AI in Nursing: Real-Life Experience, Right Away 

Posted on November 08, 2024

Dr. Lindsay Draper works with VR for classroom enhancement.

UNC Greensboro’s School of Nursing (SON) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing practice with virtual tools that create enriching real-world experiences, underscore ownership, and increase engagement. 

The immediate integration of practical experience has been a game changer, says Lindsay Draper, clinical associate professor and nursing’s director of faculty credentialing, compliance, and special initiatives. 

“We can talk about a health condition in class and then put on virtual-reality headsets to practice taking care of a patient,” she says. “Right then and there, they’re able to connect theory with clinical practice before they ever get to a clinical setting.” 

Further, students say virtual experiences make them feel more confident, competent, and empowered. 

“They don’t have their preceptor or instructor to watch their every move – they are the nurse, and they make the decisions,” Draper says. “They tell us it’s the most they’ve felt like a nurse since starting nursing school, even after their first time in the headset, and that is a really cool thing.” 

How Are We Not Using AI? 

From integrated simulations to dynamic student and faculty tools, AI has played a prominent role across the UNCG Nursing educational experience. 

“The big question is how are we not using AI,” Draper says, “Because it is a helpful tool to create unique, realistic patient scenarios for our students that mirror the real world.” 

If the topic is diabetes, students can use AI to assess patients, determine what labs a nurse might need, and develop questions for patient conversations. 

“Explaining concepts to patients is very challenging in health care,” she says. “As nurses, we understand what we’re talking about, but that doesn’t always translate to the patient, their family members, and the community.” 

Students are also able to create their own case studies, then reflect on the experience: What was the AI response? What was missing or may have been incorrect?  

“So, it prompts critical thinking in addition to learning,” Draper says. “It’s a wonderful tool for a more comprehensive approach to engagement, relevance, and ownership in education.” 

Virtual Reality: Collaboration, Retention 

Since 2023, the SON has integrated VR into the undergraduate and nurse practitioner programs, specifically as a simulation tool. They use MetaQuest2 headsets and Oxford Medical Simulation, which offers access to more than 230 scenarios and the option to create unique scenarios. 

“If we have a regular simulation with a standardized patient, only so many students can participate at one time,” Draper says. “With VR, we can supplement for those not actively engaged in the scenario.”  

“We can do small groups or have one person wear the headset while it’s screen-casting to a TV, so other students can see what they’re seeing,” Draper says. “It has reduced downtime in simulation and helped to make it a more rewarding experience.” 

Nikolas Everhart, a senior nursing student who will graduate in May 2025, appreciated the use of VR for learning about pre-eclampsia: “It essentially provided a risk-free pathway to learn and deepened my understanding of obstetrical patient care.” 

Draper also points to benefits for nursing graduates taking the national board exam, which is based on scenario-based application of learning. Because AI tools offer the opportunity to hear it, see it, then do it, students better retain information. 

In the future, SON hopes to incorporate augmented reality with student VR experience and explore how VR can be used for interprofessional education and in mass-casualty simulations for disaster preparedness. 

Other Uses of AI  

Faculty are using AI to create course descriptions; to design, improve and revise curriculum; to streamline assignments from learning objectives; and to generate rubrics.  

“Health care and nursing can be complex, and AI is a really good tool to simplify instruction and make content more relevant to students,” Draper says. 

SON has used AI to create its new master’s curriculum, its undergraduate curriculum, and its DNP curriculum, which consolidated efforts and inspired creative ideas. These curricula are in the approval process and should be available to students in Fall 2025. 

Students in NUR 375 Nursing Informatics and Technology 2 were asked to use AI to create class assignments for a designated week.  

“The use of AI was mind-blowing to me at first,” says nursing student Richelle Hensen. “However, I quickly became aware of AI’s value in creating assignments, test questions, or outlines for studying. AI thinks creatively and can illuminate new avenues in nursing studies. I do fear it could be used too much.” 

Critical Thinking Required  

Draper is not at all concerned with the views that AI will halt learning.  

“I think it’s the exact opposite,” Draper says. “Used correctly, AI is going to help people get smarter because there’s that critical thinking piece, an evaluation process, and creativity involved.” 

“It’s not a passive tool; it doesn’t do anything unless you do something with it,” she says. “And that’s why we’re teaching our students, from the get-go, how to use it to enhance their learning, not replace their thinking.” 

