用时间和知识回馈社会

The UNC Bear family seems to have a unique knack for giving back.

校友们在他们的社区教书并提供医疗服务. 他们进行的研究 提高生活质量. 他们为那些声音被忽视的人发声. 他们 在道德实践的基础上经营企业. 他们设立奖学金 捐赠基金.

And even in hard times, they give directly back to UNC with their time and knowledge, 支持和激励当前的熊.   

“Even through the hardship so many have faced this year, alumni from across the country have stepped up in support of UNC, providing career insight through virtual classrooms and programs, sharing career opportunities with students and fellow alumni, giving to the funds and programs they care about most, and connecting with fellow alumni locally through regional groups,” says Cristóbal Garcia '08, associate director of 校友关系. “校友 志愿者s show us that as UNC Bears, we are in this together.”

罗娜桑切斯 and 吉尔Trotter are two of those alumni 志愿者s who continue to 回馈给塑造了他们的大学.

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She chose UNC, ended up working as a Resident Assistant, met 她的丈夫, married him in Centennial Hall on campus, got a job as a Hall Director, and then worked other 员工工作.

“I loved going to school, and so while I was there, I thought it'd be a crime to be 在大学校园里，而不是去上学，”她说. “我最终拿到了硕士学位 然后是Ph值.D.”

In addition to taking classes, she advised the University Program Council, helping those 学生们举办活动，在课堂之外成长. 

“We did budgeting and marketing and public speaking,” 她说. “我们做了不同的工作 skills so that they'd be better prepared for when they graduate.”

She stayed in various roles at the university, including as director of the University Center, until a leukemia diagnosis forced her to leave that role to protect her immune 系统. When the opportunity then arose to serve on the 校友 Board, still impacting 并回馈北卡大学，她接受了.

Highlights of serving on the 校友 Board, for Sanchez, included reviewing scholarship and 尊敬的校友 applications each year — seeing what Bears are capable of accomplishing. She also helped write the letter to the Colorado state legislature promoting the proposed 校园公共.

“Giving back” within a community isn’t an empty phrase for Sanchez. 当她需要的时候 a bone marrow transplant, her friends hosted a bone marrow drive on UNC’s campus. 血库送来了50个检测试剂盒. 最后需要200个.

“That just shows how much people care about each other at UNC,” Sanchez says.  

She also gives back to other initiatives she cares about in the community, writing grants for Greeley’s Salida del Sol Academy, and 志愿者ing with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and with organizations that do bone marrow drives.

For alumni interested in becoming more engaged, Sanchez recommends several paths: 参加活动. 向未来的学生介绍北卡大学. 与戴着Bear的人联系 在机场或城镇附近的装备. 在社交媒体上分享UNC的活动和倡议. 鼓励熊的同伴们参与进来.

“I would just encourage alumni to get involved with UNC in big ways, small ways,” 她说. “I think any alum would probably agree that they got a lot from UNC, and 所以我认为回馈社会很重要.”

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Her mom, Barbara Herdman, can still tell you endless stories about the old days during 在中央校园散步. Her dad, the late Donald Herdman, has two UNC scholarships 以他的名义.

Like Sanchez, Trotter married a fellow Bear, and after graduation and a few years 在丹佛，他们回到了格里利. Trotter开始在她的姐妹会做志愿者， Alpha Phi, teaching members how to create the image they wanted to portray of themselves, 将她的传播学学位付诸实践.

She did that for more than 20 years, eventually stepping down and then being asked 加入校友会，并于2018年出任校友会主席. 在那个位置上，她就像 Sanchez, helped raise funding for the 校园公共 (and 她的丈夫’s company won the roofing contract — he was thrilled, Trotter says, to give back to his alma mater in that way), and continues to work on many other initiatives.

Trotter says it’s especially satisfying to provide students the resources they need 要成功，无论他们的背景如何.

“I have followed so many students into their alumni life, and it's been really gratifying 看着他们在博天堂官方成长这么多，”她说. 

She makes decisions to 志愿者 “if my heart’s really in it,” 她说.

“We really believe in UNC in so many different ways,” Trotter says of herself and 她的丈夫. “他们 (UNC) look after each and every student, because of the smaller 班级规模越小.”

In her role as 校友 Board chair, she enjoys being able to spread positive news and 通过她自己的网络回答有关UNC的问题.

“我喜欢被认为是北卡大学的资源，”她说. “我喜欢被称为一盏灯 对于大学来说.”