Honors
GAA Scholars Boost Helps New Tar Heels
New Dibbert Scholarship increases amounts of annual grants
Six UNC freshmen are joining the ranks Academic credentials, SAT scores and including comparative literature, dramatic
of 25 students before them who have extracurricular activities are taken into con- arts, creative writing and history,”
received a scholarship from the GAA, giv- sideration. Slaughter said. “And then I have a great
ing them yet another reason to love passion for mathematics.” He says it will
Carolina. be difficult for him to choose a major, but
The GAA Scholars program has awarded he is excited about pursuing all of those
each student a $1,500 renewable grant, up subjects in some way. Above all, he hopes to
from $1,000 in previous years. The increase be challenged.
results from the GAA Board of Directors
adding $50,000 to the GAA Scholars program in honor of GAA President Doug
Dibbert ’ 70 and his 25 years of service to
the association.
The program was established in 2001
with a $500,000 endowment from the
GAA. Also, this year for the first time, the
top two recipients, based on their high
school performance and SAT scores, are
being designated as recipients of the
Douglas S. Dibbert Scholarship.
The GAA scholarships give preference to
children of alumni, said Megan Dillin,
UNC scholarship financial aid counselor.
Jonathan Slaughter, Charlotte
Dibbert Scholar
Jonathan Slaughter’s first Carolina memories include watching his grandfather, Dr.
Clayton Wheeler,
show slides depicting skin disease to
medical residents.
“And somehow I
still became
attached to the
place,” Slaughter
said. Wheeler was
the first chair of the dermatology department in the UNC School of Medicine.
A Charlotte native, Slaughter is following his grandfather’s footsteps to Chapel
Hill — but likely not to the dermatology
department. “I have a variety of interests,
Lauren Blanchard, Marietta, Ga.
Dibbert Scholar
Lauren Blanchard grew up in Georgia
listening to her mother, Anne Blanchard
’ 84, talk about her
experiences in
Chapel Hill. “I didn’t really understand
until I visited
myself,” she said.
“The atmosphere
was laid-back but
also studious, and I
was sure that I would be able to both work
PHOTOS BY STEFFI KINTON ’05
Enlighten yourself this fall! The Friday Center’s Community Classroom Series begins the
first week in October. These small classes cover popular topics including ACC basketball,
women in film, biodiversity and conservation, public speaking, and much more.
Also this fall, What’s the Big Idea? gives you a chance to engage with UNC-Chapel Hill scholars, researchers, and
clinicians on a hot topic, The Science of Evolution. Join us on four consecutive Thursday evenings beginning
October 25 for this exciting lecture series.
Visit fridaycenter.unc.edu/pdep for complete information and online registration, or call 866-441-3683 to
request a brochure. Space is limited, so register early!
