This past fall, fifteen students enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill joined the Morehead-Cain Class of 2027 through its Sophomore Selection process.
Morehead-Cain launched this initiative in fall 2023 to identify sophomores at UNC–Chapel Hill who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character, and invite them to join the Morehead-Cain Program.
In this episode, we have members of the class sharing about the moment they received the news, their campus involvements, and what they’re looking forward to in the Program.
Music credits
The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.
How to listen
On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.
Episode Transcription
(Azavia Barsky-Elnour)
Hi, my name is Azavia Barsky-Elnour. I am a sophomore studying history and religious studies, and I’m from Boston.
(Suhan Asaigoli)
My name is Suhan. I’m from Morrisville, North Carolina, and I’m studying neuroscience and neuro-humanities, [and] cognitive health and experience.
(Amogh Rao)
My name is Amogh Rao. I am a sophomore from Cary, North Carolina. I am currently a biostatistics major and double majoring in neuroscience, but that’s still up in the air.
(Jacob Rosenberg)
My name is Jacob Rosenberg. I’m from Jersey City, New Jersey. My intended major is mechanical engineering, so I’m doing interdisciplinary studies to create my own major. I’m going to minor in applied physical sciences and then either business or entrepreneurship.
(Sidney Griffin)
I’m Sidney Griffin. I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I’m currently a sports admin and public policy double major.
(Raife Levy)
My name is Raife Levy. I’m from Miami, Florida, and I am double majoring in biology and English with a minor in Chinese language on the pre-med track.
(Paloma Fernández)
Hi, I’m Paloma Fernández. I am from Queretaro, Mexico. I’m an international student. I’m studying political science with a French minor, and as of recently, I’ve decided to also pursue a data science major.
(Ngan Le)
Hi, my name is Ngan Le, and I am from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and I’m currently studying economics and chemistry.
(Wade Guerra)
Hey, guys. My name is Wade Guerra. I’m from Sayreville, New Jersey. I am currently a double major in business administration and peace, war, and defense with a naval science minor.
(Leah Schultz)
My name is Leah Schultz. I’m from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Highland Park. My major is neuroscience, and my minor is probably going to be chemistry. We’ll see. And I’m on a pre-medical track.
(Sofia Chan)
Hi, my name is Sofia Chan. I’m from Long Valley, New Jersey. I’m a double major in public policy and global studies with a minor in conflict management.
(Melanie Cabrero)
Hello, my name is Melanie Cabrero. I am from Queens, New York, and my majors are political science and psychology.
(Julia Ballou)
Hi, my name is Julia Ballou. I’m from Columbia, Maryland, and my majors are political science and public policy, and I have a minor in English.
(Allyson)
Describe the moment you received the Morehead-Cain. Where were you, and what was your reaction?
(Wade)
When the finalist round came out, it came out by 9:00 a.m. So, I heard whispers through the group chats and all the other finalists that it was coming out on that Saturday. And so, I set an alarm at 6:00 a.m., woke up at 6:00, nothing. 7:00, opened, nothing. 8:00 a.m., woke up again, nothing. And then 9:00 a.m., woke up, and it just happened to be there in my inbox. It just said, “Congratulations.” I just immediately jumped out of bed, screamed, woke up my roommate, was just super excited, just completely ecstatic. Then went out, proceeded to call my parents, do the whole call all your family. But no, I was just completely thrilled. Then to treat myself, I went out and got breakfast at Breadman’s and then played around to golf and just rode that high for the entire day. It was really fun.
