Strengthening Student Success

Carolina Covenant Scholars often need to forgo career-advancing experiences — internships, pivotal coursework, undergraduate research and global opportunities — in favor of less meaningful jobs to cover expenses. This is especially true during the summer months when less financial aid is available to cover the cost of enrollment, housing, meals and travel.

A $250,000 grant from Strada Education Network is supporting a new initiative launched in fall 2021 seeking to address disparities in summer funding and career development experiences for Carolina Covenant Scholars. The initiative — called Connecting Carolina Covenant Scholars — is designed to help students successfully pursue and secure competitive careers in the post-pandemic economy.

A key effort in this initiative is the Career Accelerator Program, which guides students through career readiness experiences offered through University Career Services and connects them to mentors, liaisons in professional schools, and alumni in their fields of interest. The Strada Education Network grant will support approximately 50 Carolina Covenant Scholars in the program to engage them in meaningful career-enhancing experiences over the summer of 2022. Students will benefit from guided support and mentorship from a network of resources.

“These grant funds from Strada are a critical advancement in making summer internship, research, service and global-learning opportunities more accessible for low-income students,” said Candice Powell ’06, ’21 (Ph.D.), director of the Carolina Covenant. “This effort will also help our university continue its commitment to making meaningful career-preparation experiences a part of every Carolina student’s story and our work to ensure that income is not a barrier to access, opportunity and engagement.”

Read the complete Carolina Story…

Related Stories

Celebrating a Presidential Day

The Storytelling of Art

Communicating Carolina’s Excellence through Art