Our People
Our Leadership
The Scholars' Latino Initiative is a student-led organization under the auspices of the UNC Center for Global Initiatives. The operations of the program are run by the SLI Operational Board.
The SLI Advisory Board is composed of leaders in academia and the Latino community. This board meets twice a semester to advise the Operational Board in program administration, expansion, community outreach, and placement of graduating program participants.
The SLI Student Executive Board is comprised of students elected each year by the UNC mentors. The board oversees mentor and high school student selection, logistics, event planning, and scholarship fundraising.
As the SLI Program Coordinator, Katherine Stalberg oversees the logistics of the program, both at the high schools and at UNC. She works closely with the UNC leadership and on-site teacher liasons to ensure an efficient and effective mentoring program.
The Scholars' Latino Initiative has three classes of Mentee/Mentor pairs: c/o 2016 Scholars, and c/o 2017 Scholars.
The SLI Advisory Board is composed of leaders in academia and the Latino community. This board meets twice a semester to advise the Operational Board in program administration, expansion, community outreach, and placement of graduating program participants.
The SLI Student Executive Board is comprised of students elected each year by the UNC mentors. The board oversees mentor and high school student selection, logistics, event planning, and scholarship fundraising.
As the SLI Program Coordinator, Katherine Stalberg oversees the logistics of the program, both at the high schools and at UNC. She works closely with the UNC leadership and on-site teacher liasons to ensure an efficient and effective mentoring program.
The Scholars' Latino Initiative has three classes of Mentee/Mentor pairs: c/o 2016 Scholars, and c/o 2017 Scholars.
Our Mentees
Each fall, motivated, high-achieving sophomores from six North Carolina high schools apply to form a new class of SLI scholars. Every student is matched with a sophomore mentor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The mentor-mentee relationship enables long-term support, guidance, and friendship that evolve as both the high school and college students advance in their academic careers.
SLI students, typically first-generation college students, are academically gifted but come from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. SLI provides its students with resources that may otherwise have been unavailable or difficult to access, helping them to graduate from high school and enter college. SLI invests in these students to reward their drive and success, with the hope that they will realize their potential to positively impact their communities.
An overwhelming majority of our past scholars who have completed the three-year program have been accepted to college, and many have been offered merit and athletic scholarships. We believe that the relationship between dedicated scholars and mentors has opened doors to students, enabling them to continue overcoming the odds.
SLI students, typically first-generation college students, are academically gifted but come from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. SLI provides its students with resources that may otherwise have been unavailable or difficult to access, helping them to graduate from high school and enter college. SLI invests in these students to reward their drive and success, with the hope that they will realize their potential to positively impact their communities.
An overwhelming majority of our past scholars who have completed the three-year program have been accepted to college, and many have been offered merit and athletic scholarships. We believe that the relationship between dedicated scholars and mentors has opened doors to students, enabling them to continue overcoming the odds.
Our Mentors
Mentors are the link between our Latino high school students and their goals of higher education. Our mentors offer insight, guidance, and motivation to help the SLI scholars achieve academically in high school and navigate their way to college. The relationships developed between mentors and students are meaningful and lasting, often going beyond the three-year commitment.
In addition to cultivating one-on-one relationships with SLI students, mentors are responsible for designing and facilitating the college preparation and community service projects that make this program unique. Mentors work together to gauge the skills of students and tailor projects to best serve their individual needs.
Mentors are selected through an application and interview process. To apply, visit please submit an application found on tinyurl.com/BeASLIMentor by Wednesday September 9th.
In addition to cultivating one-on-one relationships with SLI students, mentors are responsible for designing and facilitating the college preparation and community service projects that make this program unique. Mentors work together to gauge the skills of students and tailor projects to best serve their individual needs.
Mentors are selected through an application and interview process. To apply, visit please submit an application found on tinyurl.com/BeASLIMentor by Wednesday September 9th.