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The 190 members of the Class of 2010 Public Service Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be honored this evening (May 7) at a ceremony at Memorial Hall. All of the graduates will receive a Carolina blue-and-white cord to wear at Commencement on Sunday (May 9) to represent their achievement. The Public Service Scholars program supports and strengthens Carolina students’ commitment to service, connects them to others who care about similar issues and guides them to training and coursework that make their service more effective. Public Service Scholars must have a minimum grade-point average, complete at least 300 hours of service, take one service-learning course and attend four skills-training workshops. This year’s graduates exceeded those requirements, with reported hours ranging from 300 to 1,800 hours (with eight students reporting more than 1,000 hours each). As a group, they reported more than 89,657 hours of service, an average of 470 hours per graduate.
“The Public Service Scholars program has been an essential part of my UNC experience,” said Samantha Estevez, a scholar from Tampa, Fla., who plans to teach English in Japan then go to medical school. “Its requirements set a high standard that I strove to achieve and go far beyond. Through service, classes and skills trainings, my four years at Carolina have been immensely enriched and changed for the better.”
This year’s scholars have worked at agencies such as UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the Arc of North Carolina, Orange County Animal Services and the Ronald McDonald House. They have also participated in international public service projects through Nourish International, Global Medical Brigades and World Camp for Kids.
More than 2,100 students participated in the Public Service Scholars program this year. Since the program’s inception in 2003, more than 3,700 students have participated, contributing almost 580,000 hours of service. Current participants represent more than 75 percent of the majors across campus and come from 88 out of 100 North Carolina counties, 44 other states and the District of Columbia, and 17 other countries.
The Carolina Center for Public Service, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, engages and supports the faculty, students and staff at Carolina in meeting the needs of North Carolina and beyond. The center strengthens the University’s public service commitment by promoting scholarship and service that are responsive to the concerns of the state and contribute to the common good.
Note: More information about each Public Service Scholar graduate’s public service, major and post-graduation plans is available at http://www.unc.edu/cps.
Carolina Center for Public Service website: http://www.unc.edu/cps
Carolina Center for Public Service contact: Lynn Blanchard, (919) 843-7570,
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News Services contact: Susan Houston, (919) 962-8415,
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