Ryan Katherine McCord: Seeing world as a much bigger place
They’ve built schools around the world, published books, conducted research and apprenticed in family businesses. This year’s incoming first-year class of 3,988 enrollees at UNC, coming from as far away as Singapore and as close to home as Chapel Hill, features scientists, artists, champion athletes – and the recipient of a Purple Heart.
Seated on the hot, dusty ground washing sand fleas from the feet of a Kenyan villager, Ryan Katherine McCord never imagined she would be doing such humbling work while interning abroad. For five months after graduating from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the 18-year-old called Kenya home.
First-year student Ryan Katherine McCord founded “Flamboyant Scarves.” She sells the scarves at boutiques, art markets and craft shows. Photo by Ryan McCord.
With no running water and no electricity, McCord lived among a population in which 75 percent of the people were HIV positive. She helped establish a community health club where HIV and mental health issues were often discussed, helped improve hygiene practices for disease prevention, taught and connected with villagers.
Next week, the incoming first-year student and Carolina Scholar brings those memories – and a desire to make more memories abroad – to UNC-Chapel Hill.
As a Global Gap Year Fellow, McCord spent five months living in Kenya. McCord plans to major in global studies. Photo by Ryan McCord
“Carolina is a very globally-minded school and there will be a lot of people here that have the same interests and motivations as I do,’’ said McCord, who plans to major in global studies and chose UNC-Chapel Hill because of its affordability. “I am excited to share experiences with them.”
And there are plenty to share.
Before she had even earned her driver’s license, McCord, a native of Raleigh and lover of languages, set out for Peru, Spain and Bolivia to coach soccer, teach, work in construction and learn Spanish.
At first, traveling was about the destination, “but it has become more about what I want to do and where I can find places to do that,” she said. “You begin to see the world as a much bigger place.”
McCord is used to being the youngest traveler en route to those big places, just like she got used to being the only middle school student enrolled in high school-level Spanish and math classes.
“I’ve always pushed myself, and I got ahead really early,” said McCord.
“Carolina is a very globally-minded school and there will be a lot of people here that have the same interests and motivations as I do,’’ McCord says. Photo by Ryan McCord.
By age 13, for example, McCord had a small business named “Flamboyant Scarves” in the works. The business was born in her grandmother’s kitchen. Then and now, McCord hand dyes patterned silk scarves (she can create about 30 in six hours) then sells them at boutiques, art markets and craft shows.
“I just started doing it, experimenting at first,” McCord said. “I didn’t make a lot of money [in the beginning]. Then I was surprised that people liked them and were buying them. When I was 15 or 16, I realized it was time to start paying taxes.”
And that she had the money to fund her trips around the world. Each of McCord’s volunteer experiences costs thousands of dollars, but she said they are worth every scarf she dyes.
Next summer she already has plans to travel to India and Nepal and hopes to work with women’s rights and sex education.
While McCord is uncertain what exactly she wants to do after that, she gladly accepts that challenge: “I figure I’ll just keep exploring.”
