Life On Hold

Graduate student, CJ Hacker `20 (M.S.O.T.), had to quickly surrender her planned timeline for the future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With everything happening at once, with my degree completion postponed and my husband’s job insecurity, we had to be really nimble really quickly,” said CJ. “We’re in a holding pattern right now.”

Noting the precarious situations of students similar to CJ, the occupational therapy program within the UNC School of Medicine advertised the recently developed Carolina Student Impact Fund, which was established this spring to provide support for Carolina students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon CJ’s application, a portion of the Carolina Student Impact Fund has been allocated to CJ and her family for storage purposes as they wait to move forward in obtaining job security.

“The financial provision with regards to storage was both helpful and stress-relieving and we are so grateful,” said CJ. “I went to a small school for undergrad so Carolina was a really big shift for me. To feel so cared for by such a large institution and to be supported by both my program and people I’ve never even met is such a gift, I can’t even describe it.”

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