Draper says balanced integration of AI is paramount for both faculty and students: What is AI? How to use it ethically and responsibly? What does academic integrity look like when you start using AI? 

A module developed as part of the UNCG AI Teaching Grants will be implemented across three courses in various nursing programs to address these critical questions. 

What’s Ahead? 

As SON builds multiple dynamic uses of AI, they also spread the word and hope to bring others along.  

“We are all in” says Dean Debra Barksdale. “AI is transforming student learning, faculty productivity, and patient care.”  

Barksdale and several UNCG nursing faculty contribute to these advancements through their roles in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) AI special interest group. Additionally, as liaison to the American Academy of Nursing’s AI Task Force, Barksdale will shape health policy and address ethical AI use. 

“We think about how we can share what we’re doing here in the School of Nursing, not only with the campus, but with the broader community as well,” Draper says. 

That includes speaking at conferences and to various groups across the state about the changing state of health care and using AI to prepare and upskill the workforce.  

“We also continue to explore how we better introduce and incorporate AI tools students will use in practice into the academic setting,” Draper says. 

Story written by Juliana Proffitt McCully, AMBCopy LLC   
Photography provided by Sean NoronaUniversity Communications

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$3.75M Boosts UNCG’s Support for NC Youth on Path to Adulthood

Posted on November 08, 2024

Members of the NC Healthy Transition team take a group photo with Asheville youth.

UNCG’s collaboration with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services aims to improve outcomes for youth in our state diagnosed with mental health disorders, with a focus on improving access to behavioral health services as youth transition out of child-centered services into adult systems of care.

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UNCG’s School of Nursing uses artificial intelligence to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing pract...

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To keep our campus safe for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, new flashing lights have been installed at busy intersections on our...

Avoid Citations by Following Simple Rules in Congested Campus Intersections

Posted on November 07, 2024

Students crossing a busy intersection at UNCG with trees lining the streets and cars waiting for them to cross.

Students and staff members have probably noticed the new flashing lights at certain busy intersections on campus. You’ll find them on Spring Garden Street near College Avenue and on Josephine Boyd Street near Walker Avenue. Both are key areas that become swamped with pedestrians and cyclists sharing the roads with drivers during busy class changes.  

These caution lights have been installed as part of a pedestrian safety campaign developed by the UNCG Police Department as an initiative to improve the safety of our campus.  

As the campaign moves from an awareness phase into a consequence phase, now is the time to familiarize ourselves with driver and pedestrian responsibilities that keep our campus intersections safe. 

Tips for Drivers 

To cut down on the incidence of “close calls” for pedestrians crossing our busy campus streets, UNCG Police will soon be issuing citations to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. To avoid a hefty fine, remind yourself of the following rules that drivers tend to get complacent about: 

  1. Stay Alert  
    Drivers are increasingly distracted by phones, music, and navigation directions, and a busy crosswalk is full of even more distractions. Stay aware of your surroundings. This is especially important near crosswalks and campus areas with many pedestrians and cyclists. 
  1. Always Yield to Pedestrians 
    To be safe, always stop for pedestrians at crosswalks, even if they aren’t clearly marked. 
  1. Watch Your Speed 
    Speed limits are reduced in areas with heavy foot traffic, so make sure to adhere to posted speed limits. 

Tips for Pedestrians 

Unfortunately, consequences for pedestrians who do not follow safety guidelines are much more impactful than a hefty fine. Pedestrians cannot expect that drivers will see and yield to them in every instance. To avoid injury when you’re walking to class, remember the following tips: 

Students walking away from camera on a sidewalk with beside a road with oncoming cars.
  1. Always Use Crosswalks 
    Humans are inclined to take short cuts when running late but crossing the street without a crosswalk increases your chances of encountering a driver who isn’t expecting you. 
  1. Look Both Ways 
    It might seem like advice for a child, but pedestrians must remember to look left, right, and left again before stepping off a curb. On busy roads like Josephine Boyd, a speeding car could appear from your left at a moment’s notice. Don’t forget to give that third look before proceeding. 
  1. Avoid Distractions
    Distracted walking can be just as dangerous as distracted driving. Remove headphones and put the phone away when you’re walking through our busy campus. You need use of all your senses – not only to stay safe, but to take in our beautiful campus surroundings.  

