SALISBURY — Catawba College has received North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities grant funding to establish a mentorship program for 20 African American and Black men.

The program will seek non-student athletes entering their first or second year at Catawba who qualify for need-based financial aid. Students who agree to participate and complete the program will receive an additional $250 scholarship for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters from the College’s Gaining Access Program Scholarship Fund designed to help low-income students.

The mentorship program will help students recognize their strengths and interests, identify a career path, and be matched with a major at Catawba College. Michael Frederick, Director of Internships and Career Services, will provide career guidance through a computer-assisted career guidance
system as well as personal career awareness and advising.

All twenty students will be assigned a local alumnus to assist them in realizing their professional aspirations through the Catawba Black Alumni Network.

“I firmly believe this initiative will aid in the progression and degree completion rate for minority males, and increase the utilization of campus resources and services through intentional interactions between minority male students and the campus community,” Frederick said.

Participants in the program will be asked to be on-campus mentors for the 11th grade students enrolled in Catawba’s Emerging Young Leaders program. Students will immediately be paying forward the benefits of their own mentorship with young men in high school.

Catawba offers free course programs for certain minority high school students

SALISBURY – Two programs at Catawba College will allow some Rowan-Salisbury Schools students to take advantage of a free college course.

The Unanue scholars program will accept 18 Latina Juniors in Rowan-Salisbury Schools to enroll in a course exploring their culture and instruction on academic success. This is the third year of the program

The Emerging Young Leaders program is a new initiative that will extend free courses to 18 male Black juniors in Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

Unanue scholars will be enrolled in “In Latinx Leadership: Youth, Indigeneity and Sustainability.” The course will explore the way Latinx youth are engaging with sustainability across the U.S. and Latin America.

The Emerging Young Leaders course is “Change Makers: Building Leaders for the Future.” The course will take students on a journey to become change makers, learning to lead themselves, others and give them schills to overcome racial and social challenges.

The priority deadline for both programs is Nov. 15, for enrollment in a class in Spring of 2022. Unanue applicants can apply at catawba.edu/unanue and Young Leaders applicants can apply at catawba.edu/youngleaders.

Both programs will include mentorship from Catawba College members.

North Hills Christian School seniors choose ‘Community’ as focus for. year

SALISBURY — Every year, North Hills Christian School seniors choose the theme or focus for the year. This year’s theme is Community.

“Last year we felt disconnected because people were virtual, either for the entire year, or because of quarantines, and we wanted to revive the feeling of togetherness,” Senior Abby Deaton said.

One thing that students weren’t able to participate in last year were high school houses. The purpose of houses is to build community throughout the high school. Students are split into houses to encourage relationships with students in other grades, and each house has a faculty advisor.

As seniors, they are planning their next steps and considering how to make building community a lifelong commitment wherever they go. Hallie Parrish says she wants to build relationships by loving people through their differences, and Bryson Alligood plans to be kind and hear people out, even when he disagrees.

“I think it is so fitting that they have selected the theme of Community. Through the experiences of COVID-19, we have all felt the loss of normalcy and relationship in some capacity, and we have all come to realize how important community is to our well-being. How wise of our seniors to recognize this and want to emphasize it,” North Hills Executive Director Maria Lowder said.

A common theme from the seniors is that their idea of building community means small, genuine actions. Some say it looks like eating lunch together, some say it’s praying over one another, and others say it looks like making people feel included, wanted, and welcome.