University of North Carolina Athletics
I'm A Tar Heel: Samantha Travers
November 5, 2014 | Field Hockey
Dear Tar Heel fans,
In January of 2010, I left Africa for the first time, headed for Chapel Hill. I didn't think I'd ever go to a school like UNC - the field hockey coaches took a big chance on me. I played on national teams in five sports in Zimbabwe (it's a pretty small population) so they knew I was athletic and coachable. But I knew nothing about North Carolina. I'd never seen snow before. I didn't have a blanket, pillow ... anything. Coach Shelton still tells the story about the first time I went to a grocery store here - I walked in and walked right back out. It was so overwhelming.
I think I'm still experiencing a little bit of culture shock, but I love it here now. As I write this, my parents are visiting from Zimbabwe for a month. Before they visited the first time, when I was a sophomore, UNC was so hard to describe to them. But when they came here, they immediately fell in love with the place, and even more so with the people - everyone is so welcoming and so ready to help.
Without the support system I have here, I don't know what I would have done. When I say the team is my family and their families have become my family, I'm not just saying that. It means so much and I've been fortunate to have all them they play such a big role in my college career. I hope to carry those relationships with me throughout my life.
There have been so many people who have helped me in my time here. My godmother, Betty Waddell, lives in South Carolina and has been my rock when I had tough times. My scholarship donors, Brian and Alisa Golson, made me feel welcome. The Giordanos, Chris and Claire and their four kids, have been my family here. I've needed support from all of them, as well as my team - I've certainly had ups and downs during my time at UNC. As a freshman, I fractured my tibia and couldn't play field hockey, the thing I'd come here to do. That was really hard. But once I could contribute again, I figured out how valuable all of this was for me. It was good to be a tiny fish in a huge pond. It's something that has molded me not only as a field hockey player but as a person. I've grown and developed so much to get where I am now.
Two summers ago, I was fortunate enough to get an internship at a great company, Quintiles. I interned there for two summers and proved myself, and now I'll be working there full-time. After graduating in December with a double major in communication studies and sociology and a minor in entrepreneurship, I'll start at Quintiles in January as a Clinical Research Analyst. I chose to stay here and work at their office in Durham - this is what I know and where I'm most comfortable now. I think it's a great place to launch my career.
Thanks so much to all of the Tar Heels who have supported me during my career. It's been an amazing journey, and it's not over yet!
Go Heels!
All the best,
Senior, Field Hockey
Sociology/Communication Studies major, Entrepreneurship minor
Harare, Zimbabwe
