Inspired by the popular National Public Radio program “This I Believe,” 36 Pellissippi State Community College students will make their own individual presentations of a deeply held belief and describe the individual who inspired it.
The event is Friday, Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria Annex of the Goins Building on the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. The community is invited to drop in and listen while enjoying the light refreshments or even eating lunch.
Twelve students from the classes of Anne Pharr and Keith Norris, both English faculty members, and Kellie Toon, who teaches speech, will give brief presentations.
Pharr got the project under way last spring when she required her developmental writing students to submit their essays to NPR. Last month, she received notification that 10 essays were selected for the “This I Believe” section of the public radio’s website.
Holly Clemens was in Pharr’s class and wrote “Compassion in the Face of Cynicism,” one of the essays selected.
“I was inspired by my dad,” said Clemens, an elementary education student whose job involved working with mentally challenged adults. “My father taught me so much about handling people who look down on you because you are compassionate.”
During its four years on NPR (2005-2009), “This I Believe” aired the personal statements submitted by listeners on Monday mornings. The program was based on a 1950s radio show of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow.
“This I Believe” is also an international organization that continues to encourage the core-value essays. The statements are archived on www.thisibelieve.org, aired on public radio and featured in weekly podcasts.
For more information about the Pellissippi State event, contact Pellissippi State at (865) 694-6400. To request accommodations for a disability, contact the executive director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action at (865) 694-6607 or humanresources@pstcc.edu.
Sidebar: Ten Pellissippi State students from the Knoxville area were notified recently that their essays had been posted in the “This I Believe” section of the NPR website. Those students:
- Glenda Baack, “Father-Daughter Relationships”
- Holly Clemens, “Compassion in the Face of Cynicism”
- Franklin Wayne Hood Jr., “Putting Others Before Yourself”
- Jose Larios, “Perfect Role-Mother”
- Amanda Loving, “Being Bad Isn’t So Bad”
- Donna Loving, “Donna’s Successful Belief Tale”
- Dustin Miller, “Finding Truth”
- Charity Piety, “Just Do It Right”
- Robbie Raymes, “My Own Credo”
- Rhonda Yawberry, “Perception is Reality”
To read the essays, go to http://thisibelieve.org and select “explore” and “essay search,” then enter a student’s name.