Ruohong “Katherine” Wang, a current SGA senator who is an international student at UNCP, has been accepted into the 2019 Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program.



The Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program is an eight-week immersive and experiential summer program designed to provide students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain a better understanding of key issues facing public higher education.

The program is open to rising juniors and seniors attending one of the 16 constituent institutions of higher education in the UNC System. Scholars will be mentored by UNC leadership, spend time in the UNC System offices in Chapel Hill, travel to UNC campuses, visit with key state policy leaders and elected officials in North Carolina and Washington, DC.



Scholars will have the opportunity to work in a state government agency to further their knowledge of how higher education impacts the state of North Carolina, and the scholars will work on and present a capstone project on a topic of their choosing with the approval of the program supervisor.

“In two years as an international student at UNCP, I saw my personal growth and feel grateful to the people that help me through ups and downs, all these make me have a very deep feeling for North Carolina and this state has a deep bond with my life. I always hope to contribute to this friendly community to repay people for their love and help. It is my great honor to participate in this program as a representative of UNCP, and I hope that I can bring diversity to this program as an international student,” explained Wang.



Ruohong is a senior studying business administration with a concentration in finance. She is from Jiangsu, a province in China, and will be graduating fall 2019.



“Ruohong has been a great asset to SGA this year. She helps give SGA a new perspective on how to bridge the gap for our international population on campus with SGA,” said Kyle Levine, assistant director for Student Organization Development for the Office of Campus Engagement and Leadership.

“She had the opportunity to represent UNCP at the UNC System Association of Student Governments, and we are very proud of her accomplishments this year and with receiving a place in the 2019 Marian Drane Graham Scholars Program.”