Every summer, the Carolina Center for Public Service partners with nonprofit and government organizations to provide internship opportunities for Carolina undergraduates who want to serve the state.
The SECU Public Fellows Intern Program, started at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2020, pairs students with local leadership in paid internships to gain professional experience while benefiting rural North Carolina communities.
This summer, Nyjah King ’24 partnered with Kinston Teens, a youth-led nonprofit in Kinston, North Carolina.
King, who grew up less than 30 minutes from Kinston, was excited to work in a community similar to her own and partner with alumnus Chris Suggs ’21, who founded Kinston Teens as a high school student in 2014 and returned to his hometown to make a difference after graduating from Carolina.
“This is our eighth year, and we’ve really grown into an organization that is at the forefront of responding to a lot of timely issues,” Suggs said. “From the COVID-19 pandemic to hurricanes or flooding, we’re right there organizing volunteers, helping folks evacuate or assisting people with groceries and household goods.”
King helped lead engagement efforts to build Kinston Teens’ membership and volunteer base and organize community events.
“This has been a really great experience,” King said. “I think it’s taught me a lot of openness and humility, and I’ve learned how to get to know other people and how best to help the community. I’ve been able to work directly with the community and see the changes we’re making, like the street clean-ups. One person can only do so much, but when the whole community gathers together and works on several blocks, you can see how it makes such a difference.”
Read the full Q&A with Nyjah King and Chris Suggs…
Photo courtesy of Kingston Teens
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The Writing and Learning Center provides personalized academic coaching and resources to help students succeed. Programs include both writing and academic coaching, peer tutoring, study groups, test prep, online resources, English language support and more. On its oft-visited website, the center offers advice on common writing and studying challenges, such as thesis statements, the use of passive voice and how to deal with procrastination.
Private support for the Writing and Learning Center during the Campaign for Carolina has the potential to impact every student. Donors during the campaign laid the groundwork to relocate the center from the southern end of UNC’s campus to the centrally located Robert B. House Undergraduate Library.
“The Writing and Learning Center provides personalized academic support that matches the rigor of UNC, and we seek to meet students where they are,” said Kim Abels, director of the Writing and Learning Center. “We are grateful to the library for this partnership, which will give students access to services in one convenient spot.”
Mike and Laura Grace gave the first gift to set up a relocation fund in 2018. The Graces became acquainted with the center during their son Patrick’s first-year orientation. Patrick graduated in 2019, but Laura Grace continues to serve on the center’s advisory board.
“A large population of UNC students, no matter their major or level of academic performance, uses these services,” she said in 2019. “We’re in a diverse learning and cultural environment, and there’s nothing more important than improving how we communicate, being open to others and appreciating our strengths and weaknesses.”
Michael Stutts ’02, a donor and member of the center’s advisory board, has also supported the relocation fund and is dedicated to building awareness of the center’s comprehensive services.
“I want every student who goes to UNC to get the same enriching experience that I did,” he said. “I’m passionate about creating that boost for people who need it.”
Read the complete Carolina Story…"
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Chris Hall ’23 took a low point in his life and turned it into something positive, all in memory of his mother, Lynn, who died of triple negative breast cancer in 2018 at age 47. With a head for business and a drive to help others, Hall is working with the North Carolina Basnight Cancer Hospital to help fund a Parenting with Cancer Clinic through the hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Support Program.
CCSP provides support to patients and their families, from diagnosis to treatment and into survivorship, and its goal is to help families just like Hall’s.
Hall, a business major who graduated in spring, has already put his business savvy to work, amassing more than $1.5 million in sales from his online enterprises, monetizing advertising on his social media channels and selling those for a profit — all to keep a promise he made to his mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“She was declared in remission when I was in eighth grade, and it sparked a little fire,” he said. “It made me think a little bit. I promised myself that I’d pay off her mortgage before I’m 25.”
After his mother passed, Hall wanted to find a way to repurpose his goal. He created the Lynn Hall Parenting with Cancer Clinic Fund to honor her.
The clinic’s mission is twofold: 1) to help cancer patients with minor children talk to their children openly and honestly about their cancer; and 2) to help with legal issues that can accompany cancer, such as end-of-life decisions, wills, trusts and custody agreements.
“Putting your affairs in order does not mean giving up hope. It’s a gift to your family to have a plan. Rather than worrying about what might happen, patients can have peace of mind that their families will be taken care of,” said Cindy Rogers, director of patient assistance at CCSP.
Read more about the Parenting with Cancer Clinic…"
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“Chineka is a wonderful, hardworking and deserving employee,” wrote one of the many people who nominated residence hall housekeeper Chineka Stanley for a C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award. “She is always here, bright and early.”
“Bright and early” is especially fitting, given that Stanley typically arrives before her student residents wake and lifts their spirits with a personality that shines.
Employed by UNC-Chapel Hill for nearly five years, Stanley maintains and cleans the Lewis and Everett residence halls off Raleigh Street, not far from the Coker Arboretum. She transforms the residential spaces each day with careful attention and hard work to ensure everything is in good shape and to care for the residents.
In addition to being a positive presence for students, Stanley also supports her fellow housekeepers by filling in for others when they are unable to come to work. During the pandemic, she took on extra work as other housekeepers left their jobs, and she banded with coworkers to advocate for better wages.
The C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award recognizes Carolina employees each year who have unusual, meritorious or superior contributions to the campus community. It is one of the most prestigious distinctions available for faculty and staff. Winners are selected through a campus-wide nomination process, and each winner receives a $10,000 stipend and an award citation. Among Stanley’s nominators were 37 of the buildings’ current and former residents and four resident advisers.
“I do think that most housekeepers get overlooked,” said Stanley. “For someone to even notice my work, it means a lot. So, to be nominated and to actually win this award just for being myself and doing what I like to do is huge.”
Read the complete Carolina Story…"
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