Diversity Highlights
Featured Stories and Scholars
Initiative for Minority Excellence Featured Scholar – Carly Moreno
Carly Moreno is a doctoral candidate in the marine sciences department. Her research focuses on polar phytoplankton ecophysiology; in particular, investigating molecular mechanisms that underlie their ability to survive in the Southern Ocean. She previously earned her master’s degree in marine sciences from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 and was a Gates Millennium Fellow. What made you ...
Military-Affiliated Grads Featured Scholar – David Pope
David Pope is a doctoral student in health policy and management within the Gillings School of Global Public Health. He is also the chief operating officer of Scotland Health Care System in Laurinburg, N.C. He served as a Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps from 2005-2009, and deployed to Al Anbar, Iraq with Second Battalion, ...
Global Grads Featured Scholar – David Hervas
David Hervas Aguilar, a doctoral student in physics and astronomy, completed his bachelor of science degree in physics at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), in his home country of Ecuador. He has served as a high school teacher in Ecuador and as a teaching assistant at UNC-Chapel Hill and USFQ. In addition, he has ...
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS Featured Scholar – Annie Francis
Annie Francis is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School of Social Work. Her research focuses on understanding the factors that contribute to disproportionality among American Indian children and families involved in the child welfare system. She is also a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Scholar. What made you choose UNC-Chapel Hill when deciding on ...
Initiative for Minority Excellence Featured Scholar – Candace Buckner
Candace Buckner is a seventh-year doctoral candidate in the Ancient Mediterranean Religions track in the Department of Religious Studies. Her specialization is Early Christianity, and her research primarily focuses on biographies written about ancient Egyptian desert monks. She explores how this literature reveals the ways early Christians tackled difficult topics such as race and ethnicity, usage of space, infirmity, and disability. She explores what ancient writings can teach us ...
Military-Affiliated Grads Featured Scholar – Betty Martinez
Betty Martinez is a second-year doctoral student in the School of Nursing Graduate Program and a first year family nurse practitioner post-graduate student. Her research interests include children with chronic illnesses and the impact on quality of life and adherence in the military population. Additionally, she is interested in continuity of care and how children’s ...
Global Grads Featured Scholar – Smita Misra
Smita Misra is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication. Born in India, she grew up as a child in Bahrain and a teenager in Toronto. She has been studying trauma since 2012 with experience spanning Canadian, British, and American contexts. What made you choose UNC-Chapel Hill when deciding on a program/place to study? I had applied to the ...
Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS Featured Scholar – Blaque Robinson
Blaque Robinson is a third year doctoral student in the Department of Sociology. Her research focuses on the Black racial identity, attitudes, and mental health in predominately white schools. She also a Mellon Fellow and Beinecke Scholar. What made you choose UNC-Chapel Hill when deciding on a program/place to study? I decided to pursue graduate study at ...
Initiative for Minority Excellence Featured Scholar – Marketa Burnett
Marketa Burnett is a second-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology Graduate Program at the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. Her research interests include the development of racial and gender stereotypes and how that impacts the educational outcomes of African American youth. Additionally, she is interested in how parents’ racial socialization messages and behaviors impact ...
Initiative for Minority Excellence Featured Scholar – Ricky Burgess
Richard Burgess is a first-year doctoral student at Kenan-Flagler Business School concentrating in organizational behavior. Richard is passionate about team building and leadership, and is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa (Go Steelers!). What made you decide to pursue a graduate degree? I decided to pursue a PhD in organizational behavior to fulfill a childhood dream. I had ...