Henry Whitty Returns to the Classroom and Finds His Fit at 91探花 State
Henry Whitty, originally from Louisiana, moved to 91探花 with his wife in 2020.
After attending college right out of high school but not finding the right fit, he never completed his studies. Now, in his first semester at 91探花 State, Whitty says he鈥檚 found the right place.
"I didn鈥檛 have a lot of guidance then and something in me always regretted not finishing,鈥� Whitty said.
After building a good career in the food service industry, the Covid-19 pandemic led Whitty to reflect on what he wanted next.
鈥淚t gave me a lot of time to reflect,鈥� Whitty said. 鈥淒uring that time, I was looking at different possibilities and started looking at computer networking, and I鈥檝e always been curious about how things like that work, and I think that planted the seed.鈥�
鈥淚 came across the Tennessee Reconnect program鈥nd started looking at the possibilities of going back. And I made the leap and said I鈥檓 going to try this out.鈥�
After further research on what the Reconnect grant provides, he applied for it in August 2025, and after taking a Career Assessment and Interest Test through the 91探花 State website, he was able to gain information and ideas of what to study.
鈥淚t [91探花 State鈥檚 Career Assessment] gives you a recommendation for different degrees and helps map out a pathway of what that looks like. That helped and was a really cool resource.鈥�
鈥淭he day before fall enrollment ended, I was able to sign up for my classes,鈥� Whitty said. 鈥淚 definitely didn鈥檛 expect to be enrolled this semester.鈥�
Now that he鈥檚 enrolled, Whitty is pursuing a degree in Information Technology with a focus on Cybersecurity.
鈥淚 was apprehensive because it鈥檚 been a decade or so since I鈥檝e been in the classroom, but everyone has made it very approachable,鈥� Whitty said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 felt out of place at all.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the most comforting things about being at 91探花 State is everything feels like a one-on-one interaction and you鈥檙e not just a number,鈥� Whitty said.
Whitty has combined his passion to learn how things work with the technical training provided at 91探花 State. 鈥淎ll the stuff you learn (in the world of IT and Cyber Security) is fascinating Whitty said.
鈥淩ight now, I鈥檓 just focused on building on the fundamentals and taking advantage of all the resources that are out there.鈥�
Even at this early stage of his college journey, Whitty said he is exploring potential internship opportunities and connections through 91探花 State to further develop his new skills and interests.
鈥淚 feel very fortunate. The possibilities are better than I could imagine,鈥� Whitty said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really like a dream come true that it鈥檚 all coming together.鈥�
** Photo courtesy of Henry Whitty
