Introducing Rachel Myrick

Details

Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Graduating: Class of 2013
Major: Global Studies & Political Science Major

UNC Life

My decision to come to UNC was ultimately a result of the incredible people – students, staff, and faculty – I had met here in high school. I also have family here (both an older and younger sister who have attended or are currently attending as undergraduates), so I feel like I’ve always grown up a Tar Heel.

Over the past few years, I’ve been involved in a number of different activities, although my two major extracurricular involvements have been with TEDxUNC and Student Government. A friend and I co-founded and co-organized the past two TEDxUNC conferences, and I currently serve as Vice President of the Student Body.

My favorite Global Studies class was a course on International Migration with Dr. Niklaus Steiner. He treated his class like a graduate seminar and really challenged us to think critically about the material. It’s a testament to a wonderful professor when he or she makes 3 hours of discussion fly by. He’s also one of the most kind-hearted and caring people I’ve ever met.

Academic and Professional Interests

I’m interested in studying ethnic conflict and post-conflict reconstruction. After UNC, I will head to Oxford to get an M.Phil. in International Relations en route to a doctorate. I think my interest in this subject emerged at the intersection of my two majors – Global Studies and Political Science. I’ve taken some excellent courses in both departments that furthered my interests in global conflict and conflict resolution.

As part of the Global Studies major, I studied abroad in London during my sophomore spring. While in England, I spent some time at Oxford and absolutely fell in love with it, which is why a year later, I started the process of applying for the Rhodes Scholarship.

Beyond UNC

I’ve been lucky enough to spend my summers doing very interesting things, which I see as an integral part of my experience at UNC. Many of these opportunities have shaped my academic and career interests. Over the past few summers, I’ve volunteered at a domestic violence shelter in San Ignacio Belize, worked for an international development group in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and interned for a global strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

Tell us more!

One thing I’m going to miss when I leave Chapel Hill – aside from all the wonderful people, obviously – is all the ice cream and frozen yogurt stores within about three blocks of each other on Franklin Street. I eat Yo-Po, Sweet Frog, Ben & Jerry’s, and Sugarland religiously….