The Robertson scholars leadership program was founded by the late philanthropist and Carolina alumnus Julian Robertson ’55 as a way of providing eight semesters of full tuition, room and board to scholars at both Carolina and Duke University.

“The scholarship is all about investing in young leaders to create change,” said Torrey Lin Weiner, a sophomore Robertson scholar double-majoring in journalism and philosophy. “It elevates us by keeping us in touch with a higher level of community with more intention.”

The scholars also build a community among themselves during a multitude of events and learning opportunities. The trip to the Ackland in October was one example.

Lin Weiner is not an artist but attended to gain a better understanding of the man behind the collection.

“It’s interesting getting to see this collection and develop more of an understanding of who Robertson might have been,” Lin Weiner said. “You can see the intentionality in what he collected. It was cool to draw connections between the pieces as we went through the session.”

The session was led by Elizabeth Manekin, the Ackland’s head of university programs and academic projects.

Her session looked at several different pieces of the collection, including the sculpture by American artist George Rickey, titled “U.N. III.” She said the piece left a special impression on the scholars.

(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

“They were immediately taken by the sense of movement in the piece,” Manekin said. “The way it’s displayed doesn’t allow for its intended motion. But the students immediately understood that potential energy and after watching a video of it moving, they were even more mesmerized.”

Manekin praised the Robertson scholars for their thoughtful, engaged responses. She credits this to their standing as an interdisciplinary group who can bring their own passions into their understanding of the pieces.

“One student in the session was a biology major, and she was looking at the Rickey piece as a double helix,” Manekin said. “There was also a computer science major who related the piece to code and manipulation.”

For Lin Weiner, the experience at the Ackland was an inspiring one.

“I think the reason I’m a Robertson scholar is because I’m passionate about people and their stories,” Lin Weiner said. “Through the Ackland, I was able to get an understanding of the stories behind the paintings and the people behind the collection.”

“Color Triumphant” will be on display at the Ackland until Jan. 4.

But none has been as rewarding to her as the completion of The Reese Brantmeier Project, the restoration of two community tennis courts in her hometown of Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Growing up with a passion for tennis came with its challenges, like courts at her elementary school that were unplayable. She was fortunate. Her family was able to drive her 45 minutes to an hour to courts where she could practice every day. Not everyone had that luxury.

In the fourth grade, Brantmeier told her principal that she was going to fix those courts, recalled her mother, Becky Brantmeier.  The magnitude of the project was a bit much for a fourth-grader, but once she arrived at Carolina in 2022, Brantmeier was ready to get to work.

Brantmeier and her mother teamed up with the Patrick W. Ryan Memorial Tennis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to promoting tennis in southeastern Wisconsin. After nearly three years, the courts were completed this summer.

“She does not drop anything. It is a conviction,” Becky Brantmeier said of her daughter. “If she says it, it’s happening.”

Brantmeier is very grateful for her mother’s support. “She was the first person to help me get it off the ground, so it was special to be able to share this with her.”

People in attendance for the grand opening in July included Brantmeier, her family, her elementary school principal, her UNC coaches and many of the Whitewater community members. Several local elementary school students came out to play on the new courts.

“Knowing how much this would have meant to me when I was 8 years old is so cool,” Brantmeier said. “Knowing that my 8-year-old self would be so excited to go play on these courts and being able to see that opportunity be given to any 8-year-old who’s in that elementary school now.”

Brian Kalbas, UNC women’s tennis head coach, flew up for the ceremony to show his support.
“Going to the dedication and everybody coming out to the dedication, it was a moment that was truly special,” he said. “It’s just amazing how much she has meant to so many people in that hometown.”

But this isn’t surprising to anyone who has gotten to know Brantmeier. She’s unselfish. She cares about others.

“It’s so rare in this day and age for someone who is that talented and that gifted want to give back to so many other people,” Kalbas said. “It’s usually that they want to reap all the benefits. They want to be showered with the praise, and she’s not that way. She’s unique.”

