Becoming Carolina History

Saniyya Adams ’23 was born into a family of Tar Heel fans, and on May 14, she’ll become the first among them to earn a degree from the University.

Adams, a graduating business administration major, was raised in upstate New York, but her father’s family is from North Carolina, and she grew up watching Carolina sports with her family. UNC-Chapel Hill was always her dream school. In 2019, she became the first official Tar Heel in her family.

Adams came to the University as a Carolina Covenant Scholar, a scholarship program that covers the full financial need of its students through grants, scholarships and work-study. The program also offers academic and personal support to help students feel at home at Carolina and graduate on time.

As a Tar Heel, Adams joined the student advisory council for the Covenant where she found her group at Carolina that she’s still friends with today and found a way to give back to the program.

A highlight of Adams’ work with the Covenant was a scholarship donor brunch last fall at the Carolina Inn. She met one of the donors who contributed to a scholarship she directly benefited from and had the opportunity to thank them in person.

“It was nice to meet someone who made it possible for me to come to Carolina and tell them what I’ve accomplished here and how my being at Carolina is making an impact, and that’s because of them,” said Adams.

On May 14, Adams’ family will come to Chapel Hill to watch her become a Carolina alumna and take the next step into her career at Bank of America.

“I’m not big on traditions, but I’ve enjoyed becoming part of Carolina’s history, and I’m going to miss it and the family I made through Covenant,” said Adams.

Read the complete Carolina Story…

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