Levine Scholars Mix Leadership, Adventure

With the goal of creating strong community leaders, the Levine Scholars Program at UNC Charlotte is educating some of the top students in the country through special classes, civic engagement projects, summer internships and international travel. This is all after they start the program with some outdoor adventure.

Now in its second year, the Levine Scholars Program admits 15 students a year. Four of the current Levine Scholars are engineering students. They are Jon Wainwright, a sophomore in motorsports; Bethany Hyde, a freshman in systems engineering; Matt Kessler, a freshman in mechanical engineering; and Patric King, a freshman in civil engineering.

“The Levine Scholarship was made possible by benefactors Leon and Sandra Levine, who have formalized their philanthropy through The Leon Levine Foundation,” said Levine Scholars Director Dr. Diane Zablotsky. “The Levines are the epitome of community involvement and philanthropy. Their goal in establishing this program is to instill and cultivate these traits in the next generation.”

Levine Scholars are talented students from around the United States whose accomplishments exemplify the values of Leon and Sandra Levine. These students demonstrate a commitment to community service, a sustained passion for knowledge and the capacity for ethical leadership.

“We are looking for students who want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Dr. Zablotsky said. “They must possess the desire to be ethical leaders. These are things we look for in essays and recommendations.”

Once the students are selected as recipients, the goal of the program is to give them the best support and opportunities possible for their success. This includes eight semesters of financial support, and four summer experiences that include local, national and international experiences. The first summer experience, before the students have even started their freshman year, is with the National Outdoor Leadership School.

Engineering student Jon Wainwright went to Wyoming for his freshman outdoor trip. “They started by taking away all our electronics,” he said. “We learned we don’t need an iPod to live. We also ended up knowing a whole lot about each other, maybe more than we should know. It was all great, though. I tried my best to convince them the next year I should go on the Alaska trip.”

Engineering student Matt Kessler was part of the Alaska trip. “It taught us a lot, especially perseverance when it rained every day for a week,” he said. “We had to support each other to get through the day. It brought us together like a family.”

The family atmosphere of the Levine Scholars Program continues now that the first two classes are on campus. “Once we were on campus it was a little different than other incoming freshmen, because we already had the support of the group,” said engineering student Bethany Hyde. “I did feel like I had more expectations of me, but I also had the help of sophomore Levine Scholars. It’s like a family here.”

For their first three semesters, the Levine Scholars meet once a week for a one-credit-hour course on leadership that is led by Dr. Zablotsky. The class includes lectures and meetings with campus and community leaders, including Mr. and Mrs. Levine.

As a group, the scholars also lead on-campus projects such as a sustainability conference and debates on racial profiling and national identity cards during New Courage on Campus day. They also do volunteer work in the community including mentoring a leadership class at a James Martin Middle School, working with the Teen Volunteer Board, and serving one meal a month at the Charlotte Ronald McDonald House.

“All of the students are volunteering in one way or another,” Dr. Zablotsky said. “Our expectation is they are always giving back.”

The giving back also continues in the summers, as the students participate in regional, national and international experiences.

Wainwright did his summer internship at Discovery Place in Charlotte. “As an engineer, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” he said. “I was in the Explore More Stuff lab, and got to design experiments and work with guests. I loved it.”

The program is still only in its second year, but Dr. Zablotsky said she is already very impressed with what the students are achieving. “I am amazed at their energy and how they seize and enjoy opportunities,” she said. “They have a lot of passion about who they want to become and the difference they want to make. It’s quite remarkable at their young age.”