BY AJ JACKSON, ‘25
The Study Center has been more than influential in my formation as a person and as a follower of Christ over my four years at Carolina. It started right when I got to campus my freshman yearand signed up for Carolina Way Camp. There, I met so many other Christians and friends that I still have to this day. The Study Center and all the people there really accepted me and brought me in – and were so kind to me and so generous. So many people there have become my mentors, and the connections that I’ve made through the 12 have been really amazing.
Coming to Carolina, there’s a lot of questions. There’s a lot of getting to know yourself and who you are, who Christ is, what a relationship with Christ looks like, and how to live your life as a Christian. How do you be a Christian at Carolina? The Study Center has been so great about reaching out to me and making sure I’m doing well and following up on conversations.
The things the Study Center hosts are great as well. I’m part of a couple different Bible studies hosted at the Study Center, and there are a lot of opportunities to develop your faith there and learn through seminars – on The Screwtape Letters and Paradise Lost, for example – as well as the Fellows Program.
The Study Center has also been a great place for me and all sorts of folks to come, feel welcome, and have a home and place to hang out. It has really helped me feel welcome and secure at UNC. I was a guy who came to campus with pretty much no friends and no background on the school. To feel welcome and wanted at the Study Center, and poured into by the staff there, has made a difference in my life and put my life on a better trajectory.
I can’t speak highly enough of the Study Center and I encourage every person who comes to UNC to get involved, get to know the staff on a personal level, and get plugged into the different ministries and programs there. It’s a great place to hang out with other students and see familiar faces – and I think it is such an awesome, welcoming space because it hosts so many different events and campus ministries.
I thank the Lord that the Study Center has been put here at UNC. I pray it continues to thrive and grow and that more and more students go there to learn, grow in their faith, and have friends and community.
This is an excerpt from our 2024 Fall Newsletter.