Roan Class of 2023!

OLIVIA BOSTIC Nursing

Having worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the past six years, Olivia enjoys a fastpaced patient care environment. She is a certified NASCAR infield emergency medical response crew chief and completed her clinical care hours in the Emergency Department at Johnson City Medical Center. During her undergraduate career, Olivia was the recipient of a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship award and was named the Washington County, VA Life Saving Crew’s Junior Member of the Year. This past summer, she moved to Nashville, where she is working as an acute care Registered Nurse in the nursing residency program at Ascension St. Thomas Midtown Hospital.

HAYLIE DAVENPORT Parks and Recreation Administration

After completing a summer-long internship with the recreation division of Sumter National Forest in South Carolina, Haylie graduated in August 2023. An outdoor enthusiast with a passion for connecting through honest dialogue, Haylie helped coordinate a Braver Angels debate on campus and spent the summer of 2022 as a naturebased facilitator for Girls Inc in Morristown, TN. Since graduation, Haylie has taken on a full-time role at Sumter National Forest, with plans to transition to another national park or national forest in the next 3-5 years.

REBECCA FRAZIER Nursing

During her time at ETSU, Rebecca served as an Expedition Leader and as President of the Beyond Access student organization, advocating for students with disabilities. Her Roan Summer of Service internship supported REACH of Haywood County, a non-profit organization in Waynesville, NC that provides aid to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Within ETSU’s College of Nursing, Rebecca was a Peer Ambassador for future nurses and served as a mentor to answer questions and provide guidance about Nursing School. Rebecca has a Nurse Residency and is working in the Pulmonary Medical Progressive Care Unit (PCU) at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC.

SAM GARCIA Chemistry

Sam has been an active campus leader, most notably in his elected roles within the Student Government Association (SGA) – first as a senator, and then as Vice President of Finance and Administration. He also served on the executive board of ETSU’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon and on the Interfraternity Council. Sam participated in undergraduate research – working in the lab of Dr. Xiaohui Wang at the Quillen College of Medicine on an investigation of liver response to sepsis – and completed an internship with the National Hispanic Medical Association through The Washington Center in Washington, D.C. He was also inducted into ETSU’s 1911 Society, which recognizes the university’s most notable graduates. Currently, Sam is living in the Denver area and working at a health clinic while he applies to medical school.

KEIANDRA HARPER Psychology

An exceptional campus leader, KeiAndra held numerous key roles within the Panhellenic community, including Panhellenic Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and President of ETSU’s chapter of Sigma Kappa sorority. She was an Expedition Leader for three years, giving campus tours to prospective students and special guests, and serving as an ambassador for ETSU. KeiAndra studied abroad in

Norway for a semester, interned in Washington D.C. and worked with the non-profit Light to Life, and was featured in the ETSU episode of Amazon Prime’s ‘The College Tour’ series. She is exploring professional opportunities with multiple organizations across the Southeast.

TAYLOR SHANKS Human Services

A helper by nature, Taylor spent her undergraduate years building connections and serving others. During the summer of 2020, Taylor worked with the Carter County Chamber of Commerce to develop a scholarships website for students in the county; the following summer, she interned with the First Tennessee Development District, helping plan regional events such as the first-ever Northeast Tennessee Recovery Housing Summit. On campus, Taylor served as president of the Gamma Theta chapter of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. As a junior, she was inducted into ETSU’s chapter of Omicron Delta

Roan Staff Transitions

We were incredibly fortunate these past 7+ years to count Dr. Jennifer Axsom Adler as a member of the Roan staff –initially as our first-ever Assistant Director, then as Associate Director.

Dr. Adler’s creative, caring leadership touched the lives of many Roan Scholars and Alumni; she also helped take the Roan Program to new heights and position it for even greater excellence and impact in the years to come.

In January 2023, Jennifer assumed a full-time faculty position within ETSU's College of Arts and Sciences as an Assistant Professor of History. As anyone who has taken one of her classes knows, she is both passionate about teaching and extremely gifted in this area – just as she is in academic research and writing.

Kappa, ETSU’s highest individual student honor for leadership and university service. Taylor is now working toward a Master of Arts in Counseling degree at ETSU.

CARTER WILSON Media and Communications

During his first year on campus, Carter was chosen to attend VMI’s annual Leadership and Ethics Conference in Lexington, VA. One of the themes during that conference was how setbacks and failures can lead to later successes, and how challenges can be turned into advantages and opportunities. Those lessons have resonated with Carter ever since. In the summer of 2020, Carter interned with the Hunger and Health Coalition in Watauga County, NC, working to combat food insecurity in local communities. The following summer he interned with Hollar & Greene, a role which led to his aspiration to one day own his own long-haul trucking company. Currently, Carter is again working with Hollar & Greene.

We wish Dr. Adler our very best and thank her for all she continues to mean to the Roan and to so many students, alumni, and others!

We are excited to introduce Dr. Matt Williams, who joined the Roan team on June 20, 2023 as our new Assistant Director. Originally from South Bend, Indiana, Matt’s background is in teaching; he also earned his Ed.D in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University.

A passionate educator and leader, he is most looking forward to working with Roan Scholars and helping them learn, grow, and bring about positive change. Welcome to the Roan, Dr. Williams!