What is the Unum Academy

The Unum Academy aims to foster the personal and professional development of college students in the South who have an interest in addressing policies, practices, and structures that create inequity. Academy members develop a fundamental understanding of core concepts related to equity work, meet other young people with similar passions, and learn about ways that they can advance equity in any sector, industry, or field of study.

The program is designed around a traditional academic calendar, with the fall and spring semesters dedicated to virtual sessions for learning, skill-building, and networking. During the summer, Academy members complete a paid internship with an organization in their local community that works to address issues related to inequity and disparity. Unum Academy is open to college students of all levels of experience who are attending academic institutions in one of the thirteen southern states.

Applications for Class 3 are officially closed.

Meet Class 2 of the Unum Academy

The second class of the Unum Academy is composed of fifteen college students representing academic institutions in all thirteen Southern states.

Telina Boyles

West Virginia University Potomac State College

Keyser, West Virginia

Jewel Cross

Talladega College

Talladega, Alabama

Journey Davis

Spelman College

Atlanta, Georgia

Ashlyn Fox

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Ashley Gordon

Fisk University

Nashville, Tennessee

Diamond Green

Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Roxanne James

Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, Florida

Gabriel Mosley

Francis Marion University

Florence, North Carolina

Kayla Nguyen

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Janiah Noel

Transylvania University

Lexington, Kentucky

Aarinii Parms-Green

Xavier University

New Orleans, Louisiana

Simone Russell

Wesleyan College

Macon, Georgia

Sedrick Thomas

Prairie View and A&M University

Prairie View, Texas

Genea Washington

Jackson State University

Jackson, Mississippi

Ava Wilkes

Washington and Lee University 

Lexington City, Virginia

Previous Academy Classes