Do Your Part 

On a busy campus like UNCG, it’s easy to get lax about speed limits or crosswalks when you’re late for class. And in times when the campus is quiet, we all get complacent about looking both ways. 

Establishing good habits can avoid citations, or worse, an accident. Watch for the new flashing caution lights and do your part to keep our campus safe for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. 

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications.

Statue of Charles Duncan McIver and Jackson Library at night

Help make our campus safe for all.

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UNCG Professors Help Moms Guide Girls’ Body Image Development

Posted on November 06, 2024

A girl plays with rings on her fingers as she and her mother stand in front of a makeup table.

Growing up, girls’ lives are full of friends, memes, social media trends, and influencers all telling her the “right” way to think of her looks, her body, and her health. It may leave Mom feeling like she can’t get a word in edgewise. 

Two UNC Greensboro faculty say mothers should not feel that way. “Moms are the biggest influencers on their daughters’ body image development,” says Dr. Janet Boseovski, UNCG Department Head of Psychology

Empowering mothers to protect their children’s health and self-concept drove Boseovski and her longtime colleague, Dr. Ashleigh Gallagher, to author a new book, “Beyond Body Positive: A Mother’s Science-Based Guide for Helping Girls Build a Healthy Body Image.”

It is available now on Kindle with the hard cover going on sale on December 3. (But anyone interested in a free print copy can enter to win one on Goodreads through November 14.)

Making Sense of Science 

There are already lots of books, articles, and blogs claiming to know how to give girls a healthy body image, but Boseovski and Gallagher noted how most of them are only written for the daughter or for the mother, not for both. Furthermore, these books often glossed over the importance of the mother-daughter relationship.

Their book, which is part of the American Psychological Association LifeTools Series, is written so that a mother and daughter take away something from the text.

It hits on a lot of points that might sound familiar to moms: a balanced diet, skepticism of media depictions, body positivity, and navigating peer groups, but they emphasize a science-backed approach. “Some of the advice out there is wrong,” says Gallagher. “We’re adding a lot just by telling moms what the science says, which may not otherwise be easily or readily accessible to them.” 

To make sure they understood the genuine concerns of mothers, Boseovski and Gallagher held focus groups, inviting women to come to the UNCG campus and talk about the concerns they have for their girls. “We worked really hard to make this a book for moms, not academics,” says Boseovski. “It is readable and friendly with concrete tips they can use.” 

Boseovski’s research has centered on social and cognitive development from early to late childhood, while Gallagher is a social psychologist with expertise in group processes in social comparison and in culture. Their backgrounds made them the perfect co-authors on a book that appeals to all ages. 

Never Too Old, Never Too Young to Learn 

The book does not talk down to the daughter. In fact, the first chapters ask the mother to re-evaluate her own body image. “We laid out some of the things a mom can be on the lookout for, like perfectionism and neuroticism,” Gallagher explains. “The social psychology angle brings in the driving forces of a negative body image, such as social comparison processes and objectification theory. Moms can understand how those processes work, and how they may vary from woman to woman.” 

The second half of the book draws on Boseovski’s expertise to explain how girls develop their body image. They say mothers can start talking to girls as young as three years old, a much younger age than most body image books suggest.

“Most books focus on teenagers or a pre-teen. That is too late,” says Boseovski. “This book is based on rigorous science. We know we need to start early in terms of thinking about yourself as a whole person and not fall into diet culture and appearance.”

They included lists of activities, including games and recipes categorized by age, so that mothers can instill a healthy perspective for their daughters as they grow up. “This can be built into your everyday life,” says Boseovski. “Moms can find those small opportunities.”

Student Contributions 

Boseovski and Gallagher credit the conversations they had with UNCG students with shaping the book, as many of the points they make were inspired by a reading group organized by Kestyn Harris ’20, who earned her bachelor of arts in psychology at UNCG.

The contributions of one graduate student, Julianne Peebles ’23, earned her a credit in the book. Peebles’ master’s thesis is about the body image development of pre-professional dancers, whom Boseovski says is a particularly vulnerable group. She contributed to the book’s codices.

“It was great for us to have that voice of a student from a different generation to assist us and give us feedback. And it’s a training opportunity for her,” says Boseovski. 

