{"id":67764,"date":"2025-04-27T21:51:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T01:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=67764"},"modified":"2025-10-20T12:13:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T16:13:55","slug":"my-entire-life-happened-here-chello-gardners-path-to-purpose-at-utc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/my-entire-life-happened-here-chello-gardners-path-to-purpose-at-utc\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018My entire life happened here\u2019: Chello Gardner\u2019s path to purpose at UTC\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chello

Chello Gardner will graduate with a degree in communication on Saturday, May 3. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

With 36 acceptance lett<\/span>ers and full-ride scholarships from schools across the country and beyond\u2014including an Ivy League institution\u2014Chello Gardner had an important decision to make.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was overwhelmed with decisions,\u201d said Gardner, a first-generation college student from Arlington, Tennessee. \u201cDecision fatigue is what I had.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What separated the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from the others? A quick prayer, a long nap and Scrappy\u2014UTC\u2019s mascot.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI decided to take a nap,\u201d she said. \u201cIf the universe shows me a sign, that\u2019s the school I\u2019m going to pick.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up and opened Instagram. It was a post of Scrappy. That\u2019s how I decided.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2025 stories<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

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

Gardner knew exactly what she wanted out of her college experience from the moment she filled out all those applications. With the rise of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic, she found a hobby in content creation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication is closely connected to social media,\u201d she said, \u201cand I knew I wanted to do social media. <\/span>In high school, when COVID happened, I got really into TikTok and I started getting into content creation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a digital media class in high school where we ran the school\u2019s social media and wrote articles for our website.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gardner will graduate with a degree in communication on Saturday, May 3. She tacked on minors in both criminal justice and women, gender and sexuality studies\u2014and was a Brock Scholar in the Honors College\u2014during her time at UTC.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with the heavy courseload, Gardner was determined to make the most out of her college experience. She played trumpet with the Marching Mocs her freshman year, joined a leadership cohort called Moc LEAD and got involved with several student organizations\u2014including the<\/span> Political Science Club, the Feminist Action Movement and the sustainability group UTC ONE.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gardner also became a member of the Zeta Iota chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very much a loner, but I was getting so involved in action-oriented social justice and community service,\u201d she said. \u201cThe other clubs I was in were community service and action-oriented, but they weren\u2019t as organized.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe highlight of being in my sorority is being able to collaborate with so many different walks of life under one umbrella. It\u2019s an international organization, so we get to collaborate with people from all over the world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of Gardner\u2019s most meaningful experiences on campus, though, was serving as an orientation leader. The idea also originated from an experience she had during the COVID-19 shutdown.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI came in during COVID and I didn\u2019t have a technical orientation leader. We had Zoom, and Mallary Quaderer was a queen who helped walk me through things,\u201d Gardner said. Quaderer graduated from UTC in May 2024. \u201cWhen I got here and I saw Mallary, I was like, \u2018She\u2019s a real person and she\u2019s actually helping me.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo then I decided, I want to be an orientation leader because I want to be like her when I grow up,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gardner said the experience transformed her in ways she didn\u2019t expect.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has allowed me to be a mentor to people,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has allowed me to come out of my shell. I used to be very shy and did not talk to anyone. With orientation, you cannot do that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chello

Chello Gardner speaks to incoming students and their families at a transfer orientation session.<\/p><\/div>\n

For Gardner, getting involved meant growing up. Coming from a sheltered upbringing, she said she was determined to have a \u201creal college experience.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She described the moment her aunt dropped her off on campus in 2021.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in two different cars. I turned into campus and was like, \u2018Why isn\u2019t she behind me anymore?\u2019 Gardner said. \u201cShe went to the hotel and I thought, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m really on my own. I guess I have to spread my wings and fly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though her contagious positive attitude wouldn\u2019t show it, Gardner\u2019s time in college was shaped by personal loss. Her grandfather died during her first semester, and in her sophomore year, she lost her mother.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started my college career and within the first month my grandpa passed,\u201d she said. \u201cSophomore year, my mom passing was a big kaboom. It took me a good minute to get acclimated to school, life and stuff like that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While many others may have found it impossible to continue with school after such devastating losses, Gardner used it as motivation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom never actually got to go to school, but education was a big thing for her,\u201d she said. \u201cAlso for my grandfather. I\u2019m his first grandchild that\u2019s gone to college.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis passing pushed me to do better. When my mom passed, it gave me a bigger push.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chello

Chello Gardner (middle) and other UTC student volunteers at CHATT Foundation during United Way’s Day of Caring.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Gardner crosses the graduation stage, she said she\u2019ll feel confident about stepping into the \u201creal world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During her time in college, she had the opportunity to dive deeper into her passion for social media. <\/span>In a full-circle moment, she went from seeing a post of Scrappy on the UTC Instagram to helping manage the account herself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gardner worked as a social media intern in the Division of Communications and Marketin<\/span>g during her last three years at UTC. She explained the importance of this responsibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne, holding the internship position for so long,\u201d she said. \u201cTwo, I think I\u2019ve seen my professional growth in terms of the content that I\u2019ve created and how far I\u2019ve gone from \u2018baby\u2019 content to \u2018big girl\u2019 content.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to run the page by myself as a fully functioning social media specialist, I can confidently say I will graduate at the same level as someone that has been in the game for three to four years.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since January, she has also worked as a social media intern for The Company Lab (CO.LAB)\u2014a nonprofit startup accelerator in Chattanooga.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been spreading my wings because the company is not super big, but it functions like a medium to large size company,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey\u2019re very much into sustainable mobility and technology. I\u2019ve been able to learn in a new space as well as how to speak in that type of environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m used to the \u2018girly pop\u2019 emojis at UTC. I\u2019m picking up new skills in terms of brand consistency. At UTC, there\u2019s people whose job is \u2018brand.\u2019 At CO.LAB, there\u2019s a marketing team of three, including myself.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to life after graduation, Gardner said she\u2019s excited to use her skills in Chattanooga or elsewhere. She also has goals of furthering her education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to go back to school and get my master\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cI also thought about getting my bachelor\u2019s in psychology or sociology. What intrigues me about social media is the way people act on social media versus the way they act in person.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Gardner leaves UTC, she understands she will be leaving a lot behind\u2014new life experiences, professional development, trauma and grief.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy entire life happened here,\u201d she said, but she is thankful for what she has learned.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUTC has given me so much and I\u2019ve given so much to UTC,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m one with the school, especially the social media and orientation and all that kind of stuff.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so connected with campus that I feel like I can\u2019t let it go, but I have to let it go. I have to let myself flourish and let someone else take my spot and see what they can do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chello

Chello Gardner signs a National Hazing Prevention Week banner during a \u201cMocs Don\u2019t Haze\u201d tabling event in 2023. Photo by Mason Edwards.<\/p><\/div>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

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

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With 36 acceptance letters and full-ride scholarships from schools across the country and beyond\u2014including an Ivy League institution\u2014Chello Gardner had an important decision to make.\u00a0Gardner will graduate with a degree in communication on Saturday, May 3. She tacked on minors in both criminal justice and women, gender and sexuality studies\u2014and was a Brock Scholar in the Honors College\u2014during her time at UTC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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