March 6, 2024

On March 1, Carolina Across 100 awarded three $500 prizes to the highest-scoring projects submitted during the 2024 POV Challenge. Submissions were offered by Teams of 2-5 students in response to one of three unique prompts about mental health and suicide prevention. Congratulations to the following teams! Read detailed descriptions about the 2024 POV Challenge Submissions. 

TEAM 16

A story map illuminating the stigmas, stories, and research related to mental health and suicide prevention.

Team Members

Anushna Parepalli, Biology & Psychology

Naomi King, Pre-Nursing

Camille Clark, Biology & Education

TEAM 15

A video written with the hopes of showcasing the power of “someone sitting with you in the mud.”

Team Members

Ngan Le, Chemistry

Roshan Ragu, Biomedical Engineering

TEAM 5

A poster about adolescent suicide by firearms in rural NC, exploring connections to broader public health issues.

Team Members

Annika Kruse, MPH Maternal, Child, and Family Health

Emily Hathcock, MPH Health Policy and Management

Callie Rockey, MPH Health Behavior

Breanna Johnson, MPH Equity

Nineteen teams offered submissions, sharing their research findings and ideas through podcasts, websites, infographics, poetry, and art. Many of the 45 participating undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attended the Carolina Engagement Week reception, where all submissions were on display. Find reception photos.

“Seeing my team’s project on display as soon as I walked into the reception made me feel like I was a part of something bigger,” said Alison Grau, a sophomore at UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. “We are all making a real-world impact.”

2024 POV Challenge submissions will be shared with Our State, Our Wellbeing community teams at their third learning forum, held at the UNC School of Government on April 16-17, 2024. Community leaders participating in this program will be coming together to continue their collaboration, focused on identifying and implementing strategies to improve mental health and reduce suicide in North Carolina.  

“This year’s POV Challenge allowed Carolina Across 100 to engage students in the same work we are doing with community leaders across the state to reduce suicide,” said Michael Welker, ncIMPACT Community Engagement Director. “We are looking forward to showcasing these students’ submissions and offering them as resources for North Carolina communities.” 

Keep learning about Carolina Across 100’s involvement in Engagement Week, including a hybrid learning session focused on improving youth mental health. Thank you to all Carolina students, campus partners, and community leaders whose contributions made 2024 Engagement Week such a special week of learning, sharing, and making new connections.

Carolina Across 100 is a five-year Carolina initiative housed at the School of Government’s ncIMPACT Initiative. This pan-University effort, guided by the Carolina Engagement Council, will form meaningful partnerships with communities in all 100 North Carolina counties to respond to challenges stemming from or exacerbated by COVID-19. “Our State, Our Work” is the first program of Carolina Across 100, connecting young adults to living wage employment opportunities. “Our State, Our Wellbeing” is the second program, focused on improving mental health and reducing suicide in North Carolina.