The road to graduation

As the new graduates swarmed out of Kenan Stadium, University Editor Stephanie Lamm asked the class of 2015 if they ever thought they would not make it to graduation.

Lane Jacobson 

Major: Anthropology

Jacobson said making it to graduation felt like a continual struggle.

“I constantly wanted to drop out,” Jacobson said. “It’s hard. It’s a long haul, and it took me six years and three schools. As a transfer student and a first generation student, I faced some significant challenges.”

Jacobson said he had a “one day at a time” mentality that got him to graduation day.

“You can do anything for one day, and then if you wake up the next day you can do it again, and eventually it works out,” Jacobson said.

Helin Park 

Major: Anthropology

Park said she began the anthropology program late after she fell in love with one of the courses within the program. 

Park said she found a home within the Department of Anthropology that kept her going when she felt discouraged.

“Because the anthropology department is small you definitely get to feel a sense of family after you see people in your seminar classes multiple times and you see them go through the major,” Park said. 

Safwa Fiore 

Major: Communications

Fiore is a transfer student and said she struggled with finding her place on campus during her first semester at UNC.

“I took a semester off, so it was hard to dive back into school again,” Fiore said. “I almost felt like giving up.”

She said her friends and professors helped support her during some of the difficult moments.

“I had very encouraging professors and friends to get through it, so it ended up working out for me,” Fiore said. 

Sara Ma 

Major: Anthropology

Ma said she was concerned about graduating after one particular class tripped her up.

"I had a couple rough exams for a class I needed to pass to graduate, and I wasn't sure if I could make it through that," she said.

Ma said her roommate was her best support system for when she was disappointed with her grades. 

"She was there telling me that I could make it, even when I was like, 'I can't make it,'" Ma said.

Arjun Gandhi

Major: Economics

Gandhi said he always felt confident he would make it to graduation largely due to his parents’ support.

“My parents helped me to keep a sense of structure,” he said.

D.J. Debnam 

Major: Geography

Debnam said his first semester of sophomore year was especially tough because he was figuring out his major.

"There were definitely some times where the work seemed overwhelming, but I guess the biggest thing was to never give up."

Debnam said his family and friends helped him succeed at UNC.

"I took a step back and thought about what I wanted out of my college experience," he said.

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