1. Scholarship (currently $9,000 per year, renewable for four years)
2. Exclusive access to special events;
3. Networking and career workshops;
4. Speaker series with speakers on business, leadership, and career advice – leaders in fields from business to public service
5. Special dinners throughout their Carolina careers, often including members of the Wood and Cole families
6. Book selections each semester representing “timeless wisdom” followed by in-depth book discussions;
7. Service opportunities;
8. Individual meetings with program director to develop plans for personal / career goals;
9. Opportunities to collaborate with other leadership and development programs on campus – NC Fellows, Carolina Leadership, Covenant Scholars, and Achieve Scholars;
10. Assessments like FOCUS 2, CliftonStrengths, a 360 Review and Myers-Briggs, followed with group discussion and optional individual interpretation sessions.
11. Mentor-mentee program
    1. Based on survey responses indicating interests, all incoming scholars are individually matched with an older scholar who will serve as their mentor throughout the mentees’ academic career.
    2. Mentors meet with their mentees at least once a month and help to navigate Carolina, serve as a resource, and provide support in numerous ways.

Scholar Experiences

“I am thankful for everyone involved with this wonderful program because I already feel like a better leader from my mere one-year experience.”
– Arefa Bacchus from Lexington, North Carolina

“The activities we did as a group helped me learn a lot about myself and future careers I could excel in. If all goes as planned, I would like to work for a professional sports team and negotiate their contracts. Based on what I learned in the StrengthsFinder and Myers-Briggs tests, I believe that this is a career I could do well with.”
– Tara Nath from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“Each dinner that we had with a guest changed my life. The ability to talk to professionals in a comfortable environment is something that we treasured. Hearing their advice for students in college was extremely useful and thought-provoking.”
– Cassandra Cassidy from Charlotte, North Carolina

“The Special Olympics event we put on was a huge success! Not only was it a lot of fun and did a lot of good for the community, but it also brought all of us Wood Scholars closer together.”
– Maia Yarborough from Boone, North Carolina