Seven ETSU Elevates teams will pitch community-focused projects Oct. 5 at the Martin Center for the Arts for a chance at additional funding.  

What can happen when East Tennessee State University students take on some of the region’s most pressing challenges and turn their ideas into action? The answer will take center stage Oct. 5, when seven ETSU Elevates teams bring their community-focused projects to the Martin Center for the Arts and pitch their visions for what comes next.

ETSU Elevates is a community-engaged leadership experience in which students tackle a societal challenge facing the region then conceptualize, design and implement a service-based solution. Working in collaboration with community partners and ETSU faculty, each team received $2,000 in seed funding during the spring semester to pilot their project.

The ETSU Elevates Pitch Event is the culmination of their efforts, providing an opportunity for the Elevates teams to showcase their projects and “pitch” how they want their projects to expand.

Seven 2026 ETSU Elevates teams will present their plans to a live audience and three judges in the finals on Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. Doors open at 5 p.m. for this free public event.

At the Pitch Event, teams will compete for additional funding. Judges will award first-, second- and third-place prizes, and the audience will select the People’s Choice Award. An additional $7,000 will be awarded during this event.

“I am always inspired by the creativity, compassion and commitment of our students, and this year’s Elevates projects have already made a significant impact,” said Dr. Susan McCracken, vice provost for Community Engagement at ETSU. “We invite the public to join us, cheer for these students and be part of the process as they work to elevate our region.”

The 2026 ETSU Elevates projects and their community partners include:

• Connecting Beyond Barrier – Sarah Joseph and Zara Rashid focus on housing instability and homelessness in this project with The River. Their efforts would provide opportunities designed to build and strengthen meaningful relationships that create a sense of belonging at The River.

• Joyful Journeys – Abigail Anderson and Delaney Morris would address rural medicine and limited social and developmental resources for patients by providing an enrichment model to their partner, St. Jude Tri-Cities Affiliate Clinic.

• Play it Forward – Emily Jenkins and Sophie Greear focus on limited access to music education for kids in grades K-8 by providing music education to children in underserved communities by creating accessible, engaging music opportunities at Coalition for Kids, their community partner. They hope to create a volunteer-based model that connects students with instructors for continued learning.

• Raising Resilience – Pharrin Clarinda and Shana Byerley, in partnership with RISE Healthy for Life, would improve youth mental health by providing a modular program to equip youth with preventive skills that reduce risk and strengthen resilience.

• The Gateway – Addison Bays, in partnership with Twin Springs High School in Nickelsville, Virginia, would address a post-high school opportunity gap for rural students by providing structured, hands-on guidance that equips these students with knowledge, resources and support needed to successfully pursue higher education.

• You Decide – Hunter Mehaffey and Corey Ray would focus on a digital crisis of misinformation and low media literacy among young people. Working with their partner, East Tennessee Artscapes, they would provide an innovative, arts-based, and hands-on approach rooted in tactile truth to reframe media literacy as a survival skill.

• Healthy Together – Lauren Yobst would focus on connecting human and pet wellness through accessible, preventive healthcare and education. In partnership with Good Samaritan Ministries, she would work to improve the health and well-being of people and their pets by providing health screenings, vaccinations, wellness resources and community support.

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