You may already know campus celebrity CJ Powell.
He is an admissions and football ambassador, three-time resident adviser, two-time orientation leader and singer in the Achordants.
Powell, a senior at UNC, says that he would have been nowhere near involved at UNC, however, had it not been for his OL’s sneakers at freshman orientation.
“My year they got really cool sneakers,” Powell says sheepishly. “The free stuff was awesome.”
Even though Powell didn’t wind up getting the same shoes when he was an OL, he said the experience was great and opened his eyes to all the opportunities that UNC has to offer.
It also opened the door to a resident adviser position, where Powell discovered his passion for helping other students figure out their own life goals.
“Being an RA was a really cool way to get people plugged in the way I got plugged in (through serving as an OL),” Powell says.
“I think seeing people open their eyes to possibilities and seeing kids push outside the box is great,” he says. “There are so many different things you can do at Carolina beyond business and biology. Showing them that and seeing the lightbulb go off is always a great feeling.”
After college, Powell says he would like to pursue a doctorate in educational policy and help with educational reform. His dream is to one day be president of a university.
“My friends always say I am driven,” Powell says. “I think I am on par with my peers.”
“Like everyone else, I want to change the world,” he added jokingly.
Powell says the toughest thing about graduating from UNC will be leaving behind those peers in May.
“Carolina is my home because of its commitment to service, commitment to giving back. Also, I love it because of the kinds of conversations that people are willing to have here. Its not about being nerdy; it is just about talking about really cool things. It is about having an excitement for learning.”
Although Powell says a lot of people think he is really serious, he also has a goofy side, too.
He says singing with the Achordants is fun because you can drop your pants and “act a fool” onstage.
“It is really liberating,” he says.
However, the thing that makes Powell feel the greatest at the end of the day is not anything he does for himself – his greatest pleasure comes from helping others.
“People realizing their potential and creating change in a positive way makes me tick,” he says.
All photos provided by CJ Powell