Benefits
- Scholarship (currently $9,000 per year, renewable for four years)
- Exclusive access to special events;
- Networking and career workshops;
- Speaker series with speakers on business, leadership, and career advice – leaders in fields from business to public service
- Special dinners throughout their Carolina careers, often including members of the Wood and Cole families
- Book selections each semester representing “timeless wisdom” followed by in-depth book discussions;
- Service opportunities;
- Individual meetings with program director to develop plans for personal / career goals;
- Opportunities to collaborate with other leadership and development programs on campus – NC Fellows, Carolina Leadership, Covenant Scholars, and Achieve Scholars;
- Assessments like FOCUS 2, CliftonStrengths, a 360 Review and Myers-Briggs, followed with group discussion and optional individual interpretation sessions.
- Mentor-mentee program
- 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.
- 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