About

Mary Grace Curiale is from Fair Bluff, North Carolina, and graduated in May of 2017 with a degree in psychology and a minor in American Indian studies. Mary Grace was proud to serve on the student honors council as secretary for three years, member-at-large for one year and also to work as a research assistant in the psychology department. She also really enjoyed being involved in productions for the theatre department. Mary Grace said that the most rewarding aspect of the honors college was being part of a community. She said, “I could always rely on someone in the Maynor Honors College throughout my time at UNC Pembroke.”

For Mary Grace’s senior project she took an interdisciplinary look at how people are connected or attached to certain places and why. She worked with Dr. Haladay from the Department of American Indian Studies to conduct her research. She focused on the surrounding counties of the university to research how hurricane Matthew affected the people and their relationship with the environment around them, how this changed the hometown community and how people responded to it.

After graduation Mary Grace taught as a substitute teacher while preparing for graduate school to study clinical psychology. Her greatest memory at UNCP was traveling to Orlando, Florida to attend the Southern Regional Honors Conference and North Carolina Honors Association Conference. She advises students to not be afraid to work for the goals that they want and not to let anyone decide what to do with their life and education.

Senior Project

Thesis: Rural Attachment to Place: A Change in Relationship

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jane Haladay