Graduate student Kimmy Hansen is analyzing the impact of future development on the tree canopy of Bald Head Island, a North Carolina barrier island that boasts the second-largest maritime forest in the state.

As a high school teacher, Justin Nolan has spent his professional career helping North Carolina students succeed. This fall, he will return to school to pursue a master’s in city and regional planning to take his passion for helping improve the lives of children to a grander scale.