(Julia)
In the car during the Final Selection Experience, going to the Carolina Inn, somebody told me the exact day that we were going to get the decisions, so the entire week leading up to it, I was so nervous. That was all I could think I’m thinking about. I kept trying to get my mind off of it. I was just like, whatever happens, happens. But if I’m being honest, it’s all I could think about. The night before, that Friday night, I was so nervous. It took me an hour to go to sleep. I was like, I know when I wake up in the morning, I’m going to see the decision. Right when I woke up, I think I woke up at 9:10, and it came out at 9:06. I don’t even know how I remember the exact time stamps—that’s how big of a deal it was for me. I was like, okay, I know when I pick up my phone, I’m going to see. That was nerve-wracking, just knowing I’m going to pick it up and see the decision. I saw the congratulations from Chris Bradford. I don’t know. I couldn’t believe it at first. I was like, oh, my gosh, there’s no way I actually got it. Because it was all I was thinking about. To finally see the email, it was just like, I It was incredible. I ran outside on the porch, and I called my parents for 45 minutes. Then I told all my friends, and I actually ran to Target and got pancake mix to make me a pancake breakfast and say congratulations. It was really heartwarming.
(Paloma)
I have all 8:00 a.m.s [classes] during the week, Monday through Friday, which is the worst mistake of my life, but I’ll never do that again. During the weekends, I usually sleep in a lot. I woke up, and I just had this feeling. I was like, it’s definitely out. I looked at the time, it was 11:30, and I was like, it’s definitely out. I check my phone, and I see the Outlook notification. And then I just clicked on it. And then I was like, oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Then I started freaking out. I’m sure many people have said, call your family, call your friends, do the whole thing. But it was just me in my dorm room with my cat. I looked at him, and I’m like, I got it. And he’s like, meow.
(Allyson)
Of all the activities and organizations you’re part of at the University, what are you most proud of? Where do you feel you’ve made the most impact?
(Jacob)
The activity that I’m most involved in is the UNC Fencing team. I spend over 20 hours a week just preparing and training and fencing. And so, I feel like that’s really a great impact. Last year, we won ACCs. It was the first time in forever, I think this was the first time the men actually won ACCs. And we beat Notre Dame, and they all had their three-peat shirts on because they went in NCAAs the last three years. And they were all wearing those. And it was at home for them, and then we beat them. So, it was just a great moment. I got a ring afterward. So, it was great at our academic dinner. It proves for the athletic department here, we have a Loudermilk Center for Excellence. And you walk in the door and out of the elevators, and there’s two trophies. There’s two Old Wells. There’s one that has all our NCAA championships, and the one that hosts all of our academic awards. And it really shows that that’s really important for both of us. And the fencing team, we won ACC last year, and we also had the highest GPA out of all the men’s teams.
So that just really shows that we’re really about the whole spirit of being a student-athlete. So that’s really impactful for us.
(Ngan)
So, for me, I definitely would say my work with Southern Futures is the biggest place that I’m really proud of. And so, as a fellow there, I do research about the American South, and in particular, I do work regarding Asian Americans in the South, who are really underrepresented in media and just in general, despite having quite a presence in the South. And so, for me, as a Vietnamese American, I’ve never seen a lot of content or media or really even archives about Vietnamese American people. And so, this past summer—I’m still working on it—I interviewed Vietnamese Americans in North Carolina, and I talked to them about their stories of immigration and assimilation, as well as finding cultural pride and how to grow into who you are now and embracing both the Vietnamese cultural parts, traditional parts, alongside with American aspects. And so that’s been really such a wonderful experience to not only talk to people who I might not necessarily get to talk to every day, but also hear all the wisdom and wonderful things that they have to say.
(Raife)
I would say for me, that has to be the Weeks of Welcome Board, which is associated with the orientation office. I was a member this past year, and I’m the chair for this upcoming year. So, for the Weeks of Welcome Board, we’re involved in planning the fifteen or so events that happen at the beginning of the year for new students, transfers for whoever. And that’s been really impactful for me —and also, I hope, for the school—in the sense that I’m in the position of getting to set the tone for the year. A lot of new students come to WOW events as one of their first social things when they get to campus. It’s really important to me, and I think it’s tremendously meaningful to be able to introduce them to Carolina in a way that sets them up for success. And I think that it’s also a lot of fun, too. So that’s definitely something that I’ve had a lot of fun with it in the past, and I’m looking forward to continuing that in a more leadership role next year.
