ETSU Grad Returns to Help Students Find Their Belonging

Hannah Tate Gulley spent her community college years keeping her head down, doing the work, but missing the point. When she transferred to East Tennessee State University, she decided to try something radical: she jumped in with both feet.

In her first semester as a psychology student, Gulley responded to an email about becoming an academic coach at the Center for Academic Achievement. What started as a simple peer support role became her calling when director Jake Alspaugh asked her questions that went beyond the basics, checking in on her wellbeing and classes.

"I got to see the personable side of ETSU very quickly," she said. That interview changed everything.

Gulley fell in love with the center's philosophy of students supporting students. She pitched the idea of creating academic coaching leads, essentially students helping the students who help students. Before long, she was leading the program while still working one-on-one with individual students who needed guidance.

Her impact extended beyond campus. Working with another student coordinator, Gulley created a new collaborative learning technique that was published through the International Center for Supplemental Instruction.

The real breakthrough came when Gulley realized what had been missing from her community college experience: self-advocacy. She thought opportunities would simply come to her, but college doesn't work that way.

Now she tells stressed students the same thing every time. If you ask for help and search for the right people, they genuinely want to help you.

As a first-generation student herself, Gulley understands the unique pressures of navigating higher education without a family roadmap. When students come to her worried about finances, she can't solve their money problems, but she connects them with Financial Aid and guides them to people who can.

Why This Inspires

Gulley's journey proves that belonging isn't something you find by accident. It's something you build by showing up, asking questions, and helping others do the same. She graduated in May with her bachelor's degree in psychology, but she loved the work so much that she's returning this fall as a graduate assistant while pursuing her Master of Social Work.

Her goal? A career in university counseling, where she can continue advocating for students who feel lost in the system. She's living proof that the person who once kept quiet in class can become the voice encouraging others to speak up.

ETSU's Mary V. Jordan Center now serves as a first stop for students with questions, connecting them to resources from academic support to mental health services, carrying forward the lesson Gulley learned: asking for help isn't weakness, it's wisdom.