Southwest Tennessee Community College student selected as national Achieving the Dream Scholar

For more information, contact Diana Fedinec, Southwest Tennessee Community College Director of Public Relations and Media, at 901-333-4247 or dfedinec@southwest.tn.edu.

Memphis, Tenn. (Jan. 30, 2024) - Southwest Tennessee Community College student Allyson Harrison is one of eight community college students nationwide to be chosen as a 2024 DREAM Scholar by the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network of community colleges. 

Harrison, a nursing student and president of the Student Nursing Government Association, is the first Southwest student to be selected as an ATD DREAM Scholar. She also serves as a student representative of the Southwest Student Success Council. 

“I am beyond honored to be chosen for such an amazing opportunity! I am so excited about all the doors this scholarship will open for myself and what I can achieve in my community,” said Harrison. “I look forward to using what I will learn as a DREAM Scholar and at the Achieving the Dream Conference to make a positive impact on those around me. I am so thankful to be recognized, and to have found such an incredible support system through Southwest Tennessee Community College.”

ATD, a national organization committed to increasing the success of community college students, developed the DREAM Scholars program to foster leadership growth and critical thinking. Up to eight DREAM scholars are chosen each year from ATD institutions through a competitive application process. Scholars will receive a scholarship, tailored leadership development, and networking opportunities. 

Harrison said she struggled to succeed after high school and came close to giving up her higher education aspirations. She persevered and with the support she received at Southwest, passed her nursing program admissions test in the top 5% — while working three jobs. She is a staunch advocate for queer homeless youth in her community, and her dream is to provide low-cost, accessible mental and physical health care to those who are unemployed and underemployed.

“Allyson exemplifies everything Southwest has set out to do for our students as an Achieving the Dream institution,” said Dr. Tracy D. Hall, president of Southwest Tennessee Community College. “She proves barriers can be eliminated and success achieved when one is passionate about achieving a goal. I am very proud of her.”

Southwest joined the Achieving the Dream network in 2016 as one of only 12 institutions selected that year and in 2020 became an ATD Leader College of distinction. The honor recognizes ATD colleges that have lived their reform work over time and have seen significant improvements in student achievement across the institution.

“The community colleges in the ATD Network strive every day to be student-centered institutions that put the needs of their learners above all else,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “These eight scholars, all of whom are dedicated to lifting up others, are living proof that when colleges take a student-first approach — supporting students both in and outside of the classroom — they pave the road to success not just for their students but, through a ripple effect, for those students’ families and for entire communities.”

Harrison will head to Orlando, Florida for the DREAM 2024 convening, Feb. 19-22, where she and her fellow DREAM Scholars will share their inspirational stories and offer recommendations of how to best support today’s community college students. 

Joining Harrison as a 2024 DREAM Scholar are: 

• Ashley Ardis — Central Carolina Technical College (South Carolina) 
• Tamere Briley — Reynolds Community College (Virginia) 
• Makayla Hall — Houston Community College (Texas) 
• Simphiwe Kunene — University of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa) 
• Victoria Robinson —South Central College (Minnesota) 
• Laura Ten Fingers — Institute of American Indian Arts (New Mexico) 
• Patricio Tinoco — Madison College, Gateway to College program (Wisconsin)