Molly McNairy

Receiving The Morehead, says Molly McNairy, compares to "Alice’s first step through the Looking-glass."

McNairy took The Morehead and ran full speed into that magical Looking-glass world. Intrigued by medicine, the Kinston native crafted each of her summer internships to learn more. Those experiences have now landed her in London on a Fulbright Fellowship, giving her a year off from Harvard Medical School.

The adventure truly began after her freshman year at UNC when McNairy worked with homeless youth in San Diego, advocating for pregnant and single-mother teens to get medical care, food subsidies and permanent shelter. McNairy calls this a "critical experience, which solidified my interest in and commitment to public health."

The next year, she traveled to Brazil with Operation Blessing, an American organization that provides medical, surgical and dental services to resource-poor settings. That first exposure to international health conditions ignited a passion to do more.

Her final Morehead summer, working at a private hospital in Niger, strengthened her commitment to addressing health inequities. Today, as she takes a break from medical school, McNairy is at the acclaimed London School of Economics (LSE), pursuing a master’s degree in health policy and economics.

It's a long way from Chapel Hill, but McNairy still feels the connection.

"I see every stage of my life as an outgrowth and blessing of the previous stage," McNairy said.

"The Morehead transformed a great public university into a boutique-learning environment of exploration, experience and encouragement," McNairy said. "Truly, I do not know of any educational opportunity that compares with The Morehead."