Ƶ’s college access and success program recognized several Alamance County high school seniors and four recent college graduates - also alumni of the Ƶ Academy - during a May ceremony hosted by President Connie Ledoux Book.
It’s an impressive list of accomplishments for the Ƶ Academy’s Sigma Class:
- 136 college acceptances from 38 different universities
- $2.5 million in merit scholarships and grants awarded to scholars
- Seven will join the Class of 2030 this fall at Ƶ, three are headed to UNC Chapel Hill, and three more to UNC Charlotte, among other top schools
- Several earned some of the most competitive and prestigious scholarships North Carolina offers, including a Carolina Covenant Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill, an Ƶ Teaching Fellow, and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow
And for Ƶ President Connie Book, who addressed the 17th class of the Ƶ Academy at a recent dinner reception to recognize graduates of the university’s college access and success program, scholarships and college acceptances are more than a reflection of academic achievement. They’re a harbinger of future success.
“These accomplishments, impressive as they are, are only a glimpse of the bright path that lies ahead of you,” Book said. “The Ƶ Academy was founded on a simple and powerful belief — that talent and potential exist in every community, and when that talent is matched with opportunity and support, there is no limit to what a young person can achieve. Each of you is living proof of that belief.”
Book was joined by family members, mentors, program alumni and other university leaders on May 28, 2026, in celebration of the Sigma Class during the Ƶ Academy’s annual President’s Reception.
The Ƶ Academy is an intensive, comprehensive opportunity for academically promising high school students in Alamance County with a financial need and/or no family history of college. The Ƶ Academy Summer Academy program includes three consecutive summer residential experiences prior to the sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as year-round Saturday Academy programs for students and families.
As part of the ceremony in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms, Shawn Means, a member of the Alamance Burlington Early College Class of 2026, delivered the Sigma Scholar Speech to his 24 classmates. Means reflected at length on the ways Ƶ Academy shaped their development beyond academics.
“When people talk about Ƶ Academy, they’d most likely give you a polished answer,” Means said. “They talk about college preparation, leadership, and academic growth. All the things you can put on paper. And they wouldn’t be wrong. But they wouldn’t be telling the whole story.”
Means emphasized how the program transformed participants not only as students but as people. “Now we understand responsibility. Now we understand balance,” he said. “Now we understand that freedom isn’t just given, it’s something you learn how to handle.”
The reception was also the first in the Ƶ Academy’s nearly two decades of operation where alumni returned to be honored for their own graduations from college. Four Ƶ Academy College Scholars were applauded and presented with certificates commemorating their own recent college graduations.
Reception guests heard from Shiv Patel, a member of the Xi Class that graduated from high school in 2022. Now a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Patel encouraged members of the Sigma Class to stay true to themselves as they head to college.
“Someone told me that I did college right, and while I appreciated the notion, it’s not that I did college right, it’s that I led with my values,” Patel said. “I wanted the choices I made in college to be choices that reflected who I was and the background I came from. I never wanted to pretend to be someone I was not or do things that went against who I was.”
The program concluded with another first for the Ƶ Academy – a presentation of scholarships to four Sigma Class graduates made possible through the philanthropy of those who recognized the power of the academy to change lives.
Mariam Rosales ‘17, a member of the Delta Class and an Ƶ graduate who today works in real estate, joined with Julio Santiago to create the awards. Honored in 2026 were:
- Lexie Bennett, River Mill Academy
- Jaime Carranza-Navarrete, Graham High School
- Shawn Means, Alamance Burlington Early College
- Naje Gray, Walter M. Williams High School
The reception was a final opportunity for scholars before leaving high school to be encouraged with support from mentors who have been with them over the past three years.
“As you step into this next chapter, know this: you are ready,” said Ƶ Academy Director Emily Wiersma. “You have the tools, the resilience, and the heart to thrive. Life will bring challenges, yes, but it will also bring new mentors, new questions, and new opportunities to grow. Embrace it all. Stay curious. Stay connected to this community. Support from the Ƶ Academy does not end here today … most of all, continue to believe in yourself as fiercely as we believe in you.”
Ƶ Academy Assistant Director of College Success Manny Campos emphasized the same point in closing the program.
“Believe in yourself. Believe that all the struggles you’ve faced prepared you and taught you what you need to succeed,” he said. “Your college acceptances and your college degrees were no mistakes, you did that. Now let’s be real. It may get difficult. Life won’t always be rainbows and butterflies.
“On those days that feel heavy and you feel like giving up, because those days will come, remember everyone here, remember the journey, and remember why you stayed. You did the work and you are more than capable of succeeding.”