Jessica Muñiz never imagined her future would include doctoral-level research at one of the nation’s leading research institutions.

A 2022 UNC Pembroke graduate and third-year PhD student at Duke University, Muñiz has found herself doing just that as she studies the buried legacies of Puerto Rican workers recruited to work on war-related projects during World War I. She credits her experience with UNCP’s REACH program with providing the confidence and skills necessary to become such a successful scholar. 

“The REACH program allowed me to develop my current research, which I will eventually build into my dissertation,” Muñiz said. “It was my first experience with archival research and my first academic mentor experience, which is the structure built into grad school.

“I honestly don’t think I would’ve gotten into the doctoral program at Duke if not for the research experience I received through REACH,” Muñiz said.

Impactful research through REACH will continue at UNCP thanks to a $950,000 grant awarded by the Mellon Foundation, which has funded the program since 2019. The funds will be spread over three years.

“UNCP is honored to receive a generous grant once again from the Mellon Foundation, enabling us to continue our REACH program,” said Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings. “With our student body, UNCP is uniquely positioned to engage underrepresented groups in meaningful research, inspiring them to pursue graduate and doctoral programs. The ability to participate in undergraduate research because of this funding provides an invaluable opportunity for personal and academic growth, and each year, I’m eager to see the impressive work our students produce,” Cummings said.

REACH­­­ stands for Research Engagement Action Community Humanities. Funding supports research site visits across the United States, offsets the cost of applying to graduate school, and sends fellows to conferences to present their research.

Of the 34 REACH graduates, 70 percent have secured spots in graduate programs studying disciplines such as history, ethnomusicology, sociology and media arts production at UNCP, UNC Greensboro, East Carolina University, Duke, the Institute of World Politics, the University of Arizona, the University of Buffalo and law schools at the University of Virginia and Michigan State University. 

“The work being done at UNCP through the Mellon grant exemplifies the best of what higher education has to offer and provides further proof that you don’t have to attend an R1 institution to gain the skills needed to conduct powerful research,” said Dr. Diane Prusank, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. 

“In higher education, we know that being part of a research team increases the probability that a student will stay in school and complete their college degree,” Prusank continued. “In addition to increasing student success, when UNCP students engage in primary research through the REACH program, they elevate a plethora of critical skills from listening to data analysis to theory application and will take these skills into the workforce. Perhaps the most important thing is that student work will have a lasting impact on our community, which is essential to the mission of UNCP.”

This fall, the fifth cohort of 15 REACH Fellows will participate in an experiential, community-based research project documenting the life histories of the Lumbee Tribe, examining the significance of place and cultural identity as represented in the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) and photography issued by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) from 1936 to 1940. 

REACH Fellows will contribute to three public humanities projects:

• a community-driven archive that will be shared by the Lumbee Tribe and UNCP

• a digital story map outlining pertinent information about tribal history as it intersects with the FWP and 

• an interactive FSA photograph community exhibit illustrating race and ethnicity in North Carolina.

Dr. Michele Fazio, a professor of English and director of REACH, said the research highlights bridging academic skills with community engagement. 

“As the nation’s largest supporter of the humanities, the Mellon Foundation aims to support student research and engagement. Their investment in our students eliminates the financial burden often accompanying research,” Fazio said. 

“The REACH program connects local and regional history with national archives and enables our students to consider how the documentation of lived experience in the past continues to shape the present.”

This summer, a dozen REACH Fellows spent a week in Washington, D.C., exploring the Library of Congress archives located at the Jefferson and Madison Memorial buildings, visiting the Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and receiving a private tour of the U.S. Capitol. 

Fazio and Dr. Ashley Batts Allen, associate dean of Faculty and Research, accompanied the Fellows on the trip. Allen will continue to serve as principal investigator for the Mellon grant.