Global travel writer Stephanie Elizondo Griest reflects on her new life in Chapel Hill.

Books on African fashion, women and democracy in Cold War Japan, the downfall of a marriage, a Southern recipe collection, a cool cat named Louis Fellini and more.

Alumnus Andrew “Sandy” McNally IV served as CEO, president and chair of Rand McNally & Co. for more than two decades. The iconic business was co-founded in 1868 by his Irish immigrant great-great grandfather.

This fall, Carolina will launch a new master’s curriculum in literature, medicine and culture. Faculty across the UNC School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences have been working on the development of the master’s for about seven years, and the undergraduate minor provided an opportunity to introduce students to the field.

During an undergraduate semester abroad in Cameroon, Sarah Miller Frazer spent time in the classroom but also traveled around the country to explore issues firsthand. When it came time to apply to graduate schools, Frazer sought a program with a heavy emphasis on field experiences and interdisciplinary research.

As seniors get ready for spring commencement and cross things off their Carolina bucket lists, they’ll say goodbye to their life as undergrads but hello to the new opportunities ahead. Their journey, as they close one chapter and begin another, reminds me of my own.

Carolina is upping its game to boost retention and graduation rates for first-generation and historically underserved college students with a $3 million grant from President Obama’s “First in the World” competition through the U.S. Department of Education.

The son of Colombian immigrants and the first in his family to go to college, Nestor Alexis Ramirez ’12 bucked the odds, thanks to a support network of UNC programs and mentors.