Positioned To Succeed
"Genna’s hard work has positioned her to succeed; Carolina is making it happen.”
"Genna’s hard work has positioned her to succeed; Carolina is making it happen.”
Children of veterans themselves, Carolina alumni Steve and Debbie Vetter, from Greensboro, launched the Red, White and Carolina Blue ChallengeOpens in new window with a commitmentOpens in new window as part of For All Kind: the Campaign for Carolina — the University’s $4.25 billion fundraising drive. The Vetters’ commitment created the Red, White and Carolina Blue Challenge, with a goal to raise a total of $40 million in scholarship support for dependents of military families.
Genna Crites ’21, a first-generation college student whose military connections include both parents, is exactly the kind of student this challenge supports. She and her mother, Amanda Volk, couldn’t contain their excitement when the challenge was announced in October 2017.
“This is an incredible initiative for many deserving students and their families,” Volk said. “We’re proud to be a part of it. Genna’s hard work has positioned her to succeed; Carolina is making it happen.”
From a small town in rural eastern North Carolina, Genna had the talent, intellect, academic curiosity and vigor to complement any university’s student body, but only one offered the financial support she and her family needed to make a college education a reality.
Genna is a Carolina CovenantOpens in new window Scholar majoring in information science with plans to earn a master’s degree. She hopes to become an institutional librarian and help preserve, classify and organize a vastly growing knowledge reservoir. “I want to help people find what they need to advance human understanding,” she said. Genna’s future is bright, and she is grateful for the freedom to pursue her passions.
“I deeply respect my parents and family for the important work they’re doing,” she said. “I’m even more grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the world in my own way.”
