Adam Sherif ’26 has always known that he wanted his college experience to be about more than just attending classes. He was deeply engaged with research and community service in high school, even combining the two passions when he worked on a research report for the low-income Paso Heights community, near his Sacramento, California, hometown.
Pursuing these passions in college didn’t always feel straightforward, though. His parents were committed to providing each of their children with a quality education, but with two older siblings who had already gone to college, additional college costs for Sherif felt like a significant financial burden.
Shortly after being accepted at Carolina, Sherif learned that he had been awarded a full scholarship through the Pogue Endowment. As an out-of-state student, his scholarship covers tuition, fees, room and board, and is renewable for four years of undergraduate study.
Sherif is now a data science and public policy double major. Without the financial burden of paying for college, and with the support of dedicated faculty mentors, Sherif has also had ample opportunity to pursue passions outside the classroom.
Empowering scholars to make an impact
Sherif is a first-generation college student whose Egyptian and Syrian parents immigrated to the U.S. as refugees shortly before he was born. While at Carolina, Sherif worked with fellow students to found the nonprofit Middle Eastern Refugee Aid, which works to deliver aid to refugees both internationally and locally. The nonprofit partnered with UNC Health, the UNC School of Nursing and other Triangle area organizations for a health drive to provide basic health services, nutrition facts, toothbrushing instructions, free food and other items to local refugees. They’ve also done smaller health drives for international refugee camps, and raised enough money to provide convoys of aid that included items like ventilators, tents, bandages and medicine.
Sherif has also taken full advantage of research opportunities during his first two years at Carolina. He’s collaborated on implementation science research at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, taken a biology education research course, and worked with Professor Maxine Eichner at the UNC School of Law on medical child abuse research.
In summer 2025, Sherif interned in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler, his hometown senator. He learned about the opportunity, which was through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, from another Pogue Scholar who had interned with the program the previous year. Sherif worked as a legislative assistant, doing legislative research in areas like artificial intelligence, mental health, homeland security, rural postal service and health topics.
It’s no coincidence when a Pogue Scholar is found leading the way at Carolina. The values of academic excellence, leadership and commitment to implementing positive change and serving the community are core elements that the UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid looks for when selecting which students are awarded Pogue Scholarships.
“The Pogue Scholarship has not only eased the financial burden of higher education for me as a first-generation college student, it has empowered me to make a meaningful impact on the world around me,” said Sherif. “Ninety percent of the things that I’ve done since coming to Carolina, I wouldn’t have been able to do without the privilege of having this scholarship.”
An endowment with a rich history
In 1976, Dr. Joseph E. Pogue and Mrs. Grace Needham Pogue’s estate bestowed an $11 million gift to UNC-Chapel Hill, establishing the Pogue Endowment. Dr. Pogue worked as a curator at the Smithsonian Museum, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, vice president of the Chase Manhattan Bank from 1936-1949, and eventually became a successful businessman in the oil industry. He and his wife, Grace, were both philanthropists who supported many organizations, with a particular passion for education.
The donors gave the University full discretion on how to use the estate gift. From the original $11 million gift, a little over $6 million was endowed, which has enabled the funds to grow significantly over the years, providing a greater impact than the Pogues ever could have imagined. The investment of the principal is used for a development program, library acquisitions, University research council, research and study projects, fellowships, scholarships, and for special opportunities available to the chancellor.
Endowments have a uniquely powerful impact on the University. Because they are invested and generate increasing income over time, their impact reaches far beyond what would be possible with the initial gift.
Today, the scholarship portion of the Pogue Endowment supports about 43 students a year, with 10-11 Pogue Scholars per class.
Written by Audrey Smith
Photo submitted by subject
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