Diversity Highlights
Diversity & Student Success Featured Scholars
Explore participant scholars from all the DSS initiatives.
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS: Lisa Pham
First-generation graduate student Lisa Pham is motivated to pursue graduate school based on her family’s love of food and the connections that can come from sharing a meal.
Initiative for Minority Excellence: DeeAnn Spicer
Ph.D. student DeeAnn Spicer has attended Writing Wednesdays with our Initiative for Minority Excellence—she says they’ve helped her feel like part of a community while in graduate school.
Global Grads: Sinan Yorukoglu
Sinan Yorukoglu is an international student studying statistics and operation who has built community at Carolina through events on campus and meeting new people.
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS: Traci Thompson
Traci Thompson is a master’s degree student in public administration who has built community by networking with other graduate students outside of her discipline.
Initiative for Minority Excellence: Jesus Vazquez
Jesus Vazquez is a Ph.D. student in biostatistics who is researching issues that affect the Latino community.
Initiative for Minority Excellence: Janae Shaheed
Janae Shaheed’s research is influenced by her identity and a desire to stay true to her passions and perspectives. She’s engaged with multiple organizations on campus to build community.
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS: Lauren Caton
Lauren Caton is a Ph.D. student who said she considers building a community a critical part of her academic education and time at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Global Grads: Prabhanka Deka
Prabhanka Deka is a Ph.D. student studying statistics. He sees real-world application in data nearly every day, which keeps him motivated during his studies.
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS: Jeonghwan Kim
Jeonghwan Kim is a Ph.D. student from Korea studying Latin American literature. He calls getting into his Ph.D. program as one of the happiest days of his life.
Initiative for Minority Excellence: Laura Mendez
Laura Mendez has built community at Carolina through connections she’s made in the Department of Biology—a department with a large student body who come from a variety of backgrounds. She has also joined a number of student-led organizations that align with her values.