As the secretary/treasurer of North Carolina Hillel, one of the Jewish centers on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus, Molly Matthews is helping to give back to the organization that helped her get her foot in the door at UNC-CH. A junior sports administration major from Raleigh, N.C., Molly also devotes her time to the Carolina Athletic Association as a member of the sports marketing committee. Molly’s enthusiasm for her friends, sports (especially hockey) and UNC help her stand out and thrive amongst her fellow Tar Heels.
HC: You are involved in a lot of great campus organizations. Is there one that you particularly love?
Molly: Hillel, definitely. It is sort of my home away from home. A lot of the best friends I have made here at UNC-CH are in that building and I have really fostered friendships just for having the commonality of being Jewish. So, just really being able to go into that building pretty much at any time and knowing that there is somebody there to hang out with, to talk to, to study with, to cook with, it is just very near and dear to my heart, and I cannot imagine my college experience without it.
HC: What are you working on now for Hillel?
Molly: We are in the planning process of getting together our 15th annual Reading of the Names. Every year, we read the names of as many Holocaust victims as we can in the Pit for 24 straight hours. It is something that we are very passionate about. We really do promote genocide education as sort of one of our big pillars. Yes, the Holocaust is probably the largest genocide in history, but it does not take away from things like the Rwandan genocide, or the genocide that’s currently going on in Darfur. We feel that we can use the Holocaust to educate others, and our biggest goal with the Reading of the Names is to get the campus community involved.
HC: What has been one of your favorite parts of your past three years at UNC-CH?
Molly: Oh, gosh, where to begin? Really, it is just being able to do what I love. I am a sports administration major, and I go to a university where all sports are very highly regarded. UNC-CH is not just a football school, a basketball school or a soccer school; we are such a broad-based program, and you can go see elite athletes in every sport on any day of the week. I just love the sporting atmosphere, love the school spirit…just realizing how much people love this school and find their own communities and are able to make the UNC-CH experience very unique and very much what they want it to be.
HC: What would people be surprised to know about you?
Molly: I think probably the fact that I did not want to come to UNC-CH. Most people who know me know I own every article of clothing in Carolina blue. Really — I own scarves, button-downs, shoes, even, in Carolina blue. I was so anti-UNC-CH, did not want to come here at all and even my first couple of weeks on campus just did not want to get involved. [But, I] just sort of learned that it was the right place for me and that you can make it what you want.
HC: What are your plans for after college?
Molly: I was fortunate enough to secure a summer internship last summer with a sports and entertainment marketing firm, and I absolutely love it. I thought that I always wanted to work for a pro sports team and be a high executive, but after working at this small firm and working on the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships that were just held in Greensboro, N.C., I really do just love working with amateur sports. So, hopefully after I graduate I can get a job with this firm…The plan is to go out into the real world and work a couple of years and then eventually go back to school to get my Master of Business Administration and my Master of Sports Administration, and then just go from there and see what happens.
Molly’s dedication and passion for Hillel and sports administration are sure to help her succeed throughout and after college. No matter what struggles she faces as a student juggling a job and an internship, she appreciates the opportunities she has to learn and grow, making her a great UNC-CH leader and this week’s Campus Celebrity.