By Noah Weyne
Parikh is one of 17 in-state students in a vibrant N.C. Fellows cohort at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is the cohort’s only Statistics and Analytics major and one of just two Health Policy majors in the cohort. Through the program, Parikh has developed leadership skills while clarifying his academic and professional goals.
N.C. Fellows is a selective leadership development program for UNC-Chapel Hill students that teaches value-based and relational leadership impact. Participants take three courses through the UNC School of Education focused on identifying leadership values, practicing relational leadership, and viewing leadership as a lifelong responsibility.
Parikh said the coursework reshaped how he approaches leadership in his everyday life.
“My perceptive changed after EDUC 309,” said Parikh. “I am encouraged to now lead with empathy and action instead of just authority in school or at the workplace.”
N.C. Fellows supports students’ professional growth and leadership development. Parikh aspires to work in quantitative research and data analytics within healthcare, consulting or finance.
“The Fellows program has been instrumental in my professional pursuit,” said Parikh. “Through its mentorship, workshops and professional development resources, I have learned how to translate my technical and academic skills into real world impact.”
Each Fellow serves on one committee during the academic year. Parikh is a member of the Selection Committee, which selects the next cohort of students. Selection members review applications and interview prospective first-year students.
“I have started to pitch ideas to better optimize the process for reading applications,” said Parikh. “Specifically, we are no longer creating folders for each application ID and utilizing a Qualtrics survey to pitch our ratings.”
N.C. Fellows also host annual retreats to foster community and outline program expectations. Parikh, alongside 75 fellows, attended the annual retreat, which is the first weekend of the fall semester at YMCA Camp Weaver.
“My favorite cohort memory was doing the ropes course at the fall retreat,” Parikh said. “It was a time when all of us stepped out of our comfort zone and united as a group to work through the course together.”
If you want to see what other NC Fellows are doing on campus, check out their Instagram @ncfellows!