Hong Bloom ’09, of Harrisburg, N.C., was a Winstead Scholar during her time at Carolina. As a computer science major, Bloom worked for Wachovia and Wells Fargo while at UNC. After graduation, Bloom earned her MBA in 2013 from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She currently works at JPMorgan Chase as a VP/marketing manager in Wilmington, Del. She and her husband, Matthew, recently celebrated the birth of their daughter, Evelyn.
“The Winstead Scholarship allowed me to attend college, so it means a great deal to me,” Bloom said. “Through the scholarship, I was able to have incredible experiences and trips with fellow Carolina Scholars and our advisor, Greg Gangi, with whom I still am in touch. I still look back fondly on the group trips to New York City and to Puerto Rico when I look through my scrapbooks.”
The Sam G. Winstead, Jr. Scholarship
The Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation established the Winstead Scholarship in 1986 to honor Sam G. Winstead Jr., a Dallas attorney and civic leader. Winstead, a native of Roxboro, N.C., was the oldest of eight children, all of whom earned degrees from Carolina. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1930 with a classics degree.
Winstead spoke of his desire to create the scholarship in the spring 1994 of Carolina Connections, saying, “I know how important it is for Carolina to attract first-rate students from all areas of the country. The University was one of the best in the nation when I attended, and I hope to keep it that way for future students.”
Building on the initial gift, Winstead, the Chilton Foundation and many of his friends and family joined in supporting the fund. The King Foundation makes gifts primarily to educational institutions in Texas, but decided to fund the program at Carolina because of Winstead’s bond with the University. Carl L. Yeckel, vice president of the King Foundation, explained, “Sam had a great, deep, abiding love for the university. We thought it would be much more appropriate to honor him by establishing a scholarship at Carolina than by doing something locally.”
In 1987, Margaret Rose Bolden of Waynesville, N.C. became the first Winstead Scholar to attend Carolina. Since then, more than 40 Winstead Scholars have graduated from UNC. In 1993, the Winstead Scholarship was converted into one of the first Carolina Scholars scholarships, the University’s premier merit-based scholarship program designed to attract the most promising high school students from across the state and country. Carolina Scholarships cover tuition and fees.
–Sarah Upton
