About

Cora Bright is from Ellenboro, North Carolina and graduated in the spring of 2018 with a degree in biology on the molecular track. During her time as an undergraduate student Cora worked in the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program which gave her the opportunity to conduct research on the graduate level. She is proud that she was able to complete her degree in three years because of her hard work in high school. Cora served on the Student Honors Council as Freshman Representative, Sophomore Secretary, and Vice President. Having the opportunity to take honors classes that encouraged critical thinking and group discussion was one of the most rewarding aspects of being a member of the honors college.  

For Cora’s senior project she conducted an ethnographic study about tutoring on the college level. For this study she looked at the effectiveness of a tutor in correlation to how effective the tutor feels about tutoring. She surveyed tutors to ask what their likes and dislikes are about the program, how can they improve their tutoring skills, did their tutee improve, and how beneficial they were as a tutor.  

After graduation Cora attended Duke University where she pursed a Ph.D. in genetics and genomics. She advises honors students to “stay focused and keep at it!” but also have fun in their honors courses and not to stress out too much. Cora enjoyed having the opportunity to attend round table meetings that are hosted by the university to hear students' concerns. She remembers one especially where she spoke about areas of the dining hall and how it is difficult to reach food. They took her small concern and fixed it quickly, which showed just how much UNCP cares: “I love this memory because even for the small things UNCP is always there to help their students!” 

Senior Project

Thesis: The Effectiveness of Tutoring from the Perspective of the Tutor: An Ethnographic Study

Faculty Mentor: Mary Ash