After spending the 2022-23 academic year as a Presidential Scholar for the UNC System Office, Robert Fensom '22 will enter the University of North Carolina School of Law this fall with a Chancellors Scholars Award.
Fensom served as UNCW’s 2021-22 Student Government Association president and received the William A. Bryan Senior Leader Award. He reflects on his Seahawk experience in this latest Hawk's Eye View.
It has been nearly five years since I first stepped foot on the UNCW campus, providing a unique lens for reflection. Half a decade offers the recency needed for clarity and the perspective some distance gives.
Uncertainty was a significant theme my first year; I wasn’t sure who I was or what I wanted out of college. UNCW met me where I was and offered me the chance to rapidly try on a range of hats, working at the Pat Leonard Recreation Center, participating in Student Government and competing (slowly) in Club Triathlon.
Outside of these activities, I met the most engaging professors. Many took an interest in my development in a way that only UNCW does. I remember a professor emailing me to say I needed to come to his office hours after a subpar midterm performance.
When I was in his office, he told me he knew I could do better. He wouldn’t be easy on me. After asking about my interests, he gave me additional readings to grow in those areas. I left his office determined to ace the rest of the class.
To me, the mark of a transformative university isn’t just in how they initially mentor their first-year students. The more important measure is its ability to spur a lifetime of personal growth.
Each success I’ve enjoyed in my professional career seems tied inextricably to a lesson learned at UNCW. Five years ago, I would never have guessed I would be where I am today, with sustained interests in education policy and its intersection with the legal system.
UNCW met me where I was as a freshman and continuously pushed me to be a better student and a better person.
Many claim their college years were among the best times of their lives. I feel far too young to make similar declarations, but I am confident in saying UNCW gave me something more unique than four years of great memories. Instead, UNCW gave me the tools to create a meaningful career and friendships that will last a lifetime.