Our Alumni
"The family studies major gave me a solid foundation to work from that enabled me to be a better advocate and child life worker. Without the knowledge I gained from the major, I wouldn't have found the passion I have to help at-risk youth, nor would I have the necessary knowledge to make a difference in their lives."
Bailey Clark ('18), Resource Coordinator, Omni Visions Inc
Molly Bricker ('13) recently donated part of her liver to a five year old girl with leukemia who she had never met. Molly said "I really just felt the Lord telling me to do it...That genuinely is the only explanation I have for it." Molly is currently a law student at Regent University.
Molly King ('14) graduated with a B.A. in Sociology. Following graduation, she began a 9-month fellowship with "The Chattanooga Fellows", a group that seeks to "bring together a community of emerging leaders, recently graduated from college, to prepare for a lifetime of faithfulness and service as agents of Christ's redemptive work." In addition, Molly also served as a research coordinator for Hope for the Inner City, a non-profit organization that offers Christ-centered programs and services to meet the physical, spiritual, and social needs of those from the inner city. As research coordinator, Molly created demographic research reports on Chattanooga to help Hope for the Inner City fulfill its mission. Molly plans to attend seminary.
"One of the most memorable experiences I had as a family studies major was getting together with the entire department for dinner. Department dinners not only gave students the opportunity to get to know the different professors and their families; it also cultivated community among other sociology and family studies majors. This sense of community translated into the classroom; where we worked and learned together."
Shelley Raidy ('18), Winner of the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital Internship in Indianapolis, IN
Rachel Ryan ('05) received her bachelor's degree in Family Studies from Union University. She continued on to complete a M.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in child and family studies from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2006. She is a Certified Child Life Specialist at Ayers Children's Medical Center of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. As a child life specialist, she helps reduce the anxiety of hospitalized children by providing play, social interaction, teaching and distraction during medical procedures. Additionally, she can be seen marketing child life and the pediatric unit at community events and in university classrooms, including the adjunct courses she teaches in Union's Department of Family Studies.
After graduating with a B.S. in Sociology from Union, Pepper Pratt ('87) went on to become a licensed professional counselor. He received Masters degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and The University of Memphis, as well as a Ph.D. from Trinity Theological Seminary. He has been counseling in the West-Tennessee area for over twenty years. He is trained and experienced in helping people battle depression through cognitive-behavioral therapy.