Eve Carson ’08: priceless gem

Carson Eve Carson was a priceless gem—the epitome of the caliber of student Carolina seeks to bring to Chapel Hill. Bright. Articulate. Warm. Ambitious. Idealistic. Genuine. And absolutely brimming with a rare enthusiasm and infectious energy that knew no bounds. People were naturally drawn to her, and she welcomed them. Those who knew her, adored her; those who didn’t, wanted to. It’s just the way she was.

Eve’s dauntless spirit and commitment to the “Carolina Way”—what she called “excellence with a heart”—created a rare legacy of youthful effervescence combined with time-tested wisdom. To honor her, the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Merit Scholarship was established to celebrate and remember Eve’s love for the University and its students. She envisioned this one-year merit scholarship as a way to recognize individuals who began to realize their potential as leaders while attending Carolina. Typical Eve. As a Morehead-Cain Scholar, student body president, trustee, mentor and volunteer, Eve worked diligently with her colleagues in student government to define the attributes of the student who would receive such an award.

The junior-year merit scholarship recipient will: see a world full of opportunity and commit him or herself to pursuing it; show this commitment through hands-on service, charity work and demonstrated leadership; think globally while acting locally; turn challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into substantial accomplishments.

Eve was to have received her degree in political science and biology on May 11 at Commencement. Instead her parents were presented with her diploma, a model of the Old Well and a watercolor painting of her favorite spots on campus described in what has become a well-known quote on campus and off:

“I love UNC. I love the quad in the spring and the arboretum in the fall. I love the Pit on a sunny day and Graham Memorial Lounge on a rainy one. I love Roy [Williams] all the time. But what makes UNC truly special is not our beautiful campus, our distinguished reputation or even our basketball team. It’s us—the student body—who make UNC what it is.”

UNC commissioned Goldsboro artist Brenda Behr to create the painting, which was also made into a poster and sold at the campus bookstore during Commencement weekend. Proceeds from the sales benefit the scholarship fund. The inaugural Carson Memorial Scholar will be selected in the fall.

By Hope Baptiste

Gifts may be made online at giving.unc.edu/gift. Choose one of the giving options, select “Scholarships and Student Aid” under University Designation, and select “Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Scholarship” under University Fund. Checks should be made payable to UNC-Chapel Hill, with “Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Scholarship” in the notation line, and sent to Carolina, P.O. Box 309 , Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0309.

Questions? Please feel free to contact Elizabeth Dunn, senior associate vice chancellor for development, at 919-962-3292 or edunn@unc.edu.

Copies of the poster are available through the Bull’s Head Bookshop. Please visit www.store.unc.edu. Click here to see the poster.