Henry Whitty Returns to the Classroom and Finds His Fit at Nashville State

Henry Whitty, originally from Louisiana, moved to Nashville with his wife in 2020.

After attending college right out of high school but not finding the right fit, he never completed his studies. Now, in his first semester at Nashville State, Whitty says he’s found the right place.

"I didn’t have a lot of guidance then and something in me always regretted not finishing,” Whitty said. 

After building a good career in the food service industry, the Covid-19 pandemic led Whitty to reflect on what he wanted next.

“It gave me a lot of time to reflect,” Whitty said. “During that time, I was looking at different possibilities and started looking at computer networking, and I’ve always been curious about how things like that work, and I think that planted the seed.”

“I came across the Tennessee Reconnect program…and started looking at the possibilities of going back. And I made the leap and said I’m going to try this out.”

After further research on what the Reconnect grant provides, he applied for it in August 2025, and after taking a Career Assessment and Interest Test through the Nashville State website, he was able to gain information and ideas of what to study.

“It [Nashville State’s Career Assessment] gives you a recommendation for different degrees and helps map out a pathway of what that looks like. That helped and was a really cool resource.”

“The day before fall enrollment ended, I was able to sign up for my classes,” Whitty said. “I definitely didn’t expect to be enrolled this semester.”

Now that he’s enrolled, Whitty is pursuing a degree in Information Technology with a focus on Cybersecurity.

“I was apprehensive because it’s been a decade or so since I’ve been in the classroom, but everyone has made it very approachable,” Whitty said. “I haven’t felt out of place at all.”

“One of the most comforting things about being at Nashville State is everything feels like a one-on-one interaction and you’re not just a number,” Whitty said.

Whitty has combined his passion to learn how things work with the technical training provided at Nashville State. “All the stuff you learn (in the world of IT and Cyber Security) is fascinating Whitty said.

“Right now, I’m just focused on building on the fundamentals and taking advantage of all the resources that are out there.”

Even at this early stage of his college journey, Whitty said he is exploring potential internship opportunities and connections through Nashville State to further develop his new skills and interests.

“I feel very fortunate. The possibilities are better than I could imagine,” Whitty said. “It’s really like a dream come true that it’s all coming together.”

** Photo courtesy of Henry Whitty