Both researchers hope their research will cut through the noise and set moms and daughters on the right track when it comes to talking about body image. “An important point from the book is to start building early, so that you don’t have to do the reparative work later,” says Gallagher. 

Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications 
Photography by AdobeStock 
Additional photography courtesy of the College of Arts & Sciences

UNCG Professor Michaeline Jensen writes on a whiteboard in front of students.

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Provost Boyette Launches Internal Search for Senior Vice Provost

Posted on November 05, 2024

UNCG

Dr. Alan Boyette’s acceptance of the role of Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor creates a vacancy in the important position of Senior Vice Provost. Given the abundant talent and expertise residing at UNCG, the Provost has elected to launch an internal search for the ideal candidate.

All members of the campus community who meet the position requirements are encouraged to consider applying for this leadership role.  Interested parties should go here for information about this position, including a general description of the role, minimum and preferred qualifications, and application instructions.  Note that the application deadline is December 1, 2024.  It is anticipated that a Spring or Summer 2025 start-date will be negotiated between the Provost and the selected candidate.

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UNCG’s School of Nursing uses artificial intelligence to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing pract...

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UNCG Alumna Takes Home Smithsonian Magazine Top Prize

Posted on November 05, 2024

Featured Image for UNCG Alumna Takes Home Smithsonian Magazine Top Prize

Sharlie Brown ’05 talks about what inspired her award-winning photo “Woman Sitting Under the American Flag,” taken at one of Old Salem’s historic homes.

News

November 8, 2024

AI in Nursing: Real-Life Experience, Right Away 

UNCG’s School of Nursing uses artificial intelligence to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing pract...

November 8, 2024

$3.75M Boosts UNCG’s Support for NC Youth on Path to Adulthood

UNCG's collaboration with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services aims to improve outcomes for youth in our state dia...

November 7, 2024

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To keep our campus safe for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, new flashing lights have been installed at busy intersections on our...

Men’s Soccer Clinches Top Seed Thanks to Victory of ETSU

Posted on November 04, 2024

UNCG soccer player Yoshiya Okawa runs across the field in celebration.

UNCG clinched the top seed after its 3-2 victory on Saturday night in Greensboro. earned a first-round bye and the right to host at least part of the 2024 Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament.

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November 8, 2024

AI in Nursing: Real-Life Experience, Right Away 

UNCG’s School of Nursing uses artificial intelligence to improve and enhance nursing instruction, patient care, and nursing pract...

November 8, 2024

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UNCG's collaboration with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services aims to improve outcomes for youth in our state dia...

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To keep our campus safe for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, new flashing lights have been installed at busy intersections on our...

UNCG Announces New University Registrar

Posted on November 04, 2024

Lobby of the UNCG Mossman Administrative Building.
Headshot of UNCG Registrar Kara Bisceglie.

The Division of Enrollment Management has announced Kara Bisceglie will be joining UNC Greensboro as the new University Registrar. Kara joins UNCG from the University of New Orleans and brings over 15 years of service in the Registrar and Deputy Registrar roles.

Kara’s career has included several critical positions in admissions, financial aid, academic advising, and international student services. The breadth of Kara’s experience across these key areas has given her a uniquely comprehensive perspective on university functions. Driven by a student-centric approach to enrollment and retention, her unique insights into policy and academics alike, with a particular focus on student persistence, make her a perfect fit for this dynamic central role.

Kara’s selection comes after a lengthy search for the right innovative, forward-looking strategic leader to take the University Registrar’s Office into the future and even better serve the needs of our students. Kara Bisceglie is an exceptional addition to our outstanding Enrollment Management team as we look toward a future of growth and opportunity.

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Fulbright Fellow Gains Inspiration from UNCG Educators 

Posted on November 01, 2024

Irina Mutruc teaches in a Guilford County School

Irina Mutruc, a 47-year-old Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (FTEA) fellow from Moldova, recently signed up for her first Instagram account. Her six-week experience at UNC Greensboro yielded too many experiences, too many connections, too many epiphanies, to keep it all to herself. “I have so many things to share!” 

One of Mutruc’s first posts is a photo depicting a makeshift sculpture she constructed during an icebreaker with the other fellows. She placed colorful trinkets inside a jar and glued cotton balls to the outside. Pipe cleaners rise from the jar like flowers in a vase.  