(Wade)
Yeah. My biggest involvement is definitely in the Navy ROTC program. The whole story behind it is I have no Navy connections, no military connections, really. I literally just watched Top Gun my junior year of high school. Thought it was sick and then ended up just applying for the ROTC scholarship. Was lucky enough to get it. Went through boot camp the summer before freshman year, came in completely bald head, drilling everywhere I went, like completely military mindset.
But the Navy program here has really shaped who I am. It does suck waking up two times a week at 4:45 in the morning like today, but it definitely shapes your character, pushes you past your boundaries, and just proves that you can do a lot more than you anticipated. But this past semester, I served as a PQS chief, so it’s personal qualification standards. Basically, I taught a class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:30, and pretty much just taught the entire freshman class, about 15 kids, all just the basics of the military, aviation, Marine Corps, all the ins and outs of the Navy, the rank structure. It was just really rewarding because even though you’re a teacher, you’re also just their mentor. I really just enjoyed having that leadership role and just being in a position that I never thought it would be in two years prior.
In addition to that, this past summer, I was able to go to San Diego, ride on submarines, go on the back of a jet, train with the Seals for a day. It’s a very unconventional college experience, but definitely something that has shaped me thus far, and I really enjoy it.
(Melanie)
SPARK, which is a first-year retreat. It tends to be for women of color. I did it my freshman year, and I was a participant. I’m a very shy person, very introverted, so I didn’t make the most out of my opportunities there. But this year, I was given the privilege of being a counselor, and I just love it so much because just being able to see myself reflecting back on the past and seeing myself in my mentees and stuff like that, it was just so humbling, and it was just a privilege of mine. And then at the end, we get little affirmation bags, and people are able to write how they felt about you at the end of it. And people were like, oh, yeah, you were the representation that I needed.
(Leah)
I think that my role in the Carolina Harm Reduction Union has been the most impactful.
I guess what it is, is we try to raise awareness about opioid overdoses and how to prevent them, what some signs look like. And so, my specific role is more communications. So, I do presentations at various organizations around campus, specifically Greek organizations. I feel like it’s just super important to let people—not only Greek organizations, but whoever—know that most opioid overdoses aren’t because you’re intentionally taking them, but it’s just laced into whatever you’re taking. So, it’s just how to be careful, how to be aware. If you see someone else, how to know if they’re overdosing. And then we also distribute Narcan (naloxone) so that they could help prevent it themselves, too, which I think is super important.
(Sidney)
I’ve made the most impact, probably, [when] I did an internship with this organization called Students for Voting Justice. And so basically through this organization, they’re a non-partisan nonprofit, and so our big focus was getting out the vote before the election, specifically targeting young Black voters in swing states, so North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. And so, over the course of the internship, I had to recruit volunteers to decorate these postcards to send to 800 voters across North Carolina and Pennsylvania, specifically for me.
And so that was really fun because I got to host these little parties. So, I hosted one in the library, a few at my apartment, and I would do these watch parties for the presidential debate and the vice-presidential debate. And so, it was really fun getting to talk with my friends and also people who just weren’t super politically inclined to get them informed about how to vote, where to vote in Chapel Hill, and also if they’re registered in their hometown, where they could do that. And so that was just a really rewarding experience. And then I also had to do phone banking, which is definitely the most humbling experience I’ve ever done, but it’s also very rewarding, even if you’ve just called 50 people and got no response, but then you just have one conversation with one person. It’s definitely really rewarding knowing that they’re going to follow out a plan and they’re contributing to society through voting. So yeah.
(Allyson)
What are you most excited for as a Morehead-Cain Sholar?
(Amogh)
Definitely getting to know people, the community that it offers. And I think that will definitely grow through the experiences that I have.
I’m looking forward to Outdoor Leadership because I can really get to know the people in my class and also just the Civic Collaboration. I think that’s really exciting and, on the horizon, and something that I’m looking forward to doing, especially because I get to know other students in the Morehead-Cain community.
