By Anna Trevathan, Editor, with photos by Sophie Perrins, Photo Editor
Imaginary Gardens had the privilege of attending Pellissippi State Community College’s “Our Vision in Gold” Gala, a fundraising event celebrating 50 years of the campus being open. The gala was a true success, raising more than half a million dollars in support of the college. A large portion of that support is thanks to a grant by the Arconic Foundation, which will be directed towards the creation of a state-of-the-art Mechanical Engineering Center at the Hardin Valley Campus. Contributions otherwise given throughout the night were earmarked for direct student support.
Let’s take a further look at the evening to see what made the event such a success.
6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
The gala was hosted in downtown Knoxville at the Mill & Mine, which had been completely redecorated in Pellissippi State’s signature blue and gold colors. Along with internal decorations of the space, the outdoor area of the venue was remarkably transformed; there was a comfy seating area next to a bar that featured signature cocktails for the night, and the lawn was covered in people talking, catching up, or otherwise networking. Pellissippi State also offered valet parking to ALL attendees (including yours truly) and I cannot even express how excited I was to not have to parallel park my car in heels.
I really enjoyed seeing the mix of people waiting in lines to get the drinks, and getting to notice firsthand the way that the uppercrest of society all seems intertwined. Throughout the night this was something that held true; it was as if with wealth no one is truly a stranger.
While I was grateful to be in this type of space as a first-generation student, this opening section of the evening was when I truly realized that the night would be a passport into a different part of the world that I had not experienced prior. As the night continued, I understood more and more that the gala was not solely a celebration of the past, but a meeting ground for the success of the future. I was acutely aware of how little I knew when it came to interacting professionally in the way that other attendees were.
Something particularly fascinating to me about many of the attendees was the way they had dressed for the occasion, with men in tailored suits (mostly blue, to their credit) and women in the most spectacular cocktail/evening dresses.
My shining moment from this cocktail hour was the hors d’oeuvres created by Pellissippi State’s Hospitality Management Program. By far my favorite was a watermelon cube with a dollop of feta cheese and a sprinkle of tajin, but they were all magnificent.
During this hour, I had the pleasure of meeting Daesya Parker, a Tennessee Achieves coach who helps ensure students with the Tennessee Promise scholarship get their degree. She shared a lot of excitement about the event, stating, “It really closes the gap when like minded people come together to make sure they get the education they need. When people that have access to wealth and power come together like this we can’t lose. It benefits our students.” She was incredibly down to earth, and seemed as star struck by the event as I was.
7:00 PM Dinner
Pellissippi State also provided dinner and desserts at the gala, created by the college’s Culinary Arts Program. They started the meal with a salad and a delicious citrus vinaigrette, followed by the main course – an incredible roast with various veggies. The desserts were my favorite, as they featured some serious attention to detail. They were all bite sized, and one even had a hardened chocolate shell on the outside of it. This chocolate shell contained one perfect cool whip swirl and a hardened decorative piece of chocolate on top. A magnificent meal thanks to the Culinary Arts students.
7:30 PM Special Presentation
While the attendees continued eating, there were presentations by Dr. Anthony Wise and Louis Ray Valenzuela discussing Pellissippi State’s past and future.
Dr. Wise’s speech, “Looking Back, Looking Forward” held many moments that showed his care and passion towards Pellissippi State students. This was shown when he discussed the institutions deep care for students, explaining,
“In the conversations I have had with those who were [around in the formative years of Pellissippi State] it is obvious that the founding faculty and staff of this institution care deeply for their students, hope that those students would find good positions with local business and industry, and work hard to support the economic growth of the region – [I am] very proud of what we have done in our first 50 years of Pellissippi State. I am equally excited about the opportunities that are before us as we look forward to the next 50 years.”
While Dr. Wise seemed to be very focused on the institutional accomplishments of Pellissippi State in the last 50 years, Valenzuela reminded the attendees of the accomplishments that can happen in only a few years.
In a speech that was nothing short of profound and excellent, Valenzuela’s presentation was an incredible homage to everything that this college can do for someone when they need it the most; Pellissippi State’s ability to be human and caring to all students was on display in every word he spoke. He introduced himself as a low-income, resilient and self-starting student, sharing an intimate story about his family and the struggles they faced when his wife became pregnant with a baby that had a tumor on her heart. The surgery to remove the tumor was an expensive out-of-state operation that had to be done while she was still in the womb. He described his feelings in that moment, saying,
“I had no choice but to leave school… I thought my education was over – but Pellissippi State had something different for me. The Pellissippi Foundation stepped in at my lowest moment making it possible for me to continue my education – Pellissippi State is the very definition of community.”
His story of resilience and triumph was inspiring, and, of course, reminded the attendees what they were truly bidding for.
8:00 PM Live Auction
The evening’s auction, hosted by the phenomenal Dino Cartwright, was incredible to witness. Cartwright had that classic southern auctioneer speed and voice; itfelt like he was able to get the last possible dollar on every item. Everything auctioned for the night was donated for the event, allowing Pellissippi State to put the full profits towards their students and further development of the college’s campuses.
The wonderful Carrie Poteat volunteered to advertise every item before they went up for auction; she was very eager to discuss the monetary benefits that would come from an event like this, stating that she “got involved in the committee to be more involved and help students get the scholarships they need.”
She broke down the auction items one by one to me, and I will list the items and the prices they went for here:
- Elegant At-Home Dining: A luxurious four course gourmet dinner for ten at your own home, prepared by Pellissippi State’s own Culinary Arts department, $5,600
- Ultimate Cleveland Brown Experience: Four premium game tickets, field passes, up close access to the stadium and a helmet signed by defensive end Myles Garrett, $3,600
- Exclusive Custom Bourbon Experience: Craft your own bourbon with distiller Jeff Arnett, including: a guided tasting and 60 custom bottles embossed with your name, $5,800
- Exclusive Flatrock Motorsports Club Experience: A train with a Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne at a Flatrock Motorclub and take home a signed race helmet, $3,700
- Grand Slam Experience: Experience the owner’s suite at a 2025 Knoxville Smokies game including ballpark fare and drinks for 30 guests, $5,500
After auctioning each of these items, they held a paddle raising for the first-generation scholarship; rather than bidding for an experience, attendees donated out of support and community. This is where the majority of fundraising went down, as anyone in the audience could bid as high as $5,000 and as low as $100.
The auction was an exhilarating experience for me, even though the items started at the price that I pay for rent; admittedly, it was another reminder of just how outside of this societal loop that I am. The amounts spent were so jaw-dropping to me, even knowing that the contributions were towards the college.
8:30 PM Entertainment
To wrap the evening up there was an incredible performance by the Julius Blue Catastrophe, whose frontman was himself an alumnus of Pellissippi State. It was really unfortunate that he was there to wrap up the event, as many people were packing up and leaving during his set. As for us, we stayed and enjoyed the music and his magnificent performance.
