UNCP graduate earns national student veteran leadership award
Taja Glasco struggled to find her footing when she enrolled at UNC Pembroke following her career as a pharmacy specialist in the Army. “The military can be a great career, but it is hard to remember how to be a civilian again,” she said. Glasco didn’t take long to find her way after becoming acclimated with the Academic and Military Outreach Office and the resources it offers student veterans. Glasco eventually stepped into a leadership role and began lending a hand to other veterans at UNCP.
Alumna Savannah Thompson finds early success with NBC Sports
Savannah Thompson is living out her dream. She’s combining her lifelong love for golf with her passion for video production as an associate producer for the Golf Channel at NBC Sports–one of the nation’s most recognized broadcasting companies. Thompson works on several shows, including Golf Today and Golf Central. This summer, she got the opportunity to do field production for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. In her line of work, she has rubbed shoulders with the sport’s biggest names, the likes of Rory McIlroy.
Alumna Randi Dagenhart named UNC System Presidential Scholar
Randi Dagenhart, a Fall 2020 graduate of UNC Pembroke, has been selected as a UNC System Presidential Scholar for the 2021-22 academic year. Dagenhart will serve a one-year appointment and provide a wide range of professional functions for the UNC System Office. She will have the opportunity to interact with President Peter Hans, his senior leadership team and the UNC Board of Governors. She will experience firsthand how education legislation and university policy affect current students and faculty systemwide.
Paging Dr. Woriax
Article written by Mark Locklear First published in the spring 2021 edition of UNCP Today Surgeons must possess a unique blend of skills and characteristics to be successful; they need more than just medical knowledge. While still early in her career, Dr. Hannah Woriax is quickly accumulating those skills.
Five alumnae complete Doctor of Pharmacy program at Wingate University
Five UNC Pembroke alumnae recently graduated from Wingate University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. Alex Miles Locklear, Megan Stevens Kwasnik, Sharon Ayioka, Brooke Chavis and Ashley Arcara were among the Spring 2021 graduating class. Arcara and Chavis graduated from UNCP in 2016. Kwasnik, Ayioka and Locklear earned their UNCP degrees the following year. Ayioka, a native of Kenya pursuing a career as an ambulatory care pharmacist, credits her UNCP professors Rachel Smith and Maria Santisteban for her academic success.
Alumnus Christian Ryckeley begins medical residency at Aventura Hospital
Fresh out of medical school, Christian Ryckeley will soon begin a three-year emergency medicine residency at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Florida.
UNCP to grow aspiring educators through North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program
The bond Anthony Barton formed with other North Carolina Teaching Fellows at UNC Pembroke was more like family. His experience laid the foundation for his success, first as a classroom teacher, and now as a principal with the Public Schools of Robeson County. “We were a community. The teaching fellows all lived on campus and took the same classes. We were like a family who shared a strong bond. Honestly, without the support I received from Dr. (Karen) Granger and the Teaching Fellows program, I believe I would not have finished school.”
Alumna Kennedi Henry to begin dental residency at ECU
UNC Pembroke alumna Kennedi Henry recently passed the North Carolina State Dental Board examination and will soon begin her residency at East Carolina University. Henry earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2016 before earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the ECU School of Dental Medicine in May. She is set to begin a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency at ECU this month.
Alumnus Wells Graham accepted to Ph.D. program at Wake Forest University
James “Wells” Graham Jr., a spring 2021 UNC Pembroke graduate and aspiring scientist, has decided to further his studies in the physics doctoral program at Wake Forest University. Graham earned his applied physics degree, graduating with magna cum laude honors, on May 21. A Laurinburg native and Scotland County High graduate, Graham was a RISE Fellow while attending UNCP.
Alumnus Evert Garcia-Guzman accepted into Physics Ph.D. program at UNC-Chapel Hill
Chemistry has always been Evert Garcia-Guzman’s strength academically. However, when he enrolled at UNC Pembroke four years ago, Guzman decided to push the boundaries and challenge himself by studying physics–a subject guaranteed to offer the academic rigor he needed. “I had never taken a physics course, and I wanted to learn more,” he said.