THIS IS WHAT A SCIENTIST IS.

It wasn’t a common aspiration in her rural town, but Kala Youngblood grew up with the goal of becoming a scientist. As a first-gen undergrad at UNCG, she conducts research with organic chemist Dr. Kimberly Petersen, tutors in an afterschool science program, and is part of the Spartans for Science Policy Club. Thanks to her hard work, Kala received the Goldwater Scholarship – one of our nation’s oldest and most prestigious STEM scholarships. Passionate mentors were a key to her success, so she knows it’s important to share her love of science with the next generation. Her encouragement to the kids she works with? “You ARE a scientist. Go do this.”

REAL TRANSFORMATION

“It was especially nerve-racking to come to college as a biology major without ever having had a formal science lesson before,” Kihuwa-Mani said.

“But within my first few days at UNCG, people were directing me to different resources, like tutoring. Because of that support, I went from never having been a ‘student,’ to becoming an excellent student, to becoming an undergraduate researcher, to attending medical school – it’s a crazy transformation.”

UNCG TRIO SHINES ON AGT!

It was pure coincidence that College of Visual and Performing Arts students Tavis Cunningham, Christoff Hairston, and Julian Kennedy sat at the same table one afternoon in Fountain View Dining Hall at UNC Greensboro, and bonded over their shared talent and musical idols.

– Tavis Cunningham, Musical Theatre
– Christoff Hairston, Music
– Julian Kennedy, Jazz Studies