The tennis player’s mother is now learning lessons from her daughter.

“I’m home now with my dogs and my husband, and this experience has made me think, ‘You know what? I’m going to step out of my comfort zone and do something,’” Becky Brantmeier said. “She has motivated me and a lot of other people.”

For the tennis player, it was always about how she could impact others. She wasn’t concerned about how difficult it might be to make this dream a reality.

“If you have the right intentions, and you find the right people, you can really achieve anything,” she said.

And she did.

But the scholarship has grown immensely in financial benefit since its inception. The stories of two recipients, one in 2024 and one in 1975, show its impact over 50 years and for the future.

Shaping her experience

In March, second-year Doctor of Pharmacy student Kassidy Johnson was lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak or walk because of a severe concussion caused by a car crash. While she recovered, she found a new level of support from her peers and professors at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

“The professors were very approachable. They moved their schedules around so I could come in to take the tests or take tests online,” Johnson said. “They were very understanding, and I could tell that they just really cared about me.”

Though she still faces months of rehab, Johnson’s grit and determination got her caught up on her studies. She’s now back in the classroom ready to take on the remainder of her training, showing the tenacity that helped her earn the Fonnie Jackson Andrews scholarship in fall 2024.

The scholarship is one of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s signature Blouin scholars program awards. It will cover Johnson’s tuition for all four years of the program, an international rotation with the Global Pharmacy Scholars program in her fourth year, and professional development opportunities throughout her time at the school.

“This scholarship has freed me so that I do not have to work while I’m going through this program,” she said.

Johnson practiced as a doula before pharmacy school, so she is interested in learning more about options in obstetrics, pediatrics or neonatology. “We have two faculty members that we can go to for, really, anything. The scholarship has really shaped my experience here as a whole.”

Setting up sustainable income

Dan Dalton ’76 ’80 (MS) was the very first recipient of the Fonnie Jackson Andrews award in 1975. A first-generation college student putting himself through pharmacy school on the work-study program, Dalton used the award to set up a sustainable income as a photographer to pay for the rest of his education.

Dalton spent the funds at Foister’s Camera Store on Franklin Street, augmenting and upgrading his photography equipment. Throughout his time at UNC, he photographed events and special functions for the school as well as student organizations, fraternities and sororities — even wedding photos for his classmates.

“Being creative helped me make connections that created ideas,” Dalton said. “That same creativity and curiosity, amplified over various personal and professional moments throughout my post-college experience, led to the culmination of being recruited back to my alma mater 27 years later.”

In 2007, Dalton played a pivotal part in launching, and later expanding, the UNC Hemophilia Treatment Center Pharmacy. He continued this work for 15 years, guiding and managing a program that now covers not only the University’s center, but also the four other federally recognized hemophilia treatment centers in North Carolina.

After a long career of varying roles in pharmacy, Dalton now does consulting work. He’s also still practicing photography, recently venturing into videography.

Johnson and Dalton are connected across five decades by the Fonnie Jackson Andrews scholarship, an award that has grown in worth and impact. Scholarships like this one are made possible thanks to the generous support of donors. If you would like to support PharmD student scholarships, reach out to Regina Craven, PharmD program director of development, at cravenra@unc.edu.

Read more about Johnson and Dalton.

A Carrboro High School graduate, he wanted an academically rigorous path in college. He chose the quantitative biology track and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

His interest in data-driven biology deepened through courses such as analysis and interpretation of sequence-based functional genomics. The class was taught by Terry Furey, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ biology department and the UNC School of Medicine’s genetics department. Meng-Saccoccio recalls the class as transformative.

“He was fantastic,” he said. “This was a quantitative genomics class, and we did so much fun, cool stuff, learning to interpret basic different functional applications of genomic topics. We used coding to expand on that to make predictions, do some analysis.” Students selected an interesting topic with publicly available genetic data, used Linux to align and assess samples and built reports based on their analyses.

