2021 Unigo College Review Scholarship Summer Winner

We are so happy to announce our College Review Scholarship winner. We had 1,208 applicants this year and are so grateful to have had such an incredible number of applications for this scholarship. Our committee loved reading each and every story about your college experiences. So from all of us here at Unigo.com, thank you to all who applied!

Winning Scholarship Entry – The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

“I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. Together we can do great things” – Mother Theresa. 

This quote is the epitome of UNC Charlotte.  As a melting pot of so many different backgrounds and identities, UNC Charlotte thrives in its diversity. That is what makes the university so great.   Although the school may seem large, it has a small neighborhood atmosphere.  With over five hundred student organizations, there are plenty of opportunities for students to get involved and meet their peers. There is a place for everyone and if you feel like you cannot find a place, you can create your own.

UNC Charlotte is also a community, something we do not take lightly and hold very dear to us. On April 30th, the campus of UNC Charlotte endured an extreme loss. Hundreds of students and I waited to enter the Last Day of Class concert, ready to close out a long academic year. No one had any idea that evening would go the way it did. Reed, Riley, Drew, Emily, Rami, Sean, were just like every one of us; they were students. We attended UNC Charlotte, enjoyed what the university had for us, planned our futures, and called ourselves Forty-Niners.

The next day Niner Nation came together, to be there as one family, to care for one another, support one another, and to grieve together. It was awe-inspiring and breathtaking to see so many thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and others in the Charlotte region unite in Halton Arena and the Star-Quad. Together we were resilient,  standing firm in the stance that we would not be defined by this unfortunate event, but rather by our strength as a university. When you join Niner Nation you are joining a family. You are joining a community of people who are rooting for you, who want to see you succeed, and who would do anything to help get you there.

Lastly, UNC Charlotte is adaptable. Through a national pandemic, UNC Charlotte has managed to keep a COVID-19 positivity rate of less than three percent on campus. The on-campus experience looks different, however, our Division of Student Affairs and other campus departments have been planning activities while prioritizing the health and safety of the campus community. The university abides by state and University limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings. Many spaces traditionally used for meeting rooms, events, and activities are being used for additional physically-distanced classrooms and capacity limits are lower in general.

Although social gathers are not the same, there are still plenty of ways to get involved in campus life. Gold Rush, a series of activities that welcomes new and returning students to campus, features over 30 virtual events and many of our more than  500 student organizations will move to virtual or hybrid activities. Our University Recreation Gym, also known as UREC, which is one of our most popular spots on campus, is still offering a variety of outdoor and select indoor activities.

While we cannot see the future, the university is still working on ways to keep students engaged. Our Chancellor, Sharon Gaber, and the rest of the university administration have done a great job interacting with the student body. As a member of the Student Government Association, I meet with the presidents across the entire UNC System and the relationship their administration has with their student body is nothing compared to what we have here at Charlotte. Whether it is a petition, email, or initiative, our university administration is doing all they can to have those conversations with students, to include them in decision making and plans they have.

It’s one thing to go to a university, but it’s another to have a voice at your university. I am proud to say that Charlotte provides that type of atmosphere for our students. From the diversity of the campus to the at-home feel, UNC Charlotte is by far one of the greatest universities a student can attend.