Back Row: John Hughes, Joshua Brisette, Sylar Jolly, Alejandro Jaramillo, Kai Courtney, Devin King, Aurielle Chain, Xander Tarrant
Third Row: Jack Turner, Molly Fleming, Savannah Greenhaw, Emily Sanchez, Ellie McCabe, Jaleeya McDowell, Genesis Lee
Second Row: Carson Braccini, Zayne Roberts, Maliki Lee, Parker Simms, Spencer Carnes, Giovanny Fields, Meko Moss
Bottom/Front Row: Dale Wilson, Keon White, Ayden Price, Alan Philipose, Lucas Parratt, Ben Osterberg
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BlueCross) and East Tennessee State University (ETSU) celebrated the fourth class of students committing to the BlueSky Tennessee Institute at the program’s annual Signing Day event on Cameron Hill, bringing the total number of students to 90. This year, the crowd of supporters and volunteers included members of BlueSky’s inaugural class, who graduated in December 2024 and are now full-time employees of the BlueCross enterprise information technology division.
BlueSky Institute is a workforce development initiative providing BlueCross a pipeline of the advanced technology talent needed to serve its members and business customers in communities throughout Tennessee. Students experience a tailored, accelerated version of ETSU’s accredited Computing curriculum and gain real-world experience through a series of internships in BlueCross tech divisions. They have professional mentoring and comprehensive support from BlueCross along the way, all on site at the company’s Chattanooga headquarters. Program graduates can earn a job offer with the company following graduation. BlueSky Institute adds roughly 30 students each fall, and the total headcount of students and alumni is up to 117.
“It’s been really exciting to see our first graduates come aboard as successful full-time BlueCross employees – it’s a tight-knit group, and many have stepped into a mentoring role as the program continues to grow,” said Bradley Leon, BlueSky Institute’s executive director. “We know our newest students will benefit from what we’ve all learned since launching this program in 2022, and we’ll continue to enhance various elements as we move forward.”
Members of the newest cohort appreciated the warm welcome.
“I do know a few BlueSky people already, so it’s been really nice to connect and learn about the program ahead of committing,” said Emily Sanchez, one of the incoming students. “I’m so excited to learn more about a field that I’m really interested in, alongside so many new people who have similar interests and are equally driven.”
The fourth class was chosen from the most competitive set of applicants to date, representing more than a dozen schools from across the greater Chattanooga area. They will begin their studies on the BlueCross Cameron Hill campus in late summer.
“We are so pleased to see the continued growth of this program, and we look forward to supporting the newest BlueSky Institute students as they start their journey with us in August,” said Dr. Tony Pittarese, professor and dean of the College of Business and Technology at ETSU.