He planned to study medicine. “I wanted to shadow people at the hospital, to volunteer, to get ready for med school. But that fell through because I wasn’t able to sustain taking classes and all of that. My health progressively got worse,” he said.

Several of his conditions qualify as “orphan diseases,” defined as affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Such conditions may take years to diagnose because symptoms mimic more common disorders.

“Not many doctors are familiar with some of the conditions that I have,” he said. “It took quite a while before some doctors recognized what I was experiencing.”

One condition is myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka chronic fatigue syndrome, characterized by extreme, unpredictable exhaustion.

Another condition, orthostatic intolerance, affects Meng-Saccoccio’s blood flow. “If I stand or walk for too long, I’ll get nauseous or dizzy,” he said. When he uses a wheelchair, his posture is closer to a 90-degree angle, which slows the drop in blood pressure.

In his first year, Meng-Saccoccio connected with Accessibility Resources and Service (which merged with the University Compliance Office in 2024) for help in securing accommodations. As diagnoses were confirmed, the University approved accommodations such as extended testing time and remote class attendance.

He lives on campus in Ram Village. His family supplies lots of support. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to do basic things every day. I don’t have the energy to take out the garbage or cook,” he said. “That my family comes by to help me and they walk with me is probably the biggest blessing that I’ve had in my time here.”

Meng-Saccoccio sipped from the Old Well in 2023 after it reopened with a sloped pathway. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

The 21-year-old found additional support through Tar Heels at the Table, a disability advocacy group. The organization has worked on accessibility improvements, including construction of a sloped pathway at the Old Well. “Some of my best friends who understand what I’m going through have been from that group,” he said.

Meng-Saccoccio considered majoring in English but found an outlet for his writing by minoring in medicine, literature and culture through Honors Carolina. He published “Deep Diagnosis Jungle: Besting the Beast of My Orphan Disease” in The Health Humanities Journal of UNC-Chapel Hill. Courses in bioethics, religion and medicine, and comparative healing systems helped him bridge scientific and humanistic perspectives, an intersection he hopes to study after graduation.

Reflecting on his final weeks at Carolina, he finds “the greatest part has to be the people here,” he said. “I’ve met some truly wonderful friends here at UNC and also some truly amazing professors who don’t just know a lot, they care a lot.”

Her dad served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 13 years and as a police officer for five. Her mom, her “biggest role model,” works for a Veterans Affairs hospice center.

Zimmerman, who will receive her Master of Public Administration degree at Carolina’s Winter Commencement ceremony Dec. 14, is carrying on that public service mission in her own way. She earned her degree from the UNC School of Government while working full-time as an economic development specialist for Franklin County.

“My mom puts her life and soul into her work and cares about her patients,” Zimmerman said. “It’s the same with me when I’m meeting with a small business owner who’s telling me their whole life story and why they’re doing what they do. They put their blood, sweat and tears into a business, and I’m going to do everything I can to help them succeed. I’m very passionate about local government and how that government continues to serve the community.”

Zimmerman graduated from UNC Greensboro in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. Her studies helped her discover a love for policy and conflict management, something that inspired her to study abroad in Germany and South Korea. Then she decided to go to graduate school, earning a dual master’s degree from UNCG in peace and conflict studies and international development.

After graduating, Zimmerman interned for Special Olympics North Carolina, then worked for the City of Oxford as an executive administrative assistant, then a communications specialist and later a downtown development main street director.

In February 2024, Zimmerman took on her current economic development role, focusing on business recruitment and retention, and community and workforce development initiatives. She supports local businesses and economic development efforts in Franklin County, showing employers why it is an attractive place to grow.

“I’m very much community minded; I love people. So, for me, economic development isn’t necessarily about the businesses. It’s about the people behind the businesses,” said Zimmerman. “I would say my sweet spot is working with small businesses and local shops because hearing their stories is what motivates me to be better at what I do.”

