Unsung Heroes

Although many students entering Carolina have someone they know who already graduated to help show them the ropes, this isn’t true for all students. Those first-year students who don’t have that kind of support system have Carolina community members like Erica Wallace and Jan Johnson Yopp to help them succeed after arriving in Chapel Hill.

Wallace runs three different peer-mentoring programs on campus to help new students adjust to the new atmosphere so they don’t feel so lost and alone. She also chairs Womxn of Worth Advisory Board to build academics, student success and wellness at the University.

Yopp, a professor at the School of Media and Journalism and dean of the Summer School, was in the second class of women admitted to Carolina and has worked at the University for 40 years. In that time she has done what she can to make it an inclusive atmosphere — including her work to help create the Chuck Stone Program for Diversity in Media and Education, a summer workshop for high schoolers.

“To help [students] find where they’re supposed to be and how to get there, I think that’s super important,” said Wallace.

Read the complete Carolina Story…

Wallace and Yopp were recipients of the 2018 MLK Unsung Hero Awards for their work to promoting inclusion at Carolina.

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