When Ning Lee was a high school senior in 2009 at Raffles Junior College in Singapore, she and most of her classmates planned to go abroad for college. They looked at all the usual suspects both in Europe and the United States, mostly private Ivies.
At the time, Carolina really wasn’t on her radar. “I had envisioned a small liberal arts college, and I hadn’t planned on pursuing music as my major discipline,” Ning said. “I loved music, but the reality was the options for music professionals in either performance, instruction and even management were fairly limited; even arts administration is a challenging niche to try and establish oneself.”
Kind of a shame, considering that she was an accomplished and decorated violinist. She was concertmaster of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and a first violinist in the Asian Youth Orchestra based in Hong Kong, with which she performed throughout Asia and Europe. She has diplomas in violin from Trinity College of Music and the Royal Schools of Music in London, and she has won certificates in the Asian Youth Music national and international competitions.
After some research, Ning decided to apply to Carolina along with a number of other select universities, but didn’t really consider attending. That is, until the late Richard Luby, then professor and associate chair for performance in UNC’s music department, reached out to her and encouraged her to apply for the newly established Kenan Music Scholarships.
Made possible by a $4 million endowment created in 2006 by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust of Chapel Hill, the scholarships, valued at about $70,000 each over four years, cover tuition, fees, room, board and lessons. That amount includes a $6,000 allowance for study abroad, work with a particular performer, internships with elite music groups, attendance at music festivals and other music events, and travel to auditions for graduate school programs. (The Kenan Charitable Trust also just made a $5 million commitment to the University to support significant renovations to Hill Hall, home to UNC’s Department of Music)
“I loved that Carolina was not a music-centric university and that it offered a broader and more holistic educational opportunity for me. It has been the best of both worlds because I have studied with renowned musicians and enjoyed the flexibility to pursue many avenues of scholarship. You can’t get that at a conservatory.”
“I hadn’t really thought of Carolina in that way…as a school for serious musicians to hone their craft,” she said. “That’s really what all the prestigious conservatories like Juilliard and the Eastman School of Music are for.”
But like many others, when she came to campus to audition, she was hooked. When she found out she had been chosen as a Kenan Music Scholar, it made a difficult decision effortless. “I loved that Carolina was not a music-centric university and that it offered a broader and more holistic educational opportunity for me,” she said. “It has been the best of both worlds because I have studied with renowned musicians and enjoyed the flexibility to pursue many avenues of scholarship. You can’t get that at a conservatory.”
What’s more, Ning said the whole college environment she found in Chapel Hill inspired her to explore classes in corporate finance, middle eastern studies and religion as well as volunteer with the student volunteer APPLES program at the Campus Y and spend a semester abroad with UNC’s Honors Semester in London.
“Of course I am so grateful for the scholarship because it gave me the financial and psychological freedom to take advantage of everything that Carolina had to offer, and I was determined to make the most of my time here,” she said. “I think that to be successful in whatever you do, you need to be diverse both in expertise and experience. At UNC, I have been able to pursue business and music degrees, something I likely would not have been able to do elsewhere.”
The significance of her scholarship is not lost on Ning; she is already giving back, starting with the Class of 2013 Senior Campaign (see related story here). “I am so appreciative of all the opportunities I have enjoyed here, the lifelong friendships I have formed, the freedom to hone my art and broaden my horizons, and the support that allowed me to grow in so many ways,” she said. “I think it’s up to each of us to continue the amazing legacy that we inherited, and it’s only right to give back to a place that has given us so much.”
Aside from contributing her financial support, Ning also aims to raise her alma mater’s profile among international students and connect with other international alumni as well. “I think that is one thing we as international alumni should focus on because UNC is a great school, and I was fortunate enough to have someone reach out to me and encourage me to take a closer look,” she said. “But Carolina should be in the conversations international students are having when they think about college, and I want to help improve its brand and appeal abroad.”
She’s certainly on the right track.
And since you may be wondering where Ning is going from here, she is taking her degree in finance from the business school along with her music degree and heading to Dallas, Texas, where she will serve as a financial analyst for American Airlines.
And an ambassador for Tar Heels everywhere.
[Story by Hope Baptiste ’87, UNC Development]
