Project Uplift’s legacy spans generations

When Vice Provost Leah Cox started working at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2021, it didn’t take long for her to learn the significance of Project Uplift, a summer enrichment program that since 1969 has introduced rising high school seniors from all backgrounds to Carolina. She met current students and counselors who once attended. Colleagues who went themselves or had family members who did. Multiple generations of attendees.

“One mother had on her Uplift T-shirt that she got back in the 1980s,” Cox said. “I was shocked. First of all, it still fits! But now her child was in Uplift.”

Leah Cox (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Through the program, high schoolers are selected to attend either a daylong program or a two-week session, Uplift Plus. Both serve as an introduction to the University and college life. Attendees hear from current Carolina students and faculty and receive advice on applying to college, including essay writing. All walk away with a better understanding of the college experience, whether that be at Carolina or elsewhere.

To comply with the UNC System’s Equality Within the University of North Carolina Policy, Project Uplift now sits within the Office of Carolina Higher Education Opportunity Programs.

Cox answered questions about Project Uplift and explained why it will continue be a Carolina fixture.

Who attends Project Uplift?

The program tries to engage as many students from around the state and beyond as possible who have an interest in Carolina. We try to make sure we’re hitting as many different identities as possible — from first-generation students to those who may have accessibility problems. We make sure that it’s a very diverse program that looks like UNC-Chapel Hill.

What do attendees gain from their experience?

For some of them, they’ve never visited a college campus or spent two weeks or even a whole weekend away from home. We take them to the different schools on campus, and they engage in activities. They go over to the dentistry and pharmacy schools or the School of Medicine and others and meet different faculty members from across campus.

One student said, “I never thought of pharmacy as something that I would do. But from the demonstrations and the people we talked to, now I actually want to think of pharmacy as a major.”

I also like to see the engagement of parents. We do a panel for parents so they can ask all their questions to a bunch of folks from different parts of the University, from the provost to admissions to student success and campus safety.

What role do Carolina students play in Project Uplift?

Many of our counselors have gone through Project Uplift, which is incredible because they’re so excited to give back. We advertise on campus for students and try to get either seniors or graduate students for Uplift Plus. We need at least 10 for the two-week program. We hire about 30 undergraduate students for the Saturday sessions, which have approximately 300 students plus their parents attending the one-day session.

How valued is Project Uplift by University leaders?

This past summer, Chancellor Roberts came to the sessions to greet parents and students, and Provost Clemens worked and met with them as well. Individuals from the Provost’s office were all there to help. The chancellor was still the interim this summer. However, he was very clear: Project Uplift is important, and it’s going to stay.

Project Uplift seems to have had an impact on generations of Carolina families. Do you see that continuing?

Send your kids — and now send your grandkids because we’re going to be here.