Describe your service to your honors program, campus, and university as an honors student. Provide concrete examples of initiatives you have led.
My time as an honors student at UNC Charlotte has been shaped by consistent involvement in university service, leadership roles, and academic community engagement. Across a range of responsibilities, I have prioritized structured contributions to the Honors Program, broader campus initiatives, and UNC system-level efforts.
University Honors Program: Coordination and Operational Support
This past year, as Secretary of the University Honors Program (UHP) Executive Board, I have worked with other board members to develop and support over 75 service and enrichment opportunities for fellow students. These included highway cleanups, professional development webinars, and volunteer sessions with local partners such as the Boys and Girls Club and Levine Children’s Hospital. These programs were designed to provide meaningful experiences aligned with the program’s emphasis on civic responsibility and academic enrichment.
In addition to helping coordinate logistics and programming, I tracked the participation and progress of over 150 first-year honors students to ensure they were meeting service and enrichment requirements. This tracking process, via the Helper Helper app allowed us to identify students who may have needed reminders or support to stay on track. I also maintained the UHP’s internal event calendar, responded to student and faculty communications, and managed basic operational needs within the Honors facility, such as space reservations and upkeep of shared resources.
This administrative work, while often behind the scenes, was essential for sustaining a well-organized and accessible UHP program, which is especially critical with regard to our retention of first-year UHP students.
Campus Engagement Through Civic Programming
From January of 2024 to present day, I serve as the Field Director for the Young People’s Alliance (YPA), a non-partisan youth advocacy organization, at UNC Charlotte. From August through November of this year, specifically for the 2024 Election Cycle, I led field-based initiatives focused on increasing student voter participation. This included registering over 500 students to vote through tabling events and outreach efforts.
One of the more critical logistical projects involved organizing a campus-wide carpool system for students needing transportation to the polls on Election Day. The system, facilitated through the Flare mobile app, connected drivers and riders to reduce transportation barriers. I also coordinated and hosted legislative meet-and-greet sessions, including an event with Representative Wiley Nickel of North Carolina, aimed at encouraging informed civic engagement among students.
In addition to field organizing, I led presentations on issues relevant to young voters and facilitated workshops focused on the role of youth in shaping public policy. These events were designed to educate and engage students, regardless of political affiliation.
University Representation Through ASG
From November 2023 to April 2024, I served as a Research Fellow with the UNC Association of Student Governments (ASG). My primary focus was a project evaluating academic advising across the UNC System’s 17 institutions. The work involved analyzing advising models, identifying challenges faced by Gen-Z, first-generation, and transfer students, and collecting input from advisors and administrators.
I presented the research findings at the April ASG General Assembly meeting at Elizabeth City State University and submitted recommendations for system-wide improvements. The work was later cited in discussions led by the ASG President before the UNC Board of Governors, helping frame conversations about standardizing and improving advising systems across campuses.
Currently, I also hold the role of Associate Vice President for Campus Health and Wellness within ASG, where I collaborate on system-wide wellness initiatives. These include event planning with mental health experts, policy assessment, and coordination of Wellness Day activities. The objective of this work is to improve mental health access and support for students across the system.
Residence Life and Peer Leadership on Campus
Within residence life, I serve as President of the UNC Charlotte Resident Students Association (RSA). I oversee meeting agendas, board management, constitutional adherence, and campus programming. My role includes maintaining regular communication with campus partners and supporting the training and planning of RSA’s leadership retreats.
Prior to this role, I served as the National Communications Coordinator in Training for RSA, representing UNC Charlotte to national associations such as NACURH and SAACURH. Responsibilities included preparing conference delegations, submitting award bids, and managing the university’s national affiliation.
Through these positions, I worked to strengthen the connection between residential student life and national student housing organizations, while also contributing to local improvements in residence hall community building.
Mentorship Roles
As a Lead Niner Guide Trainer within the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, I co-manage the training and development of our groups of over 25+ student tour guides each semester . This involves conducting weekly meetings, reviewing performance, and ensuring consistent delivery of accurate campus information during tours and events. I work closely with UNC Charlotte Visit Coordinators to align student guide performance with overall admissions goals.
In a related capacity, I’ve also worked with the Forty-Niner Intensive Transition (FIT) Program. After participating in FIT as a first-year student, I returned as a Peer Mentor for the CHESS cohort. I supported incoming first-year students through presentations, study sessions, and social programming. Additional duties included assisting with curriculum structure and helping recruit future mentors.
