First lady Jill Biden invites Knoxville teacher to State of the Union address

Areena Arora, Knoxville News Sentinel
·1 min read
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Knoxville's Dion Dykes, an education assistant for intervention at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy, will be among first lady Jill Biden's guests for tonight's State of the Union address.

Dykes met Biden last year when she visited the school in Knoxville. Biden, a teacher herself, met with Knoxville educators to hear about their challenges and also held a rally at the University of Tennessee to encourage future teachers to stay committed to their chosen profession.

Dykes is training to become a teacher through Tennessee's registered apprenticeship program, a pathway supported by the state's Grow Your Own initiative. The initiative is designed to help bolster Tennessee's teacher ranks by providing a no-cost pathway to being an educator.

Dion Dykes, an education assistant at Sarah Moore Greene elementary school, is invited to the first lady's box for the State of the Union address.
Dion Dykes, an education assistant at Sarah Moore Greene elementary school, is invited to the first lady's box for the State of the Union address.

Dykes, who worked in graphic design before education, told the first lady about his journey during a small panel discussion on her trip.

Dykes graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1985. He has worked in education for 14 years, according to a release from Lincoln Memorial University.

Also in attendance at the speech will be the parents of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old skateboarder and FedEx employee killed last month by Memphis police.

Dion Dykes sits with the first lady at a roundtable discussion in Knoxville last year.
Dion Dykes sits with the first lady at a roundtable discussion in Knoxville last year.

The president is expected to discuss police brutality in the wake of Nichols' death in addition to proposing ways that Democrats and Republicans can cooperate on issues such as the federal budget and the economy. This will be the second State of the Union address of Biden's presidency, USA TODAY reported.

The State of the Union address is scheduled for tonight at 9.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AreenaArora.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: First lady Jill Biden invites Knoxville teacher to State of the Union