Knoxville graduate gets 'a leg up' with a new suit: 'It's a blessing'

Trevon Covington is a recent graduate of Tennessee Tech who is about to start applying for graduate schools. Now, he has a new suit to do it in.

Marc Burnett, vice president for student affairs, started a program several years ago to buy suits for graduating students. Burnett works with the men's clothing store Jos. A. Banks and buys suits for recent graduates out of his own pocket. 

"To me, it's a blessing," Covington said of his new suit. "College students, we're broke. You can't just pick any given day and go buy a suit."

Burnett met Covington through the Man-Up program at Tennessee Tech, which started as a way for male African-American students to "get together and talk culturally about things going on in society today," he said.

Now, Man-Up has expanded to include men of all races and ethnicities, and a group for female students has started as well. Burnett said Covington stood out because he was "very well-mannered, very conscientious and very bright."

Covington also worked in the Multicultural Affairs office, which Burnett oversees.

"He was always very kind," Burnett said. "And you always want to help propel those students forward."

Burnett said he typically buys suits for three or four graduates each semester to recognize their hard work and congratulate them on their graduation.

"It's real personal, but it's been a way to give back," Burnett said. 

Covington and Burnett met at Jos. A. Banks in Knoxville on Thursday morning, where Covington picked out and was fitted for his suit. 

"Trevon has just been a great young man," Burnett said. 

Covington said he feels like having a suit to wear to graduate school and job interviews will give him a leg up over other applicants. 

"Anytime you go into an interview, you want to look the part," Covington said. "It gives you an advantage over others applying."

Covington was born and raised in Knoxville and attended L&N STEM Academy. He graduated from Tennessee Tech in December with a degree in biology and a focus on zoology. He said he wants to attend graduate school and study animal behavior or primatology and "conduct natural observations of African non-human primates."

"A lot of our knowledge comes from studying animal behaviors," Covington said, adding he specifically wanted to study mountain gorillas of Central Africa to observe their behavior. 

Covington said he was very thankful for the suit and for Burnett, Assistant Vice President of Multicultural Affairs Robert Owens and the men in the Man-Up program for their help while he was at Tennessee Tech. 

"The people that I've fellowshipped with over the three and a half years have really helped me grow into the person I am today," Covington said.