“We were asked to make something simple that shows our experience here,” she explains. “Everything inside the jar represents the knowledge I’m gaining from my time in Greensboro, and the small balls represent my students I’ll share that with when I get home. The pipe cleaners are the friends I’ve made on the program from all the different countries. They’re twisted together in places because we’ll all learning from each other before we go our separate ways.”  

Fulbright TEA Fellows 2024

Unique professional development for global teachers 

Mutruc is one of 20 FTEA teachers who hail from 18 countries and five continents. During their time at UNCG, they studied under instructors in the School of Education, compared best practices with other fellows, and spent time in Guilford County high schools.  

The program offers high school teachers unique opportunities to enhance their teaching and leadership skills through first-hand experiences, networking, and cultural activities.  

Even icebreaker activities like the sculpture Mutruc and her fellow participants made on their first day have a secondary impact on their students.  

“As teachers, we were so engaged and involved, and we immediately imagined our kids doing the same thing,” she says. “It’s a way for them to think critically and express themselves. They are the future citizens of our country. The way they behave shapes our future, so we should try to make them aware of how important they are as people — as citizens who should be encouraged to participate and make decisions for their country.” 

Fulbright TEA Fellows 2024

New perspectives lead to inclusive approaches in the classroom 

Throughout the six-week period, UNCG professors shared their research and innovative teaching approaches. Mutruc points to inclusive education as an example. 

“In my country, until about 10 years ago, students with disabilities were taught in separate schools,” she says. “Today, we have many challenges because the teachers are not prepared, and we must manage by ourselves. Here, we’ve been shown different approaches.” 

A UNCG professor opened Mutruc’s eyes to the rewards of classrooms that include a spectrum of learning types. “It’s a win-win,” she now believes. “Students with physical disabilities learn from their peers who help prepare them for adult life. At the same time, their classmates learn to be tolerant and helpful adults who are responsive to other people’s needs. It’s amazing how children can do that even easier than adults can.” 

As fellows shared challenges and triumphs from their home schools, they uncovered differences and commonalities. “It seems students everywhere are very similar,” she says.  

While some challenges, like smartphone and social media addiction, are universal, others, like access to technology, vary from place to place. When Mutruc visited Greensboro’s Western Guilford High School, she was impressed to see classes with smartboards and students with their own school-supplied computers. “In Moldova, we still use blackboards and chalk. Teachers pay for internet connection out of their own pockets,” she says.  

Still, Mutruc realizes things could be harder. “Even though we have poor internet connection, our school has electricity and running water. One of our fellow teachers from Haiti showed us his school, and nothing exists. Just some trees, and the students sit on the grass.”  

Her takeaway: “As long as we are motivated and passionate, we can teach where we are. We can do big things with what we have.” 

Fulbright TEA is funded by the U.S. government, supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX. The Global Engagement Office and the School of Education are collaborating to implement the program at the UNCG campus.  

Story by Robin Sutton Anders

Photography courtesy of Irina Mutruc

A growing partnership

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UNCG Puts College and Career Within Reach for Civic-Minded Historian 

Posted on November 04, 2024

Student in blue dress walks down College Ave at UNCG with the Curry building behind her.

It’s the eve of Election Day 2024, and this swing state has had its fill of campaign promises and hateful accusations, but UNC Greensboro student Kendall Garraway encourages voters to exercise their rights and remember their role in history. 

“When it feels like oppressive forces are beating down on you and you have no choice but to give in, I look at history and I realized in every single aspect, the people have always won. I draw hope from history,” Garraway says.  

Garraway has spent the last year serving internships at non-profits that encourage voter registration as she finishes a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in political science, a dream made possible thanks to UNC Greensboro’s distance learning program.  

Her journey, punctuated with tragedy and good fortune, makes you believe in the American dream and the power of education, despite a system that may seem flawed. 

Education as a Way Out 

Garraway’s formative years were spent in New York where her parents struggled to hold steady jobs and care for the family. “My parents didn’t graduate high school but instilled a love of education in me that took me farther,” she says. 

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy displaced the family. Garraway lived with her mother in hotels and shelters funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Garraway found solace from her circumstances in libraries and books.  

“In New York, you see homeless people on the streets and in subways, and you realize that no matter how desperate your life seems, it can always be worse,” she explains. 

