Many miles stretch between the rolling mountains of Northeast Tennessee and the skyscrapers that shape the New York City skyline, but two recent Northeast State Community College graduates will close that gap this fall as they continue their education at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Shanna Holt and Kate Casell graduated from Northeast State in May, both with perfect 4.0 GPAs. They mark two of 90 students selected nationwide for the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which provides up to $55,000 per year to support high-achievers as they complete their bachelor’s degrees.
The two Northeast State alumni will use their scholarships at Columbia University, an Ivy League institution that accepts just over 4 percent of applicants. Holt and Casell begin their new journeys in August.
Between them, Holt and Casell earned a total of eight degrees and were also active members of Northeast State’s Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and Scholars Foundation — just to name a few. The academic standouts leave behind a legacy of excellence and take with them a foundation that helped launch their next chapters.
Holt, a Montana native, has lived in Gray for 20 years. She graduated with honors and distinction in Spring 2025 — not earning one, but three associate degrees in psychology, sociology, and social work.
During her time at Northeast State, Holt juggled far more than coursework; she is also a wife and mother of four. The Ivy-League-bound scholar said she returned to the classroom after 20 years with a new purpose: to create opportunities not just for herself and her family, but for her community.
“Coming to Northeast State, I knew that I wanted to work with the community,” Holt said. “I wanted to try to find ways to bring people together and enrich lives. In my mind, that looks like social work or psychology.
“As I started taking classes, I found new interests; sociology is a great fit for me — that big-picture-societal thinking — so it was great to major in different areas, get different degrees, and see how all those threads connect to help people.”
Holt previously garnered national recognition as a Coca-Cola New Century Transfer Scholar, and she also served on Phi Theta Kappa’s All-USA Academic Team and All-Tennessee Academic Team.
Casell, originally from Asheville, crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into Johnson City, Tennessee, in 2021. She dove headfirst into her education at Northeast State and earned five associate degrees in psychology, economics, philosophy, international affairs, and digital media.
The North Carolina native earned the Outstanding Student awards in both Digital Media and the Honors Program, in addition to her involvement in multiple Northeast State student organizations. She plans to use her education and experience to serve others.
“Socioeconomic conditions are really important to me and have been pivotal in my life and have also impacted my community heavily,” Casell said. “Psychology and economics are subjects I’ve always gravitated toward because I want to help people.”
As they prepare to transition from Northeast Tennessee to New York City, Casell and Holt said the big move feels less daunting knowing they can find support in each other.
“When I came to Northeast State Community College, even though it’s in the name, what I really did not expect to find was community,” Holt said. “I expected education; I expected classes; I expected a degree at the end, but I didn’t expect the type of support and networks that are here.
“We talk about the ‘Because of You Campaign,’ and it is because of [students] and bringing us together and creating that community so that we can come together and eventually go out and succeed together…We will have a little bit of home with us while we’re out there.”
Many miles stretch between the rolling mountains of Northeast Tennessee and the skyscrapers that shape the New York City skyline, but two recent Northeast State Community College graduates will close that gap this fall as they continue their education at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Shanna Holt and Kate Casell graduated from Northeast State in May, both with perfect 4.0 GPAs. They mark two of 90 students selected nationwide for the highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, which provides up to $55,000 per year to support high-achievers as they complete their bachelor’s degrees.
The two Northeast State alumni will use their scholarships at Columbia University, an Ivy League institution that accepts just over 4 percent of applicants. Holt and Casell begin their new journeys in August.
Between them, Holt and Casell earned a total of eight degrees and were also active members of Northeast State’s Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and Scholars Foundation — just to name a few. The academic standouts leave behind a legacy of excellence and take with them a foundation that helped launch their next chapters.
Holt, a Montana native, has lived in Gray for 20 years. She graduated with honors and distinction in Spring 2025 — not earning one, but three associate degrees in psychology, sociology, and social work.
During her time at Northeast State, Holt juggled far more than coursework; she is also a wife and mother of four. The Ivy-League-bound scholar said she returned to the classroom after 20 years with a new purpose: to create opportunities not just for herself and her family, but for her community.
“Coming to Northeast State, I knew that I wanted to work with the community,” Holt said. “I wanted to try to find ways to bring people together and enrich lives. In my mind, that looks like social work or psychology.
“As I started taking classes, I found new interests; sociology is a great fit for me — that big-picture-societal thinking — so it was great to major in different areas, get different degrees, and see how all those threads connect to help people.”
Holt previously garnered national recognition as a Coca-Cola New Century Transfer Scholar, and she also served on Phi Theta Kappa’s All-USA Academic Team and All-Tennessee Academic Team.
Casell, originally from Asheville, crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into Johnson City, Tennessee, in 2021. She dove headfirst into her education at Northeast State and earned five associate degrees in psychology, economics, philosophy, international affairs, and digital media.
The North Carolina native earned the Outstanding Student awards in both Digital Media and the Honors Program, in addition to her involvement in multiple Northeast State student organizations. She plans to use her education and experience to serve others.
“Socioeconomic conditions are really important to me and have been pivotal in my life and have also impacted my community heavily,” Casell said. “Psychology and economics are subjects I’ve always gravitated toward because I want to help people.”
As they prepare to transition from Northeast Tennessee to New York City, Casell and Holt said the big move feels less daunting knowing they can find support in each other.
“When I came to Northeast State Community College, even though it’s in the name, what I really did not expect to find was community,” Holt said. “I expected education; I expected classes; I expected a degree at the end, but I didn’t expect the type of support and networks that are here.
“We talk about the ‘Because of You Campaign,’ and it is because of [students] and bringing us together and creating that community so that we can come together and eventually go out and succeed together…We will have a little bit of home with us while we’re out there.”
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