Advisors
Name: Jessica Saxon
College: UNC-CH
Department: English
Special Interests: 19th-century British sensation and gothic novels.
Favorite Quote: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.” – Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937
Name: Kyle Warner
College: UNC-CH
Department: English
Special Interests: Travel, modern Irish literature, pickleball, creative writing
Favorite Quote: “The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.” – Ernest Hemingway
Students
2020 Cohort
Name: Emilie Donohue
High School: New Bern High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Pre-health (Pre-veterinary)
Eventual Career Goal: Veterinarian
Special Interests: Cosmetics, animals, reading, photography
Favorite Quote: “Some women fear the fire; some women simply become it.” – R.H. Sin
Name: Prestina Sullivan
High School: West Carteret, Swansboro, and Tate High in Pensacola Florida
Expected Major at Carolina: Pre-med
Eventual Career Goal: Medicine
Special Interests: lacrosse & people watching
Favorite Quote: “Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason.” — Albert Schweitzer
2019 Cohort
Name: Aurora Charlow
High School: Newark High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Reporting
Eventual Career Goal: Investigative Journalist
Special Interests: Writing, Reading, Singing, Acting, 2-D Art (Watercolor & Pastel)
Favorite Quote: “Journeys end in lovers meeting.” – Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
Name: Olivia Brautigam
High School: West Craven High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Astrophysics
Eventual Career Goal: Astrophysicist at NASA
Special Interests: Puzzles, turtles, and space
Favorite Quote: “Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of the stars.” – Serbian proverb
Name: Christina “Ru” Fletcher
High School: Home Schooled
Expected Major at Carolina: Anthropology
Eventual Career Goal: Cardio Thoracic Surgeon
Special Interests: Theater, yoga, and science news
Favorite Quote: “All great ideas are dangerous.” – Oscar Wilde
Name: Stevie Abbigail Gaskins
High School: Arrow Christian Academy (Homeschool)
Expected Major at Carolina: Biology (probably)
Eventual Career Goal: Dermatologist
Special Interests: Softball, Dermatology, Work, the Gym, long naps, good food and even better coffee.
Favorite Quote: “If you have any questions, ask God.” – Anonymous
Name: Mary “Anya” Crary
High School: Home school
Expected Major at Carolina: Linguistics
Eventual Career Goal: Translator
Special Interests: Writing fiction, reading and translating fiction, cosmetology, video and tabletop gaming.
Favorite Quote: “I see what is right and approve, but I do what is wrong.” -Anthony Burgess
2018 Cohort
Name: Carlee Peele
High School: Epiphany School of Global Studies
Expected Major at Carolina: Physical Therapy (eventual doctorate in PT)
Eventual Career Goal: Own my own PT practice
Special Interests: I love cosmetics/beauty as well as science
Favorite Quote: “Life isn’t about waiting for the rain to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Anonymous
Name: Christina Hardtle
High School: New Bern High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Biology
Eventual Career Goal: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employee
Special Interests: Diving & Sailing
Favorite Quote: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein
Name: David Bucksot
High School: Calvary Baptist Church School
Expected Major at Carolina: Bachelor’s in Science in Psychology, minor in neuroscience and gender/sexuality studies
Eventual Career Goal: Psychiatrist
Special Interests: Listening to podcasts, cooking, baking, watching movies, occasional recreational writing, random local adventures
Favorite Quote: “I try to be honest about the shame that I feel because with honesty comes empowerment and also understanding.” – Jenny Lawson
Name: Jacob Stain
High School: Havelock High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Marine Biology
Eventual Career Goal: Marine biologist
Special Interests: Playing Basketball, Surfing, and Reading
Favorite Quote: “So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” – Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Name: Artrisa Moore
High School: Southside High School
Expected Major at Carolina: Psychology
Eventual Career Goal: Counselor
Special Interests: Go out to eat, binge watch TV shows, bowling, and play dates with my son and other friends with kids
Favorite Quote: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Name: Grant Novak
High School: Parrott Academy
Expected Major at Carolina: Peace, war, defense
Eventual Career Goal: Infantry officer
Special Interests: The gym
Favorite Quote: “Don’t believe everything on the internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it” – Abraham Lincoln
Name: Eliza Hoke
High School: Jacksonville High School
Expected Major: Anthropology
Eventual Career Goal: Undecided
Special Interests: Kayaking, hiking, road trips, board games, reading, hammocking, Snapchat, lacrosse, food, the beach, and anything that involves food.
Favorite Quote: “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” – Camus
Name: Tyler Toohey
High School: New Bern High School
Expected Major at Carolina: BA Chemistry & Public Policy
Eventual Career Goal: Something businessy…
Special Interests: I don’t know…
Favorite Quote: “If you can do math with bananas and elephants then you can do math with anything.” – Mr. Tyler Leaser
Back to Top
Student Testimonials
“C-STEP has provided me with invaluable opportunities. When I started at Craven I lacked direction and confidence in myself; I knew that I wanted to study English and I knew that I wanted to transfer, but I had no idea what the next step should be. I spent a year at Craven as a part-time student, then I came across C-STEP.
Since I was accepted into C-STEP, my academic career has changed; since then I have had direction and a plan. I was always a good student, but with the help of C-STEP I have become a great student. The friendships that I have forged thanks to C-STEP have made me more comfortable in the college setting, and the advising that I have received has given me confidence in myself.
My intended major at UNC is English and I hope to pursue a minor in Medicine, Culture, and Literature. Thanks to C-STEP I am ready to transfer, to succeed, and to fulfill my educational goals.”
Hallie French, C-STEP student
Craven CC class of 2015
UNC-Chapel Hill class of 2017
“Through my time with C-STEP, I experienced more than I ever thought possible in both the community college and university experience. We aren’t just an organization; we are a family. We laughed together, we cried together, and we watched each other bloom. Without C-STEP, I would have not gone to my dream school and have the achievements I’ve earned.”
Nicole Vandiford, C-STEP student
Craven CC class of 2016
UNC-Chapel Hill class of 2018
