t heard anything from the officers or from Dr. Allerton,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cI\u2019m just grateful that a school like mine would get the recognition and the support that it deserves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea it was going to be DuPont. Not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardenas, a Memphis native who graduated from UTC with a bachelor\u2019s degree in music education, was offered the role of interim music teacher at DuPont Elementary in April 2024\u2014just one month before graduation. She transitioned into the full-time role at the start of the 2024-25 school year and was named the school\u2019s Teacher of the Month in September.<\/p>\n

The fundraising effort was spearheaded by Music Educators Social Society President Emily Bruce.<\/p>\n

Last year, Bruce\u2014a junior vocal music education major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee\u2014had the idea of creating Ensemblegrams, the basis behind the fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents can buy raffle tickets for their ensemble on campus, then we pull a name\u201d of an ensemble leader, Bruce explained. The organization\u2019s officer team then \u201cinterrupts the middle of their rehearsal and we bring gifts for their director. It\u2019s fun and we play music. The students really love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the competitive fun of Ensemblegrams, the fundraiser is used to raise money to gift a local music program.<\/p>\n

In 2024 in its inaugural year, the student group raised approximately $500 to help Hixson High School replace instruments damaged by a roof leak.<\/p>\n

This year, the fundraiser held special meaning for the group since it supported a recent UTC alum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a huge factor, the sheer amount that we raised this year to present to Lauren,\u201d Bruce said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s not only that you\u2019re helping a classroom that needs it, but it\u2019s your friend. That\u2019s going to be you in the next year or two when you move into your classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allerton, coordinator of music education at UTC, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cLauren is just a really special person. Anybody who has ever met her adores her,\u201d Allerton said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re around Lauren, you just can\u2019t help but feel happy. She\u2019s got such a sweet soul, she\u2019s very caring and she\u2019s very charismatic as well. As a teacher, she\u2019s one of the most creative people I\u2019ve ever seen in a classroom.<\/p>\n

She was ready to have her own classroom before even finishing her student teaching semester and she was really fortunate that that worked out for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lauren

Lauren Cardenas<\/p><\/div>\n

Cardenas\u2019 time at UTC included serving as an orientation leader, singing the alma mater at her commencement ceremony as a member of Chamber Singers, and holding leadership roles in the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association and Student Government Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I am constantly teaching and reflecting back on the stuff that I learned in the music program,\u201d Cardenas said. \u201cI\u2019m really grateful that I went there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bruce and the Music Educators Social Society were eager to show their appreciation in a way Cardenas never expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for us!\u201d Cardenas told her students after she was presented with the gift. For the rest of the visit, she gave her guests a tour of the classroom\u2014a lot of which she paid for out of her own pocket.<\/p>\n

Said Cardenas, \u201cI did what I could\u2014rearranging the room, reorganizing shelves. But eventually, you\u2019ve done everything you can and there\u2019s still no color.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the money, she plans to purchase mallets for her instruments, add more percussion instruments like xylophones and metallophones, and invest in world drums\u2014specifically African drums such as djembes and tablas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids here really enjoy playing the instruments, so I wish that I had a bigger selection for them to use,\u201d Cardenas said.<\/p>\n

Bruce said the Music Educators Social Society plans to continue the Ensemblegrams fundraiser in future years, building on its mission to support music education and create lasting connections within the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of fundraising that goes into an elementary school music program,\u201d she said, \u201cso we really liked the idea of providing Lauren something that she wouldn\u2019t get from other sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

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

UTC Department of Music<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Music <\/a>
Music students and professor Alison Allerton deliver a $1000 check to Lauren Cardenas, music teacher and recent graduate, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 at Dupont Elementary School. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A heartwarming surprise awaited UTC alum Lauren Cardenas when she walked into her DuPont Elementary School music room on Friday, Feb. 28. Members of UTC\u2019s Music Educators Social Society student organization, accompanied by the group\u2019s faculty advisor\u2014Associate Professor Ali Allerton\u2014had come to DuPont to present her with more than $1,000 raised to support her classroom. The visit, staged under the pretense of observing her in the school, left Cardenas both shocked and overjoyed as she accepted the generous gift.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":66001,"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":[12777,70,123864,61,3,122493,7712,64,8288,8325,661],"tags":[125254,123867,125258,123768,123827,125255,124216,125256,125253,124776,125257,123829,125259],"class_list":{"0":"post-65999","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-arts-sciences","10":"category-community","11":"category-education","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-music-college-of-arts-sciences","14":"category-news","15":"category-school-of-education","16":"category-service","17":"category-students","18":"tag-ali-allerton","19":"tag-bradley-bee","20":"tag-christian-cantrell","21":"tag-collin-sutton","22":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","23":"tag-dupont-elementary-school","24":"tag-emily-bruce","25":"tag-ensemblegrams","26":"tag-lauren-cardenas","27":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","28":"tag-music-educators-social-society","29":"tag-operating-with-excellence","30":"tag-remington-prado-bonner","31":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nSurprise gift hits the right note for recent UTC graduate | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A heartwarming surprise awaited UTC alum Lauren Cardenas when she walked into her DuPont Elementary School music room on Friday, Feb. 28. 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