(Paloma)
I’m an international student, and so that means I’m on an F1 student visa, and that is very restrictive of what you can and can’t do while you’re here in the States as a student. And so, I, for example, can’t get an internship, can’t work off campus, can’t do a lot of things. And so, it was something that I had to come to terms with, which is if I come to the States, I’m going to have those restrictions in a way. And with Morehead-Cain, something that just drew to it so much and made me so excited at the idea of getting it was the possibility of, if I get this, I’ll have so much to fill my summers with and to do. Those obstacles of not having anything to do in my summers because I’m an international student, that just won’t happen.
I’ll be able to pursue a lot of things that a lot of people with a student visa wouldn’t be able to. I really like the idea of overcoming that barrier with the Morehead-Cain.
(Suhan)
Every day that I’m in the Program, I find out new things that scholars have done and the new opportunities that we have. I guess the summers and things like that go without saying. The opportunity to pave our own path each summer, design a project, meet new people is very exciting. Also, just having access to the bunch of alumni. They told us over our Final Selection Experience that there were 3,300 alumni, which is crazy, in pretty much all parts of the world, all sorts of disciplines. Having access to people who are distinguished in all sorts fields, just to have a conversation and understand what they did at Carolina and gain some experience and perspective is also very exciting.
(Sidney)
I’m definitely really excited to use the Lovelace Fund [for Discovery]. I mentioned that I’m a sports admin major. Sports is really cool to me, and there’s so many sporting events that I would just love to go to. Specifically, I have a mentor that works at the NFL, and she told me she could get me credentials to the NFL Draft.
I was like, that’s great. But I was like, how am I going to get there? But now that I have access to this fun, and I can plan a trip to shadow her and do things with her in person, I’m just really excited to pursue that.
(Julia)
I think what I’m most excited for is just to be able to travel to a bunch of different places, even if it’s a random small, I don’t know, city in, I don’t know, Tennessee or something, or even if it’s California or New York, I think just being able to travel anywhere and get a hands-on experience in something that I’m interested is super helpful because I’ve never actually been out of the country before. Even growing up, I feel like I didn’t travel that much. With Morehead-Cain, I’m definitely excited about the experience to have a whole summer in a new place and maybe travel places I’ve never seen before and actually be able to have a hands-on impact in some of these places that maybe I never would have gone to otherwise. I think that’s definitely something that I’m super excited for.
(Melanie)
I just feel like it’s so liberating to be a scholar just because they’re like, just do whatever you want. Say yes to everything. That is just so . . . I don’t know. I just never felt so free in my life. I know what I want to do in my life. That’s basically helping incarcerated individuals. I know we have a fund to be able to do whatever we want. Ideally, I would love to fly to California and look at the restorative justice programs there and just be able to talk to the people that are in these prisons and get to know the humanity.
(Allyson)
What advice would you give to current first-year students at Carolina?
(Leah)
I feel like in high school, you’re told whatever opportunity you have to build your resume, do it. It doesn’t matter if you like it, whatever. It’s like whatever’s on your resume, it’s going to get you into college. But then when you get to college, I think it’s the time to really explore what you actually like and enjoy doing. And it’s important not to just overbook yourself with a bunch of stuff and get lost. I like to say get lost in the sauce. You want to choose a few things that you actually really enjoy. Maybe you choose a few categories, which is what I did.
I’m like, something service, something research-based. I chose what was most important to me and just focus on that because I feel like a lot of A lot of the students here are very high achievers. So, take it easy, do what you like, and you’ll figure it out from there.
(Ngan)
My advice to first-year students would be to keep an open mind about what you like and what you enjoy.
Coming into Carolina, I had a lot of preconceived notions of what I thought I loved. And while it’s true, I still love and are very passionate about those things, I’ve grown to be more okay with exploring new fields. So, for example, this year I’m taking an environmental filmmaking class. Never in my life would I have thought of seriously pursuing filmmaking or even trying to learn how to leverage it beyond what I previously knew. And so, I think that just random exploration and just being okay with not having all the answers is a really big part of being able to grow in college. And I think for a lot of first-year students, they want to be prepared. They want to be ready for whatever is going to come for them, and they come in with these plans and ideas.
