KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville educator-in-training is among the guests who will join first lady Jill Biden on Tuesday night during the annual State of the Union Address.
Dion Dykes met Biden in September when she and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona stopped in Knoxville at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy as part of their Road to Success Back to School Bus Tour.
The stop highlighted how school systems in Tennessee like Knox County Schools are recruiting and training second-career educators for the classroom.
Dykes is a participant in Tennessee's "Grow Your Own" effort to create new teacher pipelines.
Dykes sat down with Biden, Cardona and others during their visit. He worked about 25 years in graphic design and he's originally from Newport. His father, the late Roland Dykes Jr., was the longtime mayor of Newport and his brother Roland Dykes III is the current mayor of Newport.
Grow Your Own is a Registered Apprenticeship program in the state.
"Approved by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2022 with support from the American Rescue Plan, Tennessee’s teacher Registered Apprenticeship programs have helped the state establish no-cost pathways to the teaching profession," the White House statement announcing his attendance states.
Dykes is working on getting a master's degree from Lincoln Memorial University. He's in LMU's Master of Education Initial Licensure program, according to LMU.
Guests who have been invited to join Jill Biden in hearing President Joe Biden's annual address to Congress were picked because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the president in his speech or because they embody the administration's policies.
Other guests who will watch the speech in the first lady's box include musician Bono and Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
