Eleven students honored at Turnaround Achievement Awards 

Eleven students honored at Turnaround Achievement Awards 

The Daily Times 

By Shanon Adame 

April 25, 2025 

 

Life for teenagers can be hard, and sometimes they experience struggles while in school. Friday morning, school administrators, staff, government officials and families came together to celebrate students who have overcome their struggles and turned their trajectory around at the annual Blount County Turnaround Awards. 

Eleven students from all three school districts were honored at the event, which was held at the Capitol Theatre. 

Judge David Duggan was the event’s keynote speaker. 

 

“We all want children to be loved and to grow up with the unhampered ability to learn and to succeed, but sometimes that isn’t the case and through no fault of the child, but that’s when we have to love more and work more together,” Duggan said. 

Stories of transformation dominated the morning as teachers talked about students who had struggled with grades, behavior, absences and caring about their academics, and the significant changes they made to turn around and succeed. 

A few students spoke after their teachers and administrators listed their accomplishments. 

Heritage Middle School student Xavier Graham expressed his appreciation for the teachers who believed in him and his family for giving him motivation. He said that if he were a teacher, he wouldn’t judge a student for bad grades and would want to believe in them. 

Maryville High School student Samia Manuel Garcia thanked her teachers and family. 

“I never imagined myself being up here in front of so many important people, listening to my accomplishments,” said Garcia, who earned a certification in early childhood education while attending school and working a part-time job. 

While all 11 students had inspirational stories of overcoming adversity and achieving personal growth, perhaps the most powerful story was that of William Blount High School’s Ethyn Hilliard, introduced by Air Force Junior ROTC Col. Carmella Lawson. 

“Life situations are typically not a choice for children, and this was certainly the case for Ethyn,” Lawson said. 

At 5 years old, Hilliard was placed in the foster care system, where Lawson said he bounced from home to home before ending up with his permanent family at 13 years old. 

He was separated from his four siblings for seven years. 

“Before coming to Blount County Schools as a middle school student, he had been in family situations that were not conducive to the success of children and bore the scars of that on his heart and mind,” Lawson told the audience. 

Those scars, Lawson said, turned into anger, resentment, a lack of confidence and, most importantly, pain. These feelings overwhelmed Hilliard so much that he had to enter an intensive behavioral intervention program. 

“While his words screamed, ‘I don’t care,’ there was still light and even spirit that said, ‘please don’t give up on me,’” Lawson said. 

Once he received the support he needed, Hilliard started to process what Lawson called very difficult emotions and thoughts. He was able to accept help and learned to give and accept grace. 

Lawson said that at the end of middle school, a teacher told Hilliard she would fight for him to have a fresh start without the label “behavior problem” if he would keep fighting for himself. His first year at WBHS was the first time Hilliard was placed in all general education classes since fourth grade. 

Hilliard joined the WBHS AFJROTC program. 

Lawson explained that when new cadets enter the ROTC program in ninth grade, they come in with a clean slate. She did not know about Hilliard’s hardships. 

“I set a bar for excellence, and I simply expect the cadets to meet that bar. Ethyn met that bar and leapt over it in the four years that he has been in our program,” Lawson said. 

Lawson told the audience that Hilliard has been in the WBHS Air Force Junior ROTC program for all four years of high school and has been an outstanding leader in class and school. 

She said Hilliard is ranked No. 1 out of 131 cadets, achieving academic success and leadership abilities. Hilliard has logged more than 580 hours in after-school programs and more than 322 hours of community service, the most in the program. He also led the school’s Veterans Day program this year. 

Lawson said Hilliard’s goal is to serve in the Air Force and become a pilot. 

After speaking about Hilliard’s many achievements, Lawson said, “This is a young man who has truly turned his life around and to the right direction, and I’m excited to hear about all the wonderful adventures and successes I’m sure his future holds.” 

The Turnaround Awards are sponsored by Costner and Greene attorneys. 

 

Award Recipients

Award Recipients

Marvin Watson (Alcoa Middle School)

Grayson Bowman (Carpenters Middle School)

Xavier Graham (Heritage Middle School)

Josias Manga (Union Grove Middle School)

Santiago Gomez Xocol (Eagleton College & Career Academy)

Brooklin Shipp (Maryville Junior High School)

Ehtyn Hilliard (William Blount High School)

Lyla Hughes (Eagleton College & Career Academy)

Neviah Jackson (Alcoa High School)

Jackson Fuller (Heritage High School)

Samia Manuel Garcia (Maryville High School)