Zimmerman said the MPA program takes a deep dive into the practical side of what she does each day and puts it into perspective of why government is very important. “The classes I enjoyed the most were leadership development and organizational theory of open government management. All my classes shaped my understanding and eagerness to continue forward with becoming a city manager or working in management in some type of fashion.”

Zimmerman hopes to use her new skills to become a city manager one day.

“The program has helped me feel more confident going into different situations and being able to handle a situation no matter what it is, whether it’s dealing with a business or with the public,” said Zimmerman. “I’ve also gained more knowledge in terms of North Carolina laws that the state uses, general statutes and what is expected of local employees.”

Wherever she goes, she’ll carry on the lessons learned from her family.

“That’s where I see my life having meaning and where I see the best place for me to raise my voice to help other people,” said Zimmerman. “My family has instilled public service in me since I was a kid. Now, it motivates me because I think the community deserves to have good public officials.”

He was accepted and became an accomplished neurosurgeon.

Now 90, Kelly ’59 (MD) sometimes wondered about finishing his bachelor’s degree. “I was the only person in my medical school class who didn’t have the degree. Quite frankly, I wanted to be an alumnus of the University of North Carolina,” he said. He was even willing to attend class on campus.

Chancellor Lee H. Roberts heard about Kelly’s long-held wish and asked Lauren DiGrazia, associate provost and University registrar, to look into fulfilling that wish. Her staff determined Kelly’s academic record matched 1955 requirements for a Bachelor of Science in chemistry.

His wish has been granted.

On Dec. 14, Kelly will put on a Carolina Blue cap and gown, then join younger graduates at Winter Commencement. His diploma will read “Class of 1955.”

From age 12, Kelly wanted to become a doctor. He took a step toward that goal after graduating as valedictorian of Winston-Salem’s Reynolds High School by enrolling at Carolina in fall 1953 with enough college credits to be a sophomore. He was named to the National Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa. By spring 1955, 20-year-old Kelly needed one class to graduate.

Kelly (seen here on the far left; fourth row down) with his 1959 School of Medicine class. (Submitted photo)

He knew that Carolina’s medical school had open spots for superior students with three years of accredited college work. “I thought if I could gain two years in my professional career, that would be smart. That’s why I sought early entrance to medical school,” Kelly said.

The admissions board, concerned by his age, denied him admission. But the school’s dean, Dr. Walter Berryhill, heard about Kelly and wrote Reynolds principal Claude Joyner for a reference.  A week later, a phone call informed Kelly that he had been admitted.

“I didn’t know about Dr. Berryhill writing that letter until about 15 or 20 years later when Mr. Joyner visited our house for dinner,” Kelly said. “He brought the correspondence and showed it to me.”

Kelly wanted to become a family doctor. But during a third-year rotation he realized that family medicine patients often had multiple problems. “It occurred to me that to be a really good family physician, I would have to know an awful lot about cardiology, rheumatology and many other things. That didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to go into a field I could know from top to bottom and fix people,” Kelly said.

After researching medical and surgical specialties, he decided to find a neurosurgery residency. That year he also married Sarah “Sally” Kelly, who died in 2014. During their 56-year marriage, they had four children — Kathy Burnette, David Kelly ’84, Mary Brooks and Julia Ann Goins ’89.

“I’m indebted to Carolina’s medical school. My professors taught me firsthand. I learned techniques and teaching that I incorporated in training 48 surgery residents. They’ve practiced from Hawaii to the East Coast,” Kelly said.

Kelly completed residency training at Wake Forest University’s Bowman Gray School of Medicine/North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Peter Bent Brigham and Children’s Hospital, Harvard, and a neurophysiology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the Bowman Gray faculty in 1965. He became neurosurgery chair at Wake Forest Medical Center in 1978.

