College Up Close
Get to know the College of Arts and Sciences like never before in our new series, College Up Close. Follow along as students from each of the College’s 43 academic departments and curricula share favorite experiences and memories from their studies, research and time at Carolina.
And, be the first to meet Tar Heels across the College. Follow the series on Instagram @unccollege or on Facebook and X for weekly updates.

Robert Denny
Aerospace Studies
U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Denny wanted to be part of something bigger than himself at Carolina ➙
Jorren Biggs
African, African American and Diaspora Studies
Social justice work, activism and leadership were integral to Biggs’ time as a Tar Heel ➙
Caroline Hoover
Anthropology
The recent graduate researched what factors impact healthcare experiences in rural Appalachia for her thesis ➙
Mengru Wang
Applied Physical Sciences
Wang’s passion for protecting the environment led her to a Ph.D. in materials science at Carolina ➙
Sarah Frisbie
Art and Art History
At Carolina, Frisbie pursued her love of creating art while preparing for a career as a curator ➙
Logan Dosher
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
An Honors Carolina Weir Fellow, Dosher has studied Mandarin abroad and in Carolina’s classrooms ➙
Sunita Agarwala
Biomedical Engineering
An Air Force ROTC cadet, Agarwala takes classes at both UNC and NC State as a biomedical engineering major ➙
Kimmy Hansen
City and Regional Planning
Hansen is using a fellowship to study the impact of construction on maritime forests off the coast ➙
Ty Patterson
Classics
Faculty, friends and mentors at Carolina ignited Patterson’s passion for classics ➙
Avni Singh
Communication
A recent graduate, Singh founded a film production company with fellow Tar Heels ➙
Ayana Monroe
Computer Science
From a young age, Monroe knew she wanted to use code as a tool to help people ➙
Güzin Karagöz
Contemporary European Studies
Karagöz, a senior from Istanbul, Turkey, has explored European politics and international relations inside and outside the classroom ➙
Jocelyn Chatman
Dramatic Art
A costume production MFA student in the dramatic art department, Chatman makes performances come alive ➙
Julianne Davis
Earth, Marine and Environmental Science
A Ph.D. student, Davis’ research has taken her to sub-Arctic rivers and deltas in Alaska and Alberta, Canada ➙
Webster Woltersdorf
Economics
Woltersdorf’s interest in economics and passion for international research go hand in hand ➙
Jenna Gartland
English and Comparative Literature
A Thomas Wolfe Scholar, Gartland has grown as a writer and created space for LGTBQ+ performance at UNC ➙
Victoria Farella
Environment, Ecology and Energy Program
An undergraduate student, Farella is turning her love for the outdoors into her intended career path ➙
Blair Smith
Exercise and Sport Science
A senior Honors Carolina student, Smith is passionate about advancing oncological care ➙
Kristen Thrower
Geography and Environment
Thrower discovered her passion for environmental justice during her time as a Tar Heel ➙
Aden Laws
Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
As part of the Russian Flagship Program, Laws spent a summer honing his language skills in Kazakhstan ➙
Lizabeth Bamgboye
Global Studies
Bamgboye pursued global studies to engage with the people, cultures and ideas behind the social movements that inspire her ➙
Jordan Mundy
History
A winter graduate, Mundy connected her passions for history and beekeeping during her time as a Tar Heel ➙
Anthony Ciano
Latin American Studies
“I felt it was natural to merge my passions during my time at Carolina,” said Ciano, who plans to work in healthcare ➙
Lucas Adelino
Linguistics
Adelino’s passion for natural language understanding led him to Carolina’s computational linguistics program ➙
Kirsten Giesbrecht
Mathematics
A doctoral student, Giesbrecht uses mathematical modeling to study the embryonic heart➙
Emily Elkas
Military Science
A recent graduate, Elkas had an extraordinary college experience as a student, athlete and Army ROTC cadet ➙
Dan Asanov
Music
Asanov finds harmony between his roles in the jazz ensemble and on the Marching Tar Heels ➙
Erin Storch
Naval Science
During her time as a student, Storch balanced her mathematics major with Navy ROTC ➙
Elizabeth Cake
Peace, War and Defense
“I never get bored with such a diverse range of topics,” said Cake, a junior, of her PWAD major ➙
Delaney Thull
Philosophy
A Ph.D. student in the philosophy department, Thull’s work with the Parr Center helps make ethics accessible to all ➙
Zack Hall
Physics and Astronomy
Hall studies subatomic particles while supporting budding Carolina physicists through mentorship ➙
Te’Aja McCoy
Political Science
Studying political science and social and economic justice at UNC was a catalyst for McCoy’s pursuit of law school ➙
Jieni Zhou
Psychology and Neuroscience
A social psychology Ph.D. student, Zhou researches the intersection of well-being and romantic relationships ➙
Katie Noble
Public Policy
Noble’s passion for public policy has led her to seminars and an internship in the nation’s capital ➙
Christina Georgiou
Religious Studies
Through her thesis, Georgiou explored and contextualized her grandfather’s experience of becoming a monk ➙
Austin Vo
Sociology
Vo’s research introduced him “to places and people beyond what I was familiar with,” said the fifth-year Ph.D. student ➙
Romance Studies
In a special edition of College Up Close, students studying each of the four languages in the Romance studies department share about their time as Tar Heels ➙
Conor Kerr
Statistics and Operations Research
A founding member of the Sports Analysis Intelligence Laboratory, Kerr teams up sports statisticians with Carolina’s varsity athletics ➙