#heelprints

Each month, the 2015 Carolina Class Representatives will feature a student that is taking significant steps to Fill in the Heelprints and leave his or her mark at Carolina. Nominate a student here: http://bit.ly/2015nominate

  Name: Travis Linton

Major: Exercise and Sports Science

Hometown: Raleigh, NC

Favorite spot at Carolina: People watching in the pit

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Rainbow Sherbet

Junior Travis Linton's Heelprint is defined, according to his nominator, by Linton's "kindness, sincere passion for helping others, and his ability to understand and appreciate beliefs and actions that are different from his own." Community service and care for others embody this Tar Heel's Carolina experience, and the 2015 Carolina Class Representatives are proud to introduce the 2015er of the month for September.

  CCR: You’ve have been on one APPLES Alternative Spring Break trip and are leading another one this year. What did you gain from that experience/what was the most significant part to you of those trips?

  TL: I went on the 2013 APPLES Urban Poverty Spring Break trip to Atlanta, where we volunteered with facilities that addressed education, availability of healthy foods, food stamps, harm reduction, homelessness, and resources for alcohol and drug abuse.

I learned about the brokenness and inequalities of big cities. We spent time in a marginalized neighborhood called the Bluff, an area wrecked with neglect, prostitution, and excessive drug abuse. The Bluff is about half a mile from the Georgia Dome, currently undergoing renovations in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

  I learned a lot about advocating for those who don’t have a voice, ensuring they have the rights and resources I take for granted every day. I learned so much about poverty alleviation, but I’m most thankful for the friendships I made, the conversations I had, and the stories I heard.

  CCR: Through your work with CEF you have demonstrated your passion for aiding the homeless. What does this stem from, how have you grown this work, what have you learned?

  TL: I have loved working with CEF. It’s an organization that pairs homeless members in the community with student advocates, and we work together towards goals like employment, housing, budgeting, transportation needs, identification, and any other goals they have.

  For a long time, I have wanted to engage and empower those of lower socioeconomic status, but I felt like I just talked about it. I was often told that I should be doing things, but there was no action. When I found my Christian faith, desire turned to action, and I sought different avenues like APPLES and CEF to joyfully put others before myself.

  I have learned about different ways to navigate obstacles for employment, like computer literacy and criminal records. I’m most thankful for the relational component of CEF—I have homelessness members who can call me up to hang out, and I love that.

  CCR: What is your favorite thing about Carolina?

  TL: My favorite thing is the collective passion for people and service. It’s almost an expectation here that we leverage our gifts, abilities, and resources for the sake of others. I have met so many awesome students here who intend to build their careers around sacrifice and service.

This year, the Class of 2015 is focusing on how we're Filling in the Heelprints, and making moves at Carolina and around the world. Do you know someone in the Class of 2015 who is making his or her Heelprint in a fantastic way? Did they have an amazing study abroad experience, intern with a great company, or make an impact through a student organization or program on campus? We want to hear their story and share it with the rest of the class on our blog!

As we rise into the junior class, we see just how big the heelprints of those who have gone before us really are. In the past two years alone, we've been impacted by great leaders, thinkers, innovators, activists, and most of all, great Tar Heels. 

Now it's time for us, the Class of 2015, to start filling in those heelprints. We're taking on new leadership roles - being the guides that helped make our beginning at Carolina so welcoming and wonderful. We're continuing projects and programs started by fellow Heels who have already graduated, making sure that each Carolina legacy grows strong. We're even starting to prepare for our careers, looking forward to that time when we will also no longer be students, and the younger classes will have to fill in our heelprints.

At the beginning of every year, the Carolina Class Representatives come together to choose a theme for the year. We hope that "Filling in the Heelprints" will serve as a guide for the year, as inspiration when these new challenges seem too daunting, and as a motto to unite the Class of 2015.