的 北科罗拉多大学 (UNC) is committed to supporting all students, 包括那些其他机构可能忽略的.  

对许多学生来说，保持3分.高中的平均绩点(GPA)是很难的， whether because of losses in their family, attending an under-resourced school or 只是在一个学期里失去了动力. 学业上的中断可能导致被打断 denied university admission, even for a student with potential and drive. 和 those who do enroll, academic challenges may persist leading to an increased risk 辍学的可能性. 但UNC的 熊第一次 program confronts that challenge, giving more students a chance to succeed. 

熊第一次 is designed for students entering UNC with below a 3.0的绩点. 这个项目 helps students establish a strong first and second year of academic success through 个性化的指导和建议. 定期与皇冠app官方版下载的教练会面 飙升的办公室, 熊第一次 students develop academic success plans every semester and build a firm 为他们接下来的学术之旅打下基础. 这个项目已经证明是成功的， with higher academic achievement and improved student retention, which caught the attention of the UNC 校友会理事会 of Directors and inspired a special 他们计划颁发的奖学金. 

成功的动力  

“这 is the first time I am receiving a scholarship, and I cannot put into words 这对我有多重要 ... 这个奖学金给了我更多的机会 to continue growing my academic career and do what I am most passionate about. 我有 always wanted to come to college and the finance part of it has always been the hardest, but with this, I feel as if I am able to keep going, and I hope I am lucky enough to keep getting scholarships to make my future at UNC possible,” said Zacura Pedro, 熊的第一个学生. 

When alumna Sharon Gander, ’74, passed away in 2018, she left a portion of her estate 为皇冠app官方版下载校友会提供奖学金. 的慷慨，但一般的本性 the gift presented a unique challenge for the 校友 Association’s board and scholarship committee – how to prioritize which students would receive the new scholarship.  

董事会 investigated and discussed several student initiatives and needs, including first-generation status, unpaid internships and supporting students from specific 位置. Yet many of these needs were already met by existing scholarships, while other funds were addressing general academic merit or financial need. 但是有一个需要 was clearly not met – scholarships for the type of student served by 熊第一次. 

“我很自豪能成为董事会的一员 是故意 thinking about all students and not just students that are already excelling. 的 校友会招聘 支持所有学生. 那些可能在挣扎的学生，这可能是一个 multitude of reasons, along with the students who are excelling. 生活并不总是如此 一个线性的路径，它可以有很多起伏. 这个奖学金给人优雅和 space for student’s individual journey and to excel on their own timeline.87岁的M . Q . Daugherty说.M. 2000年，皇冠app官方版下载校友会董事会主席. 

As Daugherty pointed out, many highly successful people struggled through high school, 然而，他们在大学和职业生涯中都表现出色. 探索可能的奖学金 priorities, board members shared candid stories about their academic experiences and 成绩. One overlooked reality came to light in that conversation: learning looks 每个人都不一样，每个人都值得支持. 

“我当时是2分.3 to 2.4 [GPA] up in the air in the high school, but part of that was because high school was not challenging to me, I could do six grade work when 我在一年级. And my educational path was from before they figured out that people have different learning styles,” said Alton Dillard, ’86, a member of the UNC 校友会理事会. 

Dillard points out the importance of programs like 熊第一次 that amplify conversations about how to best support students who might not have excelled in the past. 在大学里 that graduates so many educators, shedding light on the different ways students learn and the importance of feeling connected can shape the future of the institution. 

“I coach basketball at a school where the kids … [don't] necessarily have 3.4和 3.6 [GPAs] and things like that, but they are still good students. 我还认为 这与皇冠app官方版下载提供的教育类型有关. 有一件事我总是 tell my players or to any prospective or future Bears is how you're a name at UNC 而不是数字，”迪拉德说. 

的 熊第一次 program reinforces for its students that they are each an integral UNC社区的一部分. 这 学生们首先 这种方法给多尔蒂和董事会留下了深刻印象. 在学习了熊第一之后 higher retention rates, the board decided to provide the program’s students with a financial incentive to succeed and designated the Gander Scholarship to be awarded 致贝尔斯第一届学生.  

“[这个项目] really looks at the students outside the classroom and they make a point to, whether they would go to a meal with them or have coffee with them, they really make a point to connect with the whole student, not just in the classroom,” 多尔蒂说. 

在皇冠app官方版下载，每个学生都因其为人而受到重视. 像熊优先， and the Sharon Gander 校友 Scholarship further prove this.  

Efforts to expand support of the scholarship led the alumni board to adopt 熊第一次 as their primary campaign during the annual Bears 给 Back day of giving. 董事会 encourages fellow alumni to show their support by making a 熊第一次 donation during 24小时捐赠日于2024年4月11日举行.  

要了解更多皇冠app安卓下载安装支持学生成功的知识， 保存日期 bear 给 Back，访问权限 新的遗产规划资源，或参观UNC 给页面.