THP Dispatcher Awarded Bethel University Scholarship

A DeKalb County woman, who works as a Communications Operator 2 dispatcher for the Cookeville District of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, has been awarded a scholarship to further her education through an online program at Bethel University.
Tonya Hattaway, a resident of the Seven Springs community, said she is honored to have been selected to receive the scholarship as she works toward earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. “Bethel University, through the Department of Safety offered us a chance to get a scholarship. They offered it to Department of Safety employees who were interested in it. We had to submit a resume, three letters of recommendation, and write a five thousand word essay. They went through and picked from that and decided who would get the scholarships for $5,000 to promote and encourage the employees to continue their education in college. I applied and was selected for a $5,000 scholarship. I am already attending Bethel and I am half way through to get my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration so this is going to help me finish my degree. They have an online program and that is what I have been doing for the last eighteen months, attending their online program. With my schedule, working at a job like I have and with a family, it’s a really big help to be able to do this online at my pace when I have time to do it,” Hattaway told WJLE.
Hattaway has worked for the THP, a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety for almost eleven years. She began as a Communications Operator 1 dispatcher, before advancing to Operator 2 status a year later.
She is one of only two Department of Safety (THP) employees to receive this scholarship in the Cookeville District. Similar scholarships were also made available to employees in the other THP districts across the state.
In addition to her work and studies, Hattaway is active in her community having been a leader in forming a neighborhood watch program in the Seven Springs area. “I am very proud of that. I came up with the idea after coming home from work one night and finding some people in my yard at eleven o’clock. I also knew there are elderly people in our community that live alone so that concern for the safety of my neighbors is what led me to the idea (Neighborhood Watch). Plus I wanted to be involved in the community and have our neighbors know each other,” said Hattaway.
Bethel is a private, 4-year institution affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Located in McKenzie, Tennessee, Bethel also has satellite campuses in Jackson, Clarksville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis and Paris.