Like Minds

The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid offers an array of academic and personal support services to help students get the most out of Carolina. From mentors to social events to internship opportunities, students have a range of specialized resources to smooth the transition to college and open new opportunities at Carolina.

Rizk Alghorazi ’19 and Noah Miller ’19 came to UNC from opposite ends of North Carolina, each as the first in their families to attend college. They met at an orientation sponsored by Scholarships and Student Aid, and immediately connected over a shared interest in neuroscience.

“It’s like parallel universes, almost,” said Rizk, who came to Carolina from Goldsboro, N.C.

They now both work in the lab of Garret Stuber, an associate professor in the UNC Neuroscience Center, as they pursue double-majors in biology and psychology with a minor in neuroscience.

Noah, who is from Franklin, N.C., said he believes the field is in a golden age, when researchers are just beginning to realize the vast complexities in the brain. “The brain drives everything,” he said.

Rizk’s interest in brain science began with his older brother, Kaiser, who was born with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, making him dependent on caregivers. “I’ve always been hungry for more information about the whys and hows of his condition,” Rizk said.

Both Noah and Rizk love working in the lab. “I’ve had the opportunity to interact with and learn from great scientists,” Noah said. “That’s the great thing about being at UNC.”

“It’s like a sandbox — you go in every day and learn something new,” said Rizk. “It’s always interesting. Professor Stuber’s lab members are very open to sharing knowledge with us. If I had gone to a smaller university I don’t think it would have been the same, because it wouldn’t have been as research intensive as UNC.”

This is story number 153 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.