A specialist in treating brain tumor and vascular disorders of the brain, Kelly was president of several national and state neurosurgical organizations. He has received the UNC School of Medicine Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award (1990), Cushing Medal for extraordinary contributions to neurosurgery (1999) and Order of the Long Leaf Pine (2015) for exemplary service to North Carolina.

The sophomore exchange student’s data science skills were already strong, and he wanted to work on his English.

“In daily life, it is still difficult to find people to talk with,” said Kimura, a Tokyo native. “I have friends, but I can’t talk with them all the time. But here, I can focus on talking to somebody.”

Kimura was one of 20-plus attendees from throughout the University community — undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scholars, postdocs and spouses — striking up conversations with fellow Tar Heels on a mid-November Friday afternoon in the atrium of the FedEx Global Education Center.

These informal weekly meetups — there’s no attendance policy or commitment requirements — are casual in nature but serve multiple purposes.

International and American Tar Heels get to meet new people, exchange culture, practice and receive feedback on their English speaking and learn about University and community resources.

As UNC-Chapel Hill continues to set records in international-student enrollment, the program’s mission is the same as it was when it began in 2010. “We want to give people a sense of community,” said Gigi Taylor, the senior English language and coach specialist at the Writing and Learning Center.

That sense of community leads to results. Students gain confidence in their ability to speak in class and participate in other parts of campus life. Spouses learn about community resources. Participants form bonds with others, even matrimonial ones at least once.

Undergraduate exchange student Ryusei Kimura talks with Marcos Eduardo Gomes do Carmo, a visiting scholar in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’s chemistry department, at the Speaking Group’s weekly meetup on Nov. 14. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Participating in the Speaking Group “really does boost their confidence going back into their academic worlds,” Taylor said. “This is just a good thing for their social life in the community and their academic success.”

Taylor and colleague Warren Christian give the group different topics each week to guide conversations. One week was about forming deeper connections. Another focused on the U.S. government shutdown. The group also makes occasional field trips to local landmarks like the Carolina Basketball Museum, Ackland Art Museum and YoPo.

Taylor said some of the best conversations she can recall were about different marriage customs across cultures and the role of religion in different countries.

Naturally, these talks devolve into other areas of interest, like one’s academic and career plans or what sort of food they miss the most from home.

Among the group’s regular attendees are speech-language pathology graduate students from the UNC School of Medicine, there to meet people and prepare for their future careers.

“Being able to listen to different dialects, accents and things like that — it’s very critical to our work as clinicians,” first-year graduate student Stacy Thornton said. “Being able to decipher different things and train our ears a little bit.”

Gigi Taylor, the senior English language and coach specialist at the Writing and Learning Center, discusses the day’s topic at the Speaking Group’s weekly meetup on Nov. 14. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

International students also have the chance to work one-on-one with speech-language pathology graduate student Kelly Yang. She gives feedback and tips on improving their speaking skills after having a conversation and listening to them read a passage.

Some of Yang’s advice is easy to get behind. “Watch TV shows. Listen to podcasts,” she said.

Beyond the language skills, the Speaking Group delivers the universal need for connection.

For Kimura, joining the group has helped turn Chapel Hill from just a place into a home.

“I like meeting new people,” he said. “That’s very useful. Also, there are a lot of people from other countries all over the world. It helps me to understand the difference between Japan, the U.S. and other countries. It’s so interesting.”

As the University’s first Latino student body president, Alvarez embraces the challenge of representing his peers, bridging connections across campus and leadership, and ensuring that every student feels heard.

“I represent 32,000 people,” he said. “Serving as president gives me the chance to show up for students, to listen and to learn from them. I believe we’re stronger when we bring different perspectives together.”

Alvarez grew up in Guerrero, Mexico, and moved by himself to the United States when he was 16. As a high school senior, he lived alone and worked overtime at a QuikTrip gas station in Arizona to make ends meet.

At Carolina, Alvarez received a Carolina Covenant and a Wachovia Chancellor’s scholarships.

