Alumna Heads to India to Fight Sex Trade

Megan Keels '08 has a goal. She has a vision. She has passion. (She's a Seahawk, of course she does!)

Drawing from personal experiences, Megan has a desire to help people who can't always help themselves. While earning her degrees in sociology, she learned about problems people faced across the globe. One that she couldn't look past was the issue of human sex trafficking.

While reading "Half the Sky," Megan learned about Apne Aap Women Worldwide, whose focus is ending sex trafficking in India. Reading about the issues facing women in this part of the world motivated Megan to reach out to the organization. She found that they needed help in an area of their operations that perfectly suited her acquired skill set: collecting, analyzing and reporting on the most recent data surrounding the trade.

Remembering what a fellow UNCW classmate told her, "to be physically present in a place (as a volunteer) is indispensable," confirmed Megan's decision to head to India; a trip that she will be making next month.

To prepare for her six-month stay, Megan has contacted past volunteers and frequently communicates with a current volunteer to inquire about their lives in India. She put together a website which talks about the issues and the support she needs for the trip. She is looking forward to the experience and "becoming an integral part of a volunteer project that will truly make a difference in the world."

UNCW/Crystal George

UNCW Welcomes the Class of 2016

Students helping with Move-In
UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

Ready or not, they’re here! Saturday, more than 1,900 volunteers were on hand to help over 2,000 new students move onto campus at UNCW. With nearly one volunteer for each incoming student, it was one spectacular welcome!

Admissions had a particularly difficult task in selecting the class of 2016. Undergraduate admissions received 12,500 applications for approximately 2,000 first-year spots. Those interested students who applied represented 48 states and 52 countries, including China, Singapore, Germany, Nigeria, Switzerland, Korea, Brazil, Ghana, United Kingdom, Canada, and many others. The only two U.S. states applications were not received from was North and South Dakota.

Class of 2016 Flag
UNCW/Jamie Moncrief

The office of admissions expects that 2,070 freshmen will enroll for fall courses, though official numbers will not be available until after the drop/add period ends on August, 29. Those students expected to enroll have an outstanding average SAT of 1175, average ACT of 24, and an average weighted GPA of 3.99. Twenty-nine percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, and 85 percent reported UNCW as their first-choice university.

Of the incoming freshman class, 258 are legacies of UNCW. A legacy is any student who has a sibling, parent, or grandparent that attended UNCW. These students will be honored for making UNCW a family tradition in an invitation only pinning ceremony. The ceremony will be held as a part of the university’s Family and Alumni Weekend, September 21 through 23.

UNCW Alumni Relations/Shannon Rodenheiser '11

Class of 2016 Convocation UNCW/Jamie Moncrief