Photo courtesy of Nikolai Mather
Senior Nikolai Mather was awarded the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) Levine Scholarship March 1.
Mather was nominated along with 3,000 other students from the U.S. and internationally. He then applied and was selected to be interviewed at UNCC and was chosen along with a group of 20 other students as a Levine Scholar, class of 2021.
Mather says that though he wasn’t originally considering UNCC, the Levine Scholarship was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
“The Levine Scholarship is basically a full ride to UNC-Charlotte with a ton of other amenities, including study abroad, different internships throughout the years, four summer experiences for the group of scholars, prestigious honors programs, so it’s basically the Morehead Scholarship for UNC-Chapel Hill but for UNC-Charlotte,” Mather said.
Mather said that what qualified him for the scholarship is his “activity in both community service and activism.” He said one examples of his dedication to activism is a rally he organized in Chapel Hill with two friends in the aftermath of the election.
“There was a huge jump in the hate crimes in Pittsboro and all over Chapel Hill directly after the election,” Mather said. “A lot of my friends who are Jewish told me about their synagogues getting calls saying, ‘We’re going to burn down your synagogue.’ There were a lot of bomb threats made, there were people scrawling really nasty messages on the all-gender bathroom walls, and just a lot of hatred and discord going on. We wanted to do something that would unite our community, so me and friends decided to get together and have a rally against hatred in our community. It drew a crowd of about 1500 people, and it was a awesome event.”
Melissa Hayden, a social studies teacher at Northwood who has known Mather since his sophomore year when he joined P.R.I.D.E. club, wrote Mather a letter of recommendation for the scholarship. Hayden said that she thinks what made Mather stand out is that he can make real action while in leadership positions.
“He has commitment and execution in leadership, versus just saying you’re going to do things,” Hayden said. “He pulls together plans and motivates and rallies people.”
Mather says that he has always been interested in governmental studies and hopes to become a civil rights attorney after graduate school. He plans on majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Near-Eastern Studies.
“Basically I’m just trying to learn as much as I can about the political situation that we’re operating in, as well as the history of that,” Mather said.
He is also interested in politics and says that he’s thought a lot about continuing his activism through politics.
“I think it will be very important to stay active in my community and keep fighting the good fight,” Mather said.
Mather said that the scholarship is what can help him achieve his goals for the future and that it’s a “great way for getting equipped to become a better servant leader and a better scholar.”
“The opportunities that they give to the students who get the scholarship are just amazing,” Mather said. “It’s essentially a pathway to success.”
– By Meera Butalia
