Levine Scholars Blog
In a world consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, digital communication has been at the forefront of many people’s lives. From Zoom meetings to the constant onslaught of emails, more and more conversations have turned virtual. Social media, too, has taken a larger role in our lives on a day-to-day basis.
This past summer I had the opportunity to intern with Habitat for Humanity, and wanted to share a bit about my experience. Habitat is usually a popular choice of internship preference for scholars and I was very excited to know that I had been selected for an interview with Habitat for my second summer Levine experience.
Imagine 20 individuals meeting each other for the first time at an airport, getting onto a bus, and heading off to live in the wilderness, in tents, for the next month. It sounds like the setting for some binge-worthy TV series, and yet this was real-life.
Charlotte was not on my map. Roughly 700 miles away from my home and having no connection to my life, the city was out of sight and out of mind. I virtually forgot it existed. In other words, Charlotte Immersion was a much needed experience.
The transition from high school to college is a very important time. Confusion will be common at first along with many questions, insecurities, and self-doubt.
In researching UNC Charlotte, I stumbled upon the Levine Scholars Program and made the decision to apply. That decision has given me so many unique experiences and opportunities, all of which I am extremely grateful for!
I was sitting in my second Organic Chemistry II class, failing to comprehend anything, when I had an epiphany: I wasn’t happy.
As May approaches, signaling the end of my undergraduate studies as a Levine Scholar at UNC Charlotte, I am simultaneously struck by overwhelming gratitude for my experience here as well as my responsibility for the gift I have been given.
My journey as a Levine Scholar began with a meeting at the beginning of my senior year of high school with my college counselor, Mr. Yager. During our meeting, I was explaining to Mr. Yager that I was set on staying in Puerto Rico for my undergraduate career.
I have many friends in my life, but I’d like to tell you about my very best friend. Her name is Claudia. She can be a bit needy at times, constantly looking to hang out with me and loathing when I have to leave.
With COVID-19, I had no idea what this fall semester would look like. There was so much uncertainty with a pandemic underway, and this was to be my first year no less. Still, I was thrilled at the opportunity to be on campus, which I saw as the beginning of my life independent of my parents.
Before the pandemic started, I had plans to spend the fall semester of my senior year in Taipei, Taiwan, studying in an intensive Chinese language program. I was only five when I moved from Taiwan to North Carolina with my mom and sister, returning during the summer every one or two years to visit my dad.