3 consecutive years of torchbearers for the Herbert College of Agriculture

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee, Knoxville, leadership surprised senior food science student Alice-Grace Beavers last week with the 2026 Torchbearer Award, the highest honor for a UT student.

Keith Carver, senior vice chancellor and senior vice president for the UT Institute of Agriculture; Byron Hughes, assistant vice chancellor for student life and dean of students; John Stier, associate dean for academic programs in the Herbert College of Agriculture, and others surprise Alice-Grace Beavers with a 2026 Torchbearer Award.

From Athens, Tennessee, Beavers will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in food science with a concentration in medicine and a minor in pre-health professions. In addition to being named a Torchbearer, she is a Peyton Manning Scholar, a Haslam Leadership Scholar, and a Distinguished Tennessean Scholarship recipient.

Beavers has served in several leadership roles on campus, including president of the UT Medical Center Ambassadors and vice president of philanthropy for Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She is a UT campus ambassador, a Herbert College of Agriculture ambassador, a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research Advocacy, a student alumni associate for the Office of Alumni Relations, a member of the Food Science Club, and a reviewer for UT’s undergraduate research journal, Pursuit.

A Volunteer through and through, Beavers has also served in UT’s Student Government Association and has completed volunteer work with Meals on Wheels, Love Kitchen and the UT Medical Center.

This is the third year in a row that a Herbert College of Agriculture student has been named a Torchbearer. Animal science alumna Genesis Nolan was a 2025 Torchbearer, and agricultural leadership, education, and communications alumna Carragan Fields received the award in 2024.

The nine 2026 Torchbearer awardees and their areas of study are:

• Marlena Alexander, materials science and engineering
• Alice-Grace Beavers, food science
• Sana Boghani, communication studies
• Emily Giacini, social work
• Hannah Haston, management
• Justin Henley, computer science and neuroscience
• Jerome Jarjoura, neuroscience and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine
• Jourdan “J.T.” Thomas, sport management
• Marlon Tully, psychology

“Alice-Grace represents the very best of the Herbert College of Agriculture, where she is an exceptional scholar who combines academic excellence, outstanding leadership and a genuine dedication to improving lives,” said David White, dean of the Herbert College of Agriculture. “This honor is especially meaningful to us as she is the third consecutive student from our college to receive this distinction, an exceptional reflection of the strength of our students and programs.”

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. Utia.tennessee.edu.

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