By Karli Sutton and DeAnn Hays

NASHVILLE and SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University recently brought its annual True Blue Tour to Nashville and Shelbyville, awarding thousands in scholarships during a day of events connecting area school counselors, prospective students and their families with opportunities at MTSU.

More than 70 counselors attended the daytime luncheon at Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville, where MTSU awarded $40,000 in scholarships to help support students at their respective schools. The evening reception welcomed nearly 70 prospective students and family members, with another $8,500 awarded directly to students.

For MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, who winds down his tenure leading the institution after more than 25 years, bringing the university directly into communities across Tennessee and beyond has been an important part of building relationships with prospective students and the people who help guide their college decisions.

“Unlike other institutions, we bring the entirety of our institution into the community to share with them the progress and prowess of our institution,” McPhee said. “We appreciate that connectivity with the community because it has continued to help us be the No. 1 choice for our first-time college students and our wonderful transfer students.”

McPhee also highlighted three factors that help distinguish MTSU: its faculty and staff, nationally recognized academic quality and continued investment in campus facilities.

“What attracts people to MTSU? Three things,” McPhee said. “We have some really attentive faculty and staff who are able to be involved with the growth of our students. Secondly, the quality. As a public institution, MTSU has the highest public quality that is nationally recognized, and we have been blessed to be among the national rankings for almost a decade. Thirdly, our facilities. Our university has invested over $2.5 billion in our facilities to compete with the finest in the country.”

Finding right college fit

The Nashville counselor luncheon on Nov. 2 provided an opportunity for high school and community college representatives to reconnect with MTSU, learn about university developments and take scholarship resources back to their students.

Andrea Laws, college and career coordinator at Northwest High School in Clarksville, attended to learn more about what MTSU offers and bring additional scholarship opportunities back to her school.

Laws said she typically works to distribute scholarship funds among multiple students who apply and attend, allowing more students to benefit from the support.

For her, one of the most important parts of helping students navigate the college search is encouraging them to find an institution that aligns with their individual interests and goals.

“I really think it comes down to finding a school that’s going to fit you. They’re not all the same,” Laws said. “It’s important to find a program that you’re interested in, too. Students shouldn’t settle for a school that’s closer if it doesn’t have what they’re looking for.”

A few days before the Nashville stop, MTSU visited the Blue Ribbon Circle Club in Shelbyville for a counselor luncheon on Oct. 29, then welcomed area high school students later that evening.

The dozen counselors who attended the luncheon each walked away with a $1,000 scholarship to use at their discretion for any of their students who plan to become True Blue in the next academic year.

For Shelbyville Central High School counselor Maragret Anne Houle, the scholarships help provide opportunities to more students.

“This scholarship gives us the opportunity to make sure more children go to college,” Houle said. “MTSU is a special place for us; it’s just like home, so we love to encourage our students to go to MTSU.”

Sarah Carmack Smith is a counselor at Huntland High School in nearby Franklin County. She said the scholarship is helpful for her students, especially when they need a little extra assistance.

“Every now and then you have a kiddo who is really wanting to go somewhere, and they need a little extra help going,” Smith said. “When they’re going to MTSU, it’s helpful because we have this scholarship for them, and sometimes for our kids that’s the difference in going and taking that step forward to go to the school they want to go to.”

Family connection brings student back to college

For Tara Sonnenberg, the Nashville student reception represented another step in her own educational journey and an opportunity to become part of the Blue Raider family alongside her sons.

After seeing her sons attend MTSU, visiting campus and hearing about their experiences with university faculty and staff, Sonnenberg decided she wanted to pursue an education there herself. A transfer student and scholarship recipient, she said returning to college later in life has been both an exciting and intimidating experience.

“I had to reinvent myself,” Sonnenberg said. “I studied medicine when I was younger, and I was determined to become a pediatric cardiologist. But as life changed and I became a mom, I had to find a different path. It’s a little hard and a little scary. You’re sometimes the oldest person walking into a classroom. However, it’s an adventure. If you’re not opening doors and walking through them, what are you doing?”

Sonnenberg was surprised to receive the largest scholarship awarded during the evening reception, particularly as a returning student balancing work and family responsibilities.

“I didn’t think, as a transfer student, that anything like this would happen, but I’m over the moon right now. It’s so exciting,” she said. “When you’re raising a family, working full time and slowly trying to reinvent yourself, every little bit helps. This just proves how much they care about you as a student and as an individual.”

Her connection to MTSU has also become a family affair. With her sons already attending the university and two younger boys still in middle school, Sonnenberg hopes the Blue Raider tradition will continue.

“I’m following my boys, which is weird because they should be following me,” she said with a laugh. “I think it’s going to be a family tradition. I have two younger boys who are in middle school right now, and they’re all about being True Blue. I’m hoping we can make this a family tradition.”

‘MTSU was life-changing for me’

Recent two-time alum Ella Cobb spoke to the crowd of prospective future Blue Raiders and their families in Shelbyville about her experience at MTSU, encouraging the room to become involved once they arrive to the Murfreesboro campus.

“MTSU was life-changing for me, and I don’t mean that lightly. I absolutely loved it and I got fully involved; I was a tour guide, a student orientation assistant, I worked on the student social media team. I lived at home in Shelbyville the whole time and commuted back and forth and I still had the best experience.”

Scholarships totaling $6,500 were given to five student attendees whose names were drawn to help with future tuition and book costs.

Shelbyville Central High senior and scholarship winner Juan Rodriguez is a senior said he is fully committed to attending MTSU next fall.

“This scholarship helps take off some of the financial burden,” said Rodriguez, who plans to major in engineering technology. “Thank you so much for this award and for all of you for coming to Shelbyville and giving your time.”

Lucas Kottler, a sophomore from Cascade High School, was one of the scholarship winners, earning $1,000 toward his future college experience.

“It feels good to know I have a college fund already that I can use at MTSU. I’m excited to hopefully go there in a couple of years”

The 2026 True Blue Tour wrapped up on Thursday, Nov. 5, in MTSU’s Student Union Ballroom, but MTSU will also welcome prospective students and their families to campus for True Blue Preview Day on Saturday, Nov. 14. Daily campus tours are available as well. For information, call 615-898-5670 or email [email protected].

For first-time incoming freshmen seeking guaranteed academic merit scholarships and special partnership programs, the priority application deadline is Dec. 1. The priority deadline for transfer students is March 1. Visit mtsu.edu/how-to-apply for application information.

— DeAnn Hays ([email protected]) and Karli Sutton ([email protected])