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The University of Tennessee

Student Orientation and Leadership Development

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Tanner DeVries

Hometown: Franklin, TN
Classification/Major: Junior, Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology/Pre-Med

What is the most important piece of advice you would give new students?

  • The most important piece of advice I would give is to not miss opportunities to meet new people. College is the time to meet people from all walks of life and to gain new lifelong friendships. Go to the Campus Events website and look for new ways to put yourself out there and get involved on campus. It will open the door to endless opportunities at UT. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain!

What is your favorite extracurricular experience?

  • I’m the head coach of a youth ice hockey team here in Knoxville and it has become one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being able to stay involved in a sport that I love while helping to develop young hockey players has become one of my favorite extracurricular activities. It is a good feeling to know that I have a team of youth hockey players looking up to me as their role model.

What surprised you most about coming to college?

  • The most surprising thing about coming to college was how large this university really is NOT. I came to UT thinking it was going to be way too large for me to handle with so many students and the large size of campus. I thought it was going to be easy to fall through the cracks but I quickly found out that this was not the case. If you give UT a chance, it will not disappoint you, and instead it will throw many new and exciting opportunities your way.

Tanner DeVries

Contact Tanner DeVries

Student Orientation
412 Student Services Bldg.
Knoxville, TN 37996-0247
Phone: (865) 974-2435
Fax: (865) 974-1373
Email: tdevrie1@utk.edu