Student Stories

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.

History graduate students Marissa Nichols and Chris Kinley went back in time when researching abroad this academic year in Greece and Mexico, while also taking important steps forward. As recipients of the Buchenau-Pharr Graduate Research Award, their research abroad allowed them to access on-site archival research and develop cultural credibility in their chosen disciplines.

UNC Charlotte writing students’ digital stories are part of the ¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South exhibit at the Levine Museum of the New South, in the video series hosted on the Levine Museum’s YouTube channel. These digital stories created by UNC Charlotte students, along with others in the exhibit, bring the voices and stories of people to the forefront.

A semester in Spain taught UNC Charlotte political science major and Odyssean scholar Emma Frantz that exposure to different political and cultural practices can broaden the mind.

Hundreds of UNC Charlotte undergraduates have participated in the Charlotte Research Scholars initiative at UNC Charlotte in a 10-week summer program. Those chosen receive a scholarship to work closely with faculty mentors conducting research and participate in professional development sessions to better prepare them for graduate school and careers.

The UNC Charlotte Model United Nations team continues to build its legacy after successfully competing in two conferences last semester, earning top awards at each. These successes and expansions in the program continue a winning record and set the stage for the future.