Well Said

The new year will feature new stories about Carolina’s faculty, staff and students and their impact on the state, the nation and the world.

Before telling those new stories, this week’s episode will update three stories from this past fall semester.

For Jack Morton, Carolina basketball is more than just sports fandom.

It's a lifeline.

On this week’s episode, we continue Morton's story of his journey that led him to follow his grandfather’s footsteps into photography and how the basketball team helped him through one of the most challenging times in his life. It’s a tale of two families, a family of photographers and the Carolina basketball family.

Jack Morton considers himself a “basketball junkie."

It’s good for the 2000 Carolina graduate, then, that he spends so much time on Carolina’s baseline. The freelance photographer said he wouldn’t trade his seat on the floor for any other spot.

“I’m so spoiled,” said Morton, who’s in his 13th year of photographing Carolina basketball games. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch a game from the stands again because the perspective is so unique.”

There’s a good chance that Morton won’t have to watch the game from the stands ever again. His grandfather Hugh Morton was a famous North Carolina photographer and nature conservationist, and he photographed Carolina basketball for more than 60 years.

Jack Morton hopes to continue that legacy.

On this week’s episode, Jack Morton shares the journey that led him to follow his grandfather’s footsteps into photography. It’s a tale of two families, a family of photographers and the Carolina basketball family.

As graduating senior Carlos Perez-Heydrich was preparing for Winter Commencement, he tried to prevent the magnitude of the celebration from overwhelming him.

It worked until he saw one of his graduation photos.

“It kind of hit me in that moment,” said Perez-Heydrich, a biology major from Miami who is minoring in chemistry and neuroscience. “I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. I’m graduating.’ It hit me like a waterfall.”

Perez-Heydrich will graduate from Carolina at Winter Commencement, which takes place on Dec. 16 in the Dean E. Smith Center.

On this episode, Perez-Heydrich shares how he was able to find a home away from home in Chapel Hill with the Chancellor’s Science Scholars and what he’s learned about himself during his time at Carolina..

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in an address to millions of Americans decades ago, Dec. 7 1941 is a date that lives in infamy.

In remembrance of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, UNC-Chapel Hill history professor Joe Glatthaar explains the context surrounding the events leading up to – and following – the attack.

When Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman was in medical school, she saw that people with HIV were affected not just by the disease itself but also by the stigma of having something that they might not have told their friends or families about.

As the principal investigator of the UNC Behavior and Technology Lab and the UNC/Emory Center for Innovative Technology, Hightow-Weidman tries to tackle that stigma through mobile technology.

“The ability to empower patients and participants to have control over their health and their sexual health is a really important thing,” said Hightow-Weidman, an associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine.

December 1 is World AIDS Day. Every year since 1998, the first day in December has been dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV. On this week’s episode of the podcast, Hightow-Weidman explains why her innovative work is so important for helping health care workers reach the people who need HIV and AIDS information the most.

It’s tradition for many families to go around the table at Thanksgiving and say all the things they’re thankful for. This practice of gratitude, according to associate professor of social psychology Sara Algoe, is actually beneficial to our health and relationships.

In this episode of Well Said, Algoe describes the positive effects of gratitude on our lives, including improvements in physical health. Listen in for helpful tips on how to practice gratitude daily.

For senior Covenant Scholar Gabrielle James, coming to Carolina required a leap of faith. She hadn’t even stepped foot on the campus before enrolling.

But she was familiar with one thing — the Carolina Indian Circle. It’s a group created about 40 years ago by American Indian students with the goal of building a support network for members from a wide variety of tribes and showcase their culture with the rest of campus. Members of the club came to visit her high school in Robeson County when Gabrielle was a senior. She joined when she first got to campus and has been serving the club ever since.

In this week’s episode, Gabrielle discusses her experience with the Carolina Indian Circle, why it’s important to celebrate this American Indian Heritage Month at Carolina and what she plans to do after she graduates.

She also reflects back on the leap of faith that brought her to Carolina years ago.

“I have absolutely loved my four years here,” said Gabrielle, a political science and American Indian indigenous studies double major who’s minoring in social and economic justice. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

For Steve Davis, archaeology is everywhere.

“I mean, it’s literally right underneath your feet if you know what to work for,” said Davis.

As the associate director of Carolina’s Research Laboratories of Archaeology, Davis leads excavations on campus. Sometimes, he knows what he’s looking for; other times, people find something they need him to inspect.

That’s what happened in August when construction was happening at the Carolina Inn.

On this week’s episode of Well Said, Davis discusses that discovery at the Carolina Inn and how he uses 3D technology to preserve moments in time.

In this special episode of Well Said, the UNC Visitors’ Center shares spooky stories from some of Carolina and Chapel Hill’s most famous legends and haunts. From friendly campus ghosts to top-secret student societies, the Visitors’ Center has the inside scoop. Visit them online or in person to learn more about Carolina’s history, traditions, legends and landmarks.