Unfortunately for Garraway, it did get worse. As she was finishing middle school, Garraway’s mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. She sent her to live with her older brother in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while she underwent treatment.  

“We were all just surviving as a family unit, so I threw myself into my schoolwork,” she explains. “It was the only solution I saw to my problems. I saw education as my way out.” 

Advanced placement courses and classroom debates about the 2016 election contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sparked Garraway’s love of history and politics. “As a black girl in a majority white school with a strong military influence, I couldn’t just tell them they were wrong. I had to have facts to back up my opinions.”  

World history classes opened her mind to oppressive forces in different eras and cultures and their similarities to present-day societal struggles.  

“I had never made the connection that things existing before me were directly influencing what was around me right now,” she says. “I still believe that answers to issues of the present are found in the past.” 

The World’s a Classroom 

Since finances were tight and family support was limited, college felt like a fantasy for Garraway: “I dreamed of living in a dorm and spending hours studying in a library where I didn’t have to worry about anything but school and educating myself.”  

Deciding that UNCG’s values aligned with her dreams, she saved earnings from a part-time job to pay the application fees. Although she remembers her sheer happiness in being accepted, she couldn’t cover tuition and had to defer.  

But in a strike of luck, Garraway’s aunt and uncle, who were living in Singapore, invited her to spend the first “semester” of her gap year in Asia with them. They were professionals without children who wanted to broaden her mind with new experiences. Garraway studied Mandarin, developed independence through travel and sightseeing, and celebrated her eighteenth birthday in Bali!  

“When I think back on it, I realize it was a luxury that I never would have fathomed for myself,” she says. “I had never been on a plane before I went to Asia. They wanted to get me out of that ‘survival’ mindset and think about what I wanted to do with my life.” 

Garraway returned home in early 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic looming and her mother suffering through her last days. “I basically felt like I came back from a dream and was hit with a harsh reality.” She moved in with her uncle, who was an educator in Winston-Salem. He encouraged her to refocus on UNCG, apply for scholarships, and investigate the distance learning program.  

A Spartan at Last 

A year later, Garraway was back in New York, reconnecting with her father and attending UNCG as a full-time online student. Advisors like Joyce Clapp reassured her that distance learning would work for her. She found classes that engaged her like Comparative Politics, Understanding Race, and Queer Theory. 

“I Face Timed with professors and dove into email threads giving me nuanced critiques of my writing,” she remembers. “These professors were pouring into me. Their praise and feedback built my character and built my way of thinking.” 

“UNCG’s online program was a
life saver during the pandemic.
It allowed me to afford UNCG and
finally made college possible for me.” 
– Kendall Garraway

Garraway even took advantage of campus resources like Career & Professional Development. As she approached her third year, she used Handshake to search for internships and interviewed for a summer job at Democracy NC, a non-partisan organization focused on registering voters. 

“I was hired as a communications intern and was finally able to focus on my passion for informing marginalized groups. I saved up earnings from a part-time job at McDonald’s to cover airfare and living expenses for a summer in North Carolina.”  

Garraway (top) with Democracy NC interns at the North Carolina State Capitol. (Photo submitted by Garraway.)

As Garraway continued her online studies in 2023, she also accepted an internship at a think tank in Manhattan, The Brennan Center for Justice, before coming back to North Carolina for a second year at Democracy NC. 

So, in the year leading up to the 2024 election, Garraway is completing her online degree at UNCG and working for non-profits that encourage voter registration. She’s had hands-on experience in communications and policy research, written an op-ed that was published in the Raleigh News and Observer, and brainstormed with staffers at all levels about creative ways to get more people to the polls.  

Garraway loves working with non-profits, where she can focus her efforts on what people need “so we can have a more representative government with equitable policies.” However, she is still intrigued by how the past informs the present. With only seventeen credits left before she graduates with honors, she’s contemplating law school, teaching at the collegiate level, and taking on more non-profit positions.  

“I will always look for answers in the past,” she says. “I would not be where I am or who I am or the way I am without a history that has made it so. I just hope I can change history for someone like me that will exist in 100 years and make it easier for them to carry the baton.”  

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos by David Lee Row, University Communications (unless otherwise noted).

Solve today’s problems with knowledge of our history.

 

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