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Excellence Unveiled: Candice Powell

The director of the Carolina Covenant talks about the program’s 20th anniversary, the profound impact on students who are accepted and how others can get involved.

Press play above to listen

Candice Powell, director of the Carolina Covenant, is the featured speaker on the first installment of Excellence Unveiled.

Each month, WCHL will feature stories highlighting Carolina excellence from outstanding Tar Heels to share why they’re passionate about their work and shine a light on their important contributions to the community, state and beyond.

Press play above to hear Powell speak about the Covenant and its 20th anniversary, the profound impact on students who are accepted and how others can get involved.

Tune in to Excellence Unveiled during morning, noon and evening drive times to hear their stories and find out what ignites their passion for their work. Excellence Unveiled is an exclusive program on WCHL, sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill. You can listen to WCHL at 97.9 FM or 1360 AM.

Read a transcript of the segment below


Chancellor Lee H. Roberts: Welcome to Excellence Unveiled, sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I’m Chancellor Lee Roberts, and it’s my pleasure to shine the light on our talented Carolina community and its outstanding work. This month, we feature Candice Powell, director of the Carolina Covenant, to talk about the legacy and impact of this hallmark financial aid program.

Candice Powell: I’m Candice Powell, and I’m the director of the Carolina Covenant. The Covenant is a really special initiative at Carolina that sets us apart from any other institution. It is a financial aid package that promises the opportunity for a debt-free education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and also a system of support, mentorship, coaching, well-being resources and career development experience to help our students thrive at the University and then when they leave as alumni. It is our 20th anniversary, and we couldn’t be more proud — not only our program and our students and our alumni, but the alumni and friends. Our whole institution shares this milestone together. It really was an innovative idea. How can we combine a variety of different resources, institutional funds, state and federal funds and federal work study to provide talented students the opportunity to come to Carolina without the fear or worry of excruciating debt?

The idea sets us apart and makes the program unique. After students are admitted to the institution, just like every other student, they’re reviewed for financial need, a nd if they meet our income criteria, they’re automatically a Covenant Scholar. There’s nothing additional that they need to do.

They receive an email with admission that says, ‘Not only do we want you to be a Tar Heel, but we’re going to pay for it all.’ And that is really a mind-blowing, transformative notification to receive, especially for our students and our families. If you can consider growing up in a situation of significant financial scarcity, working your hardest to create opportunity for yourself, being admitted to one of the premier institutions in the country and then being rewarded for your effort — it’s not only a testament to the strength of our students but to the families that they come from. And so nothing additional needed. So that in itself, on top of exceptional financial aid, is another barrier reduced. We just want you to come. Say yes — say yes to making our University better.

I’m most proud to be at an institution that makes this commitment and is invested in sustaining it. And at every level and every angle, from committing resources to ensure that we can bring this talent to Carolina and keep them and make sure that they can maximize the potential of what a Carolina degree offers. I’m proud to be in a community with hundreds of individuals at our institution inside and outside of my direct office who are invested in the success of our students.

I’m especially proud of our Covenant Scholars. They are extraordinary human beings, and it’s really a privilege to have them and to say that I know them. We would love for folks who are interested in our work and connecting with our students and being part of this effort to email us at carolinacovenant@unc.edu. I’d love to hear from you, and you will hear back from us.