UNCP Names 2023 Alumni Award Winners
Four University of North Carolina at Pembroke alumni who stand out for successful careers and service to others have been selected as recipients of the 2023 UNCP Alumni Awards.
Biology undergrad Martina Van Etten immersed in deepwater research
Martina Van Etten spent much of the summer months on the campus of East Carolina University, where she learned to map the feeding regions of deepwater sablefish in the Pacific Ocean. The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation STEM Summer Immersion Program at East Carolina University had placed her in the lab of oceanographer Dr. Rebecca Asch.
New members join UNCP Alumni Association Board
The UNC Pembroke Alumni Association recently welcomed four new members to its Board of Directors. Vanessa Gonzalez ’07, Amber Locklear, Chris Lowery ’13 and Christina Theodorou ’05 joined the board on July 1 and will each serve a two-year term.
Alumna’s major gift will support experiential student learning
As a student service leader in UNC Pembroke’s Office for Community and Civic Engagement (CCE), Taley Hunt ’18, (MBA) ’20 was profoundly impacted by the opportunity to give back to others. “We went out to volunteer, not just in the local community but in the wider world,” said Hunt. “Having those opportunities really shaped the way I view the world. I’ve learned that when you give and are actively involved in your community, people see that and want to align with you.”
UNCP alumna Taliyah Daniels selected as Presidential Scholar
Taliyah Daniels, a 2023 graduate and former SGA president at UNC Pembroke, has been selected as a Presidential Scholar for the UNC System for the 2023-2024 academic year. Daniels was among three recent graduates of UNC System institutions selected for the prestigious program. Presidential Scholars provide a wide range of professional functions for the system office.
UNCP’s Benjamin Clark pursues passion for the past
An online World History course the summer before his freshman year of high school was the spark that ignited Benjamin Clark’s passion for history. He was captivated while learning about Alexander the Great’s conquests and the Roman Empire — considered one of the greatest civilizations of all time. Now a senior at UNC Pembroke, Clark chose to broaden his interests as a double major in history and American Indian studies.
Catherine Holmes named UNCP Student Teacher of the Year
Catherine Holmes has been selected as the spring 2023 Student Teacher of the Year at UNC Pembroke. Holmes qualifies to compete for the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators (NCACTE) Student Teacher of the Year Award. Holmes graduated this spring with a Master of Arts in Teaching and teaches at West End Elementary School in Moore County.
UNC Pembroke awards 1,117 degrees at Spring Commencement
Cindy Paul first started her college journey in 1985 — around the same year the parents of most of her UNC Pembroke classmates were born. At the time, she aspired to be a math teacher but went through a divorce, and her life took another turn.
Family affairs: Mother, son and husband, wife to cross UNCP stage together
Janett Nunez-Meza didn’t speak English when she immigrated to North Carolina from Nicaragua 16 years ago with her husband and five-year-old son. Her husband was hired by Smithfield Foods. Janett worked in fast food and picked blueberries before landing a job in the migrant education department with Bladen County Schools. She worked up to the state level but always dreamed of becoming a college graduate.
UNCP senior Hannah Irving accepted to 13 law schools
Getting into law school is highly competitive. And the chances of getting accepted to a prestigious law school is nearly impossible. But Hannah Irving has beat all the odds. The UNC Pembroke senior has been admitted to 13 law schools––including one of the top law schools in the country––and received more than $1.4 million in scholarship offers.