But sometimes it’s okay to know that there is space to learn and grow, and those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive with each other.
(Suhan)
I would say to really take time, slow down, kind of revel in the moment. First year is something that’s not going to come back. And yes, there’s a lot of things coming at you all at once. There’s so many opportunities. There’s so many new people to meet. But it’s really formative if you really take time to cultivate meaningful experiences in that first year, making sure that you’re really taking time to reflect and be like, okay, here’s where I’m at, and here’s what I’m liking about this experience. Here’s what I could do to make this better, things like that. Just giving yourself grace in that time, even when there’s so much going on, even when it can be chaotic at times.
(Allyson)
What has been your favorite Carolina memory so far?
(Paloma)
In the first two months I was here or something, my freshman friend group, we all decided, we want to go to the beach. We want to go swimming. We grabbed one of my friend’s cars, and we just rented a bunch of camping gear from UNC, the campus rec, and we drove out to the beach in Wilmington.
My friend, who was very big into camping, rented out a spot for us on the beach and a campsite, and we just camped out there a night in Wilmington, just our friend group, and it was really, really fun. We did a bonfire, and we just hung out and spent the night and then came back the next day. So that is very much a core memory. When we were driving there, the wheel rolled off the car. And so that was an interesting experience. We had to go to the auto shop in Wilmington and the whole thing, but definitely a core memory.
(Wade)
I would definitely say the Duke game. That was just such a pivotal moment. I mean, that’s why you come to Carolina’s for those big sports games. Even though I didn’t get a ticket, I just remember going to the watch parties and then being one of the first people to go rush Franklin, seeing people light couches on fire, people light their shoes on fire and go run around with it. I mean, that’s the reason why you pick a big sports school. It’s the reason why people go to Carolina, and I just feel like that was such a pivotal moment and just realizing, wow, I’m actually, I’m here, I’m a Tar Heel.
And so I really hope we beat Duke this year. And for the next three years, I’m here.
(Azavia)
I was thinking about this recently, and I think it’s the combination of all of the really uninteresting moments. As a kid, I always thought the most fun part of college would be the huge things, these really momentous moments and being head to toe in Carolina Blue at a football game, or I don’t know, being prom queen or something. And the truth is, the most fun, rewarding moments are the really small things, like getting coffee. Or I lived in HoJo last year, and I lived with seven other girls, which definitely had its challenges. But it’s also a really beautiful thing to just be surrounded by amazing people all the time and all of the small interactions.
(Sofia)
So, my favorite Carolina memory so far was literally this time last year, I remember I went to the Duke–UNC football game, and before coming to UNC, I didn’t understand the hype of the rivalry. I just didn’t get it. I was just like, why is everybody so amped up about it? It’s so lame. There’s got to be something weird.
But then I came onto campus, and I don’t know what happened, but I finally understood the anger. Not the anger, but the rivalry and everything. And so, I remember that whole game. It was a mix of cheering for Drake Maye carrying our team, but then also crying because we missed a field goal. So just a real roller coaster of emotions. Then I remember storming the field at the end of the game, and you’re surrounded by a bunch of UNC students on the field, and then you got to sing the alma mater and say, “Go to hell, Duke.” It was just so awesome. I just remember that, and that was the time that I was like, wow, I’m so proud to be a Tar Heel.
(Amogh)
Actually, my favorite Carolina memory is the first day of classes in freshman year. It was actually my eighteenth birthday, and I was in line to take a sip from the [Old] Well, as the tradition goes. I was standing in line, and we were supposed to . . . We thought a couple of my suite mates were like, we should be in line and drink after twelve. We were standing in line, and I knew it was my, it’s my birthday, but I didn’t really tell anyone because these are all new people, and I don’t want to be like, oh, it’s my birthday.
But I was standing in line and my parents surprised me at twelve. They showed up with balloons and I guess everyone in the line figured, so there were hundreds of people saying happy birthday for me in the line while I was at the Well, and I got to take a sip from the Well and ring the, I don’t know, eighteenth birthday.
