Barry Frederick ’22 knew he wanted to go to college. During high school in Cameron, North Carolina, he researched his options, paying close attention to U.S. News & World Report rankings, among other factors.
“Carolina was the best value overall,” he said. “Price was a major factor in my coming here, because although my family would love to help, they are not in a position to help.”
Barry was born at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where his father was stationed at the time. His parents split when he was a toddler. He and his mom moved to Cameron to be closer to his family.
While still in high school, Barry realized he had a passion for political science, policy and related topics. He researched summer programs for high school students and found one at Georgetown University focusing on international relations. He applied, got in and received a scholarship that covered half of the tuition. His father agreed to pay the balance.
“I always had an interest in history and international relations,” he said. “During the program, in addition to classwork, we took trips around Washington, D.C., to places that were tied to what we were learning. We visited a few embassies and the European Union delegation. I enjoyed seeing some of what D.C. has to offer.”
When it came to selecting a university, though, Barry knew he had to find somewhere closer to home. His father declined to share his G.I. benefits with Barry, and Barry accepted that. It clarified his process and his decision.
“My focus shifted from ‘how am I getting there?’ to finding and applying for aid,” Barry said. “I’ve never wanted to depend that much on others, so in asking for help, I feel nervous, anxious about it because I’m not used to it. I won’t ask for help unless it’s my last resort. I’m trying to switch that, because I know people want to help and sometime it’s people’s jobs to help.”
He learned he was admitted to Carolina and that he would receive the Carolina Covenant Scholarship. Later, he found out that because of his father’s military service, he would become one of the first Vetter Military Family Scholars.
“I’m grateful that I got help from the Vetter Scholarship, even though my father and I don’t have a strong connection,” Barry said. “There isn’t just one kind of military family, and I’m hoping that others can relate to that.”
Still in his first semester at Carolina, Barry is a member of the color guard in the Marching Tar Heels. He’s exploring all that the University has to offer, and honing his academic choices. “I would like to work in political science or policy,” he said. “I’m still figuring it out.”
Barry was named as a Vetter Military Family Scholar in Fall 2018 and is supported by the Red, White and Carolina Blue Challenge.
array(3) {
[0]=>
object(WP_Post)#8478 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(6201)
["post_author"]=>
string(2) "18"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2021-10-20 16:48:09"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2021-10-20 16:48:09"
["post_content"]=>
string(1348) "
Carolina is routinely ranked among the best values in education. As the nation’s first public university, providing access to an affordable education is in the DNA of the University.
There may be no better example of that mission in action than the Carolina Covenant, which helps Tar Heels graduate debt-free and make an impact in their communities.
“By combining significant financial aid and other resources with the power of community, the covenant creates a bridge across the barriers our low-income students face in higher education,” said Candice Powell ’06, ’21 (Ph.D.), who has served as the director of the program since 2019.
“I am so proud to be part of an effort that has helped more than 10,000 students come to Carolina — a place that I love and that helped shape me, my sister, and my closest friends — to graduate without the kind of debt that may hinder their ability to apply the skills they gained in college to make our world a better place.”
To learn more about the Carolina Covenant and its impacts, read the complete Carolina Story…"
["post_title"]=>
string(17) "A Stronger Future"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(78) "Candice Powell shares how the Carolina Covenant scholarship is changing lives."
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(17) "a-stronger-future"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2021-10-20 16:48:09"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2021-10-20 16:48:09"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(31) "https://stories.unc.edu/?p=6201"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
[1]=>
object(WP_Post)#8482 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(5575)
["post_author"]=>
string(2) "18"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2020-05-19 20:07:29"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2020-05-19 20:07:29"
["post_content"]=>
string(1784) "
Graduate student, CJ Hacker `20 (M.S.O.T.), had to quickly surrender her planned timeline for the future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With everything happening at once, with my degree completion postponed and my husband’s job insecurity, we had to be really nimble really quickly,” said CJ. “We’re in a holding pattern right now.”
Noting the precarious situations of students similar to CJ, the occupational therapy program within the UNC School of Medicine advertised the recently developed Carolina Student Impact Fund, which was established this spring to provide support for Carolina students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon CJ’s application, a portion of the Carolina Student Impact Fund has been allocated to CJ and her family for storage purposes as they wait to move forward in obtaining job security.
“The financial provision with regards to storage was both helpful and stress-relieving and we are so grateful,” said CJ. “I went to a small school for undergrad so Carolina was a really big shift for me. To feel so cared for by such a large institution and to be supported by both my program and people I’ve never even met is such a gift, I can’t even describe it.”
Read the complete Carolina Story…"
["post_title"]=>
string(12) "Life On Hold"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(69) "“To be cared for by such a large institution … is such a gift.”"
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(12) "life-on-hold"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2020-05-19 20:08:34"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2020-05-19 20:08:34"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(30) "http://stories.unc.edu/?p=5575"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
[2]=>
object(WP_Post)#8527 (24) {
["ID"]=>
int(5117)
["post_author"]=>
string(1) "2"
["post_date"]=>
string(19) "2019-05-14 17:39:50"
["post_date_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2019-05-14 17:39:50"
["post_content"]=>
string(1853) "
Jacky Zheng’s parents emigrated from China to the United States in hopes of providing their children with more than they had — a steady income, a strong education and a measure of certainty about the future.
“They’re definitely role models in my life,” says Zheng about his parents. “They sacrificed so much for me to be able to come here and have better opportunities.”
As a Carolina Covenant Scholar, Zheng made it a priority to support the Chinese community during his time at Carolina in hopes of honoring his parents’ sacrifice.
“This community has trouble accessing health care because not many clinics have translators,” says Zheng. “And, there’s a real disconnect between Chinese medicine and Western medicine. It’s a lot for them to navigate.”
Zheng became the co-director of the Mandarin interpreter services at UNC’s Student Health Access Coalition (SHAC). Volunteering as an interpreter at SHAC was about providing others with access to what they needed — to health care and the right to be healthy — as so many had done for him.
For many, he has been able to light the way, just as his parents did for him.
Read the complete Carolina Story…"
["post_title"]=>
string(18) "Carrying the Torch"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(66) "“Language is a barrier to access, and I could alleviate that.”"
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(18) "carrying-the-torch"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2019-07-18 14:35:00"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2019-07-18 14:35:00"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(30) "http://stories.unc.edu/?p=5117"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
}
Related Stories
