Share Shande King of Knoxville, Tennessee, is not your typical math teacher. A current graduate student, he is working on his sixth degree—and his fifth from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Self-described as a lifelong learner, King found a passion for both math and French in high school and decided to pursue both at the collegiate level. While many universities encouraged him to choose one discipline, UT allowed him to study both, and thus began a decade-long bond between King and the university. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I loved helping others learn and I really liked school, so I decided to pursue a career that married the two,” King said. “While I was learning French, I recognized the value in it. I approached it very methodically, like a puzzle to decipher.”