Whether it’s wiffle ball, cornhole, or basketball, Wayne and Kody Parsons love competing against each other. Why should anything change between the father and son when it comes to pursuing a master’s degree?
Wayne, 47, and Kody, 26, both enrolled in the online Engineering Management master’s program through the Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering in 2024. They are on schedule to graduate together this spring, and the race to see who performed better will come right down to the finish.
“It’s always back and forth between us about what grade did you get on your homework and how did you do on this test or whose GPA is better,” Kody said. “It will probably bethe difference of whether someone makes an A or A-minus or a B-plus on the final. It’s going to be something pretty close.”
Wayne and Kody both work in facilities services at UT. Wayne is the director of maintenance repair and Kody is an HVAC specialist under utilities and energy. They both previously worked at the Y-12 National Security Complex before joining the UT staff.
Kody was the first one to express interest in the ISE online degree. He played two seasons of baseball at Tabor College in Kansas while studying biochemistry but decided to transfer because the school didn’t have an engineering program. Having grown up a Vols fan since his parents are both from West Tennessee, Kody immediately thought of UT.
“I heard a lot about how good their engineering program is, and I always wanted to attend UT,” Kody said. “But it wasn’t as easy to transfer credits wise because I was coming from an out-of-state college, so I actually pursued a chemistry degree at UT for my bachelor’s.”
Once he obtained his chemistry degree, Kody began exploring his options in engineering and discovered the ISE program. He told his dad about his plans and learned his dadhad considering doing the same.
Wayne spent 26 years in the Air Force in civil engineering, including the last few as a group superintendent of heavy construction units across the country. His grandparents lived in Knoxville, and Wayne grew up visiting them and attending UT events.
“I’m a heavy equipment operator by trade, but as you move up, you’re doing construction and maintenance and everything else,” Wayne said. “I’ve been around the engineering side of things since I was 18, and I wanted the degree and I wanted to be a Tennessee alumnus, as corny as it may sound.”
‘Badge of honor’
Wayne and Kody have taken the same classes for their master’s degrees until this semester when Kody took design of experiments and Wayne took organizationalcommunications/strategic leadership and culture.
“But there was a no sharing of information, because it is a competition, and I’m going to win,” Wayne said. “Some days he’ll just blow me out of water with something, and I’mlike, ‘What? What did I do wrong?’ And then some days I beat him and he’s doing the same thing.”
Kody has already started pursuing his PhD at UT in civil and environmental engineering with his long-term professional goals still taking shape.
“I don’t know exactly the path right now, but I know that equipping myself with more knowledge and credentials can help open doors later,” Kody said. “I’m trying to keep opportunities floating around and pre-emptively making sure I have all the education needed to find a great career.”
Kody has taken inspiration from how hard his father worked on his college degrees while holding full-time jobs and raising a family.
“We’re tough on each other, but I am proud of him because I was there whenever he was still trying to do his project management degree as a bachelor’s online while working full time and taking care of us,” Kody said. “I never would have thought that he would have pursued the master’s, yet alone the same one as me.”
Wayne takes pride in seeing how much Kody has matured over the years and how dedicated he’s been to his college studies.
“Coming from the kid that was wondering if he was going to survive in life as a young teenager to getting a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, finishing his master’s degree, and getting a PhD in engineering, how awesome is that?” Wayne said. “People ask me, ‘What does your son do? I’m like, ‘Well, he’s a chemist,’ and everybody’s like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ That’s definitely a badge of honor.”
Wayne, who’s given first name is Kerry, and Kody will have several family members traveling to Knoxville for the spring commencement ceremony to see them walk across the stage. It will be a joyful family milestone and the final determination of bragging rights.
“I think we’ll be right beside each other,” Wayne said. “But I should be first if you go by alphabetical order, just like my GPA.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])