Both roles center on peer guidance and information delivery—ensuring students feel supported from their first contact with UNC Charlotte to their transition into academic life.
Student Government and Committee Leadership
Since my freshman year, I have served as a Senator within the Student Government Association, and am currently chairing the Student Affairs Committee. In this capacity, I meet with senior campus leaders, such as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and work on programs that address student concerns.
Recent projects include organizing town hall-style discussions and launching a resource fair for first-generation students. The committee also serves as a liaison for issues raised by students related to dining services, campus operations, and auxiliary services.
This position has allowed me to develop policy-focused initiatives while maintaining regular feedback loops between the administration and student body.
Describe how you as an honors student can encourage more diversity and inclusion both inside and outside the classroom. How can honors students promote diversity both on their campuses and in the broader community?
Advancing Diversity and Inclusion as an Honors Student
Diversity and inclusion are not peripheral values—they are central to the strength, resilience, and future of our academic and civic communities. As an honors student at UNC Charlotte, my work both inside and outside the classroom has been driven by a deep commitment to ensuring that every student feels seen, valued, and heard. Whether through my role on the University Honors Program Executive Board, my service in student government, or my broader engagement with the community, I strive to foster an environment where students from all backgrounds know they belong and have the tools to thrive.
Expanding Access Through Service
In my current position as secretary on the Executive Board of the University Honors Program (UHP), one of my key objectives has been expanding our service and enrichment offerings beyond the confines of campus. Honors programs should not exist in isolation from the communities around them. By increasing the number of off-campus opportunities—such as volunteer sessions with the Boys and Girls Club, Levine Children’s Hospital, and local environmental cleanup efforts—we create moments where honors students can engage with a wider range of experiences and perspectives.
These off-campus interactions allow students to understand the world through a lens different from their own. They challenge assumptions, cultivate empathy, and develop a sense of responsibility toward communities that may be underserved or overlooked. By connecting students with real people and real stories, service transforms from an abstract requirement to a meaningful and sometimes life-changing experience.
At the same time, expanding these offerings signals to our partners in the Charlotte community that the university is not a distant institution—it is a collaborator, a neighbor, and a partner in progress.
Representation Through Student Government
In the Student Government Association, where I serve as a Senator and Chair of the Student Affairs Committee, I work to ensure that student representation reflects the complexity of our university population. The student body is not monolithic. It includes first-generation students, students who work full-time jobs, international students, non-traditional learners, and students with a wide range of identities and experiences.
Through initiatives like town halls, resource fairs, and regular dialogue with administrative leadership, I advocate for systems and policies that are flexible, accessible, and grounded in the real concerns of our students. Representation means more than occupying a seat—it means listening, responding, and designing policies that include those whose voices have historically been absent from the conversation.
This approach helps ensure that students who may feel disconnected from university life—because of their background, age, socioeconomic status, or other factors—understand that they are not just attending this institution; they are shaping it.
Leading with Purpose
As an African-American woman in leadership, I am often aware of how my presence in certain spaces is interpreted. But my intention is not to be seen for visibility's sake. I take on these roles so that students who look like me, or who come from communities that have been historically underrepresented, know that they matter here. Their thoughts, their labor, their aspirations are not marginal—they are central to the future of UNC Charlotte.
Leadership, to me, is about building doors where there were once walls and ensuring that when students arrive at UNC Charlotte, they encounter opportunities that reflect who they are and honor where they come from.
I want students of color, first-generation students, and others who have not traditionally seen themselves reflected in leadership to know that their perspective is needed. Everyone's voice adds something essential to the academic, social, and cultural fabric of this institution.
The Broader Purpose of Inclusion
Creating inclusive environments is not only about increasing numbers or checking boxes. It is about reshaping the culture so that all students feel empowered to participate fully and authentically in university life. Inside the classroom, this means encouraging curricula that reflect diverse voices, perspectives, and histories. It also means fostering discussions where students feel safe asking difficult questions and sharing their lived experiences.
Outside the classroom, it means designing service programs that connect students with community partners from across the socioeconomic and cultural spectrum. It involves encouraging collaboration across student organizations and ensuring that events, resources, and opportunities are available and accessible to all.
This work is continuous. It demands intention, patience, and accountability. But it also yields something transformative: a campus culture where excellence is defined not by exclusivity, but by inclusion.
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