Student Stories

With her selection as UNC Charlotte’s first-ever Ertegun Graduate Scholar, UNC Charlotte’s Eileen Jakeway is headed to England’s University of Oxford, for what she anticipates will be one of the most intellectually rich and invigorating experiences of her life. Each year, only about 20 full-time graduate students in the Humanities are chosen from throughout the world to receive the scholarships.

As temperatures spike each spring, mosquitos start to swarm. They bring with them an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases and a need to understand how to guard against these pesky – and at times dangerous – insects. Researchers at UNC Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County Health Department are collaborating on a study to determine which factors in the environment lead to hotspots of mosquito activity, in a project led by doctoral student Ari Whiteman.

When streetlights burn out in the Enderly Park neighborhood, the darkness closes in, causing residents to worry about safety. UNC Charlotte geography undergraduate students Jamal Covington and Devin Martin have created a way for residents to use mobile devices to easily report issues such as burned-out lights.

Two on-campus entities have conducted research to improve student experiences and outcomes related to career readiness, with the added benefit of providing Communications Studies students hands-on research experience.

More than 25 people will showcase their art in the “Artistic Protest: Representations of Race, Violence, Injustice and Inequality” event on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m., in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Students in the literature class “War and Genocide in Children’s Literature” are raising money to benefit Operation Refugee Child, a nonprofit organization that provides living supplies to children residing in refugee camps. The class goal is to raise $2,000 for this Promoting Peace project. This will enable the students to provide 130 backpacks filled with supplies to child refugees fleeing Syria.

Students participating in UNC Charlotte’s Model United Nations this fall are finding increased opportunities to compete nationally and internationally, as well as options for volunteering in the local community. Model UN educates delegates on international policies and institutions, and helps students develop potential solutions to international issues.

In a time when the world is facing conflict and injustice on what seems like a daily basis, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at UNC Charlotte is seeking student artwork that reflects students’ perspectives on peace and justice for use on the College’s holiday card.

Five UNC Charlotte students are attending the two presidential nominating conventions this summer – one as an elected delegate and four through an academic program with The Washington Center. Four of the students are pursuing majors or minors in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, while the fifth is a finance major in the Belk College of Business.

UNC Charlotte students are learning research and debate skills through their participation in the North Carolina Student Legislature. The statewide student legislature provides students a chance to participate in a model General Assembly. Through this process, the students gain valuable insight into how the state engages in policymaking. They also learn to express their own beliefs and ideas with confidence.