“I didn’t have much in the United States at the time; it was just me,” Alvarez said. “Carolina offered to pay for my education and had it all figured out for me. Carolina gave me everything.”

Alvarez is double-majoring in media and journalism at UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and in global studies in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. He has had summer internships with IHG Hotels and Resorts in Atlanta and the OneCarolina Summer Internship Program, where he got real-life experience in university development.

“In Hussman, we learn how to articulate things, how to communicate mass messaging and also balance the audiences you’re working with. That’s helped me in my term of student body president and at both of my internships,” he said. “Communication is such an important component of being in leadership.”

Since taking office, he has worked to improve communication between University administration and students. At the same time, he’s helping launch efforts like the Carolina Closet, a project to provide students with free access to professional attire for interviews, internships and job opportunities.

“By working with donors and campus partners, I hope to establish the Carolina Closet as a permanent resource, similar to a food pantry but focused on formal wear,” he said.

Since election night, Alvarez’s life catapulted into a state of constant busyness that he’s never experienced before. But he’s not fazed by it; he’s grateful.

“My life has changed a lot,” he said. “You go from being just a student to being a text away from the chancellor and serving on the UNC Board of Trustees and speaking at convocation and being on the stage at graduation. It’s such a privilege to represent so many people, and I’m genuinely excited because it gives me a reason to talk to everyone. If I see a random event on campus, even if I’m not sure I’m invited, I’ll show up and say, ‘Hey, everyone!’”

For Alvarez, serving as student body president isn’t just leadership, it’s gratitude in action, a way to honor the University that changed his life by devoting himself fully to the students he now represents.

“I always knew that I wanted to pay back everything the University gave me,” he said. “I came from an environment of uncertainty, and UNC only wanted me to worry about succeeding. I don’t see a better way to give back than representing the people, giving my energy and devoting my time to students. This opportunity is so full circle and exactly what I was hoping for, to give back to Carolina.”

The exchange program was funded by the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki’s public affairs grant program and organized by UNC Global Affairs.

“Carolina was the perfect fit for this exchange program,” said Timothy Rose, Carolina’s associate director for exchange and sponsored programs. “UNC and our partner, the University of Helsinki, have both the expertise in various issues pertaining to global security and the ability to provide transformative, experiential opportunities for students. This expertise fit in well with the type of programs the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki was looking to support.”

(Submitted photo)

In North Carolina, participants learned from Carolina faculty in PWAD, political science and geography; toured and met with state security experts at the North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters and State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh; visited Fort Bragg to learn about special operations, information warfare and women in the U.S. military and conducted discussions, simulations and activities.

“During the simulation, we reflected on when we first heard of Russia’s attack on Ukraine,” Kate Klinger ’26 said. “In that moment, I realized how much closer the conflict feels when Russia is your neighbor. Americans must remember our trans-Atlantic partners and the personal stories of those whom this war affects daily.”

Program events were open to the greater Carolina community and dozens of students were able to explore global security issues with their Finnish counterparts.

In May, Carolina participants visited Finland’s Ministry of Defense, Institute of International Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, as well as the International Center for Defense and Security and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia.

The April timing of the Chapel Hill visit was intentional. Finland joined NATO on April 4, 2023, after 74 years of an official foreign policy position of neutrality. Understanding NATO — including Finland’s recent accession and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — is central to the program’s learning objectives.

During the April exchange, UNC Global Affairs and the Center for European Studies hosted a Diplomatic Discussion with Finnish Consul General Jarmo Sareva in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium.

In her remarks at the Diplomatic Discussion, Barbara Stephenson, vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer, spoke about NATO and the role the alliance has played in promoting democracy and security around the world. She emphasized the importance of the exchange program in helping tomorrow’s leaders pursue solutions to shared global challenges.

“Finland is our friend. Finland is a close partner, and as of April 4, 2023, Finland is a crucial NATO ally,” Stephenson said. “These students are discovering the importance of this bilateral relationship through a transformative experience.”