Our Carolina Stories

“As undergrads, we also learned to empathize with our Black cafeteria workers — paid less than minimum wage — and with our new Black Student Movement, which championed their cause.”

“We have built a first-class University here.”

“It took me a generation to realize what Carolina means to me.”

“My parents appreciated the importance of education, because I never heard ‘IF you go to college,’ but ‘WHEN you go to college.’ ”

“Being Tar Heel bred, I grew up knowing that Carolina was going to be my school.”

“Here are some of the things that I learned. ... I learned that interactions with people who are different from you exposes you to different ideas and you grow from that experience. In other words, I grew up here.”

"The last 20 years or so, for me, it’s been a real honor to serve Carolina in a number of different ways. Hopefully, with all of you and with many, many others, I have helped pave the way for the next few generations of Carolina students to go on and lead our state, our nation and our world."

“During my time, these two threads—the normal college life and the more entrepreneurial life on campus—intertwined in numerous ways, sometimes conflicting, sometimes productive, almost always interesting.”

“My true passion now ... has been my involvement with the University.”

"But sometimes we learn through adversity. In my case, finishing second for student body president taught me how to find solace on the other side of heartache. It also taught me that elections aren’t the only path to serving and that those who truly care and stick with it often get a second chance."

“Carolina taught me and continues to teach me from Nashville the power of standing up, speaking out and taking action when something is not right or could be improved.”

"Because for me, it took quite a while. My first love was the school two hours east, East Carolina University. The one where my father, ECU Hall of Famer Carlester Crumpler, made a name for himself. Also, the same school in which my older brother, Carlester T. Crumpler, was an All-American."

“When I think back on my Carolina experience, I realized it meant less to me in the beginning than it should have. It was something that I just did.”

“I firmly believe that The University of North Carolina was the perfect place to be — a place to grow and live through an extraordinary time in our history.”

"I grew up in Lincolnton, NC. This is where I learned English, for those of you wondering how a girl from Costa Rica ends up sounding so Southern."

“Dean Smith told me, ‘Eddie, you’ll never be rich, but you’ll eat a lot of steak at the pregame meal.’ ”

“I’ve had three careers. First, as a journalist – my true professional love. Second, as a public policy analyst at a Washington-based think tank and, now, as dean of the School of Communication at American University...”

“Little did I realize how this education experience would lead to an entirely different chapter in my Carolina story. This work led me to focus in the House on education with very specific responsibility and involvement with higher ed.”

“I’m still living that same Carolina dream: providing service, building relationships, making connections and living social work values. … My experience there made me want to become a leader. It laid the groundwork for a life full of leadership opportunities.”

“The average student is very important to the University.”

“The confidence and connections I had gained during my time at Carolina and then at Oxford allowed me the opportunity to explore a career I never knew existed.”

“My story is, at its essence, a love affair: Girl meets School. Girl falls head over ‘heels’ for School.”

“I admittedly was fortunate to be born into a wonderful gene pool of an avid Tar Heel family.”

“The most enduring memories that I have of my time in Chapel Hill ... are those thoughts and images of the wonderful people.”

“Once I got here, the transformation from boy to man began.”

“Like any truly great University, Carolina in my time was a hotbed of debate over the issues of the day, and I loved that.”

“The power of relentlessly pursuing better ways ... it was a lesson I originally learned here at Carolina.”

“What is most compelling about this place is ... the idea that Carolina represents.”

“I was embraced by a radically artistic group of department heads who saw potential in me that I had not imagined.”

“My four years at Carolina taught me that you don’t have to be the brightest guy on the block, but you do have to work hard to succeed.”

“I came here an unformed rube, and I left here with confidence in my intellect, my ability to lead but, most importantly, with a sophisticated set of moral values that I developed here that have never led me astray.”

“Our stories and ideas are our ideas, our experiences, our contributions to the world.”

“One day, in October 1980, a friend said, 'Come with me to a meeting. Bob Saunders is doing this thing.' ... And in going to that meeting, I found my calling at UNC and the door to my future, though I didn't know it at the time.”

"...I'm so thankful and proud to have been part of a community that values and encourages this educational philosophy of leading change to improve society and to help solve the world's greatest problems."

“UNC gave me an understanding of a broader world, a foundation from which to deal with the ups and downs of life, and a network of supportive friends with whom I maintain contact today.”

“I knew I would learn some basketball skills and would become a better basketball player, but I had no idea I would become a better person.”

“Jim had decided he wanted me to become Woody Durham’s color analyst for the upcoming Carolina football season. I was 19 years old.”

“That is what makes this a special place — if you look, you can find great professors willing to buy into student creativity.”

“Friendships — that may be the most valuable result of being and studying at Carolina. Real friends.”

“I considered it – and still do – my great pleasure to serve this school.”

“Based on an old R.E.M. poster, I once endeavored to sum up my entire college experience in four words: Laughed. Cried. Learned. Loved.”

"But here’s my philosophy: While it’s important to set goals … it’s also crucial to keep an open mind about unexpected opportunities that may be out of your usual comfort zone."

"In true teenage fashion, I waited until the absolute last day to make a decision. And to be honest, I did not really make a decision at all. In fact, the decision was not made until a UNC coach happened to call me and simply ask, 'So, are you coming to Carolina?' and I answered, 'OK.'"

“To me, Carolina was about learning to live, and to do so with some degree of passion, interacting with all types and kinds of people.”

“Oxford versus Chapel Hill? It was no competition.”

“It all started with Ralph Sampson, strangely enough.”

One day I said to myself, "If this was the football field, whatever it took to start is what you would do". That was another transformation to me. From that point on, I was on the front row of every class.

“Me, Brad Frederick, Jacque Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Rex Walters, and Steve Woodbury … all they wanted to hear about was what it was like playing here, and what the games were like, and what the Duke rivalry was like.”