The Roan Scholars Leadership Program has selected eight high school seniors for the incoming Roan Class of 2025, including Pate Anglin of Johnson City. Those students will join 24 returning Roan Scholars at East Tennessee State University this fall as part of the prestigious four-year scholarship program.
“This year’s selection process was unlike any other we’ve conducted, with all interviews and other activities being online,” said Roan Director Scott Jeffress. “The result was the same, though: another outstanding class of talented young leaders. These students are already making a positive impact on our region.”
The Roan Scholars Leadership Program empowers students to be leaders of excellence who will positively impact the ETSU campus, our region, and the world. Each class is chosen from high school seniors nominated by eligible schools in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. The Roan offers four years of unique, out-of-the-classroom experiences and opportunities designed to challenge and inspire students to grow and develop as leaders. The scholarship also includes a financial award for tuition and fees, room and board, and books.
Members of the Roan Class of 2025 were selected from among nearly 100 nominees in 27 counties. These students have initiated projects that address pressing needs in local communities, been recognized for their academic achievement and competed at state, national, and even international levels in multiple sports. They have served as student representatives for school boards and statewide organizations, undertaken entrepreneurial endeavors, and served their communities.
Anglin has spoken to hundreds of young people across Tennessee about the dangers of tobacco use. Working with TNSTRONG, a youth-led, statewide organization committed to educating youth about the harmful effects of tobacco usage, Pate created and implemented a 6-week anti-drug curriculum for elementary and middle school students.
Captain of the University School varsity soccer team, Pate has also pursued a variety of entrepreneurial projects and was named in 2019 to the Appalachian Highlands Twenty Under 20. He has served his community on the Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition and by delivering food boxes monthly to local public housing.
The Roan, which is funded primarily by private donations, was established by Louis H. Gump in 1997 and the first class entered in 2000. Jeffress says the eight scholars selected for the Class of 2025 represent the Roan values of leadership excellence and impact, as well as the legacy started by Gump that now expands over two decades.
“It is remarkable to see the growth and development of the Roan Program over the past two decades. This newest class of Roan Scholars will eventually join the ranks of our 70-plus alumni who are leading and serving throughout our region and around the world,” said Roan Founder Louis H. Gump. “During this unusually challenging year we are especially grateful to all of our partners in this Roan process – the high schools that nominated such outstanding students, our committee members who devoted many hours to interviewing and selecting students, and our countless supporters who make financial gifts that support the program. They are the reasons for our success. None of this would be possible without them.”
