Making a Career of Counseling

His family had some reservations about him studying psychology. “They saw it as a fringe career path – one that was reserved ‘for others,’” James Zanker '01 said.

He worked and paid for all of his schooling without having to take out any student loans. In addition to earning a bachelor’s in psychology from UNCW, he received a Master of Arts Service Agency Counseling Degree from UNC Pembroke and is now the proud owner of Zanker Counseling Services, located in downtown Wilmington, NC.


“I had known for my entire cognizant life that I was talented at subjects related to human services and psychology,” he said. “I chose UNCW because of its fine reputation, the fact that is was part of the reputable UNC system and because of UNCW’s excellent psychology department.”

While at UNCW, he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and Psi Chi Psychology National Honor Society. He also served as a Student Ambassador and was a member of the UNCW Crew Team.

A licensed professional counselor, nationally certified counselor and licensed clinical addiction specialist, Zanker loves what he is able to give others through mental health counseling, life coaching or music arts therapy through a related business, Zanker Music Arts Therapy.

“They are all a continual thrill for me and I am working on improving and increasing the level of services that I can provide within each format,” he says.


Read more at We Are UNCW.

Celebrate the history of the UNCW Crew Club!

To a former UNCW Crew Club member not many things sound quite as appealing as being back in the waters of Wilmington. Climbing into your boats and slicing through the picturesque Cape Fear River brings feelings of nostalgia. On February 26, crew club alumni will gather in Wilmington for their annual reunion.

To truly understand the significance of this club we found pieces of the club's history in the Randall Library Archives. The earliest mention of the team is from 1969. Professor John Anderson, with the help of Bob Walton, formed and coached a team that first raced for the Feast of the Pirates celebration at Wrightsville beach in May of 1970. In this first race they went up against UNC-Chapel Hill and The Citadel.

They gained support and equipment through congressman Alton A. Lennon, who managed to obtain military-school cast-offs for the team to practice with. The team participated in their first intercollegiate match in 1976 against UNC-Chapel Hill and achieved victory. Throughout the 1970's, the team participated in the Azalea Festival Regatta under the guidance of their coach Professor Anderson.

In 1986, the application was filed and approved for the official formation of the UNCW Crew Club under the leadership of club President Ted Uhlman. From there the club continued on to 25 years of fun and hard work in the waters of Wilmington, carrying on a rich legacy of rowing at UNCW.

UNCW welcomes former crew members back for a day of rowing, reminiscing, food, and old friends during the annual Crew Club Reunion on February 26. The day will begin with the annual Fun Row at the Wilmington Marine Center. The group will then head to lunch and later reconvene at the Wise Alumni House for dinner and celebration.