A Place to Belong

Introduction
My advisor suggested that I go here. I said well do you really think I can get in, being that only 18% is accepted out of the state and he was like you know it’ll be a reach but you have a chance I said OK and got that baby blue package in the mail and I was on my way.

Campus Life and Social Life
The UNC campus I would say is extremely exciting – just being here, the classes are really great – the general college is not something that you can always enjoy because you have to take classes you don’t like, like geology for example. I did not enjoy Drama 15 but when you get into a lot of freshman seminars and things like that you have a lot of fun. I am a 2004, spring 2004 initiate of Delta Sigma Theta sorority incorporated and my sorority falls under NPHC which is National Pan-Hellenic Council we work with Greek affairs and have 3 other councils under Greek affairs here at UNC. There’s also on this campus we have Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Gamma Roe, and Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, they are 8 black Greek organizations on this campus and we work together with a lot of things we put on a lot of programs right now NPHC is looking to increase, enhance their relationship with the other Greek organizations on campus including the inner fraternal organizations and the multi cultural organizations here on campus. Academics
I believe the departments here at UNC – IU think communications studies is one of the most popular and probably the most fun and I’m gonna say that because I like performance its something I love to do – even though were in a small building – there’s a bunch of us. We meet different kinds of people – it also allows you to get into other departments. I have a connection into J school, the journalism school; I have connection to the people in the Business School. I think the classes are very good. I think we have the greatest professors here, especially Dr. Madison; she’s just a lovely lady.
I thought I could come here, get straight A’s and be in everything that I wanted to be in and everything was gonna be great but that’s not really how it happens – basically I did what I liked to do, found the things but I did find it difficult at first balancing my social life and my academics – eventually after the first semester you kind of get used to the pace of things – the work load – you know what you can take on, what you cant take on and by sophomore year you’ll be straight or you should be straight – if you’re not straight you probably aren’t focused.

Student Body
I think that although this University is majority like majority white students – I found a comfort zone with other minority students here – I consider myself black American, they’re a bunch of black Americans here – there are also some Indians and some Asians, you know some Latinos and I feel like there’s enough pf people who represent me here where I cam feel comfortable – I’ve never felt like intimidated, I’ve never felt you know that I didn’t want to be here because I didn’t see enough of myself and I think UNC has enough diversity where you can find a place where you fit in. Especially being from the Bronx – it’s very hard to fit into Southern culture but I found people who’ve actually just admired my difference and I also enjoy being around different kinds of people. I think UNC is very accepting of different people and they try to not only embrace it but promote diversity here.

In Closing...
I was super excited about our championship this year – it was something you know it’s kind of once in a life time experience – we haven’t won a championship in a long time, like being on Franklin Street, building bon fires and all that stuff- that’s something experience anywhere else. Halloween on Franklin Street – you will never experience something like that anywhere else. I can definitely appreciate us having a hot basketball team; it’s definitely a plus, definitely a plus.