Tuesday, May 06, 2008

A diverse group of 1,887 exceptionally talented students are projected to graduate during the May 10, 2008 University of North Carolina Wilmington commencement ceremonies. Below are examples of UNC Wilmington students who are using their education to give back to the world in unique ways.

Overcoming adversity opens door to competitive Ph.D. program:

Lanira Murphy (B.A. in communication studies) overcame obstacles of family illness and financial hardships to complete her degree at UNC Wilmington and enter the competitive joint master's and doctoral program in communication rhetoric and digital media at North Carolina State University. When Murphy learned that her mother had breast cancer and needed a mastectomy, she took a year off from high school in New Bern, N.C. to act as a primary caregiver. While at UNCW, Murphy simultaneously worked three jobs to help support her family and traveled home frequently to be with her mother, who continues to battle health problems. Murphy, who aims to be a university professor, asserts, "I am not defined by my situation." She has served the Wilmington community as a storyteller for local at-risk children and as a volunteer for the Rock for the Cure breast cancer fundraiser, Save Our Kids and other programs. She credits her UNCW professors, who have personally contacted her to offer assistance, with helping her "balance the demands of college with taking care of my mom."

Telling Wilmington history film-style:

Nelson Oliver (B.A. in film studies) is telling the story of the Wilmington 1898 race riot in a way never before attempted: through live-action film. Red Cape, the first UNC Wilmington student movie to be shot on standard 35mm film, required more than 100 period costumes, controlled burns, the construction of a two-story building, the use of horses and other elements needed to recreate the powerful historical event. For Oliver, this meant managing a $30,000 budget and a project that took four years to complete. Oliver's UNCW experience has enabled him to develop numerous films and establish connections that have resulted in moviemaking collaborations with professionals such as Will Purcell, special effects director of Robocop and Home Alone. The Sparta, N.C. native, who has aspired to be a filmmaker since he was 7, said, "Professionals worked on my film for free out of love for UNCW. This university has given me the most incredible college experience any human being could ask for. I am forever indebted to UNCW." Oliver graduated with a minor in Spanish and also studied abroad in Ecuador.

Passion for marine mammals leads to prestigious position at NOAA:

Erin Meagher Fougeres (Ph.D. in marine biology) joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as administrator of the Marine Mammal Stranding Program for the Southeastern United States in January 2008, while finishing her degree. Only the second student to earn a marine biology doctorate from UNCW, Fougeres' dissertation, investigating how bottlenose dolphins regulate their temperature in a warm environment, provides important groundwork for the examination of the impact of climate change on marine mammals. D. Ann Pabst, Fougeres' faculty mentor and graduate coordinator for the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, said, "Erin embodies the values of our program. She is an excellent student and one who wishes her work to contribute to our greater understanding of the changing world in which we live. We want to create the strongest possible learning environment, support our students' research goals and provide them a launch pad from which they can make a positive impact upon society." Since earning her Master of Science in Biology from UNCW in 2001, Fougeres has been senior author or co-author of seven peer-reviewed journal articles and federal reports, and 21 scientific presentations.

Students will be available for media interviews prior to May 10.

Media Contacts:

Joy Davis, Marketing and Communications, 910.962.3616 or davisjc@uncw.edu