With a math-intensive course load that would make most students beg for mercy, in addition to a part-time job as an Events Management Assistant at the Student Union, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill freshman Carly Wolberg is taking the necessary steps to achieving her dream of making it big in the business world.

Though she won’t apply to the Business School until her sophomore year, Carly is already considering a second major in International Studies. This incredibly driven Tarheel teen participated in a Chinese studies program prior to college and recently spent the holidays on a school-sponsored trip to Israel. In addition, she hopes to be accepted for a volunteer trip to Nicaragua and an Asian studies program this summer. Plus, there’s talk of a semester in Spain that would complement her Spanish minor.

“I know that an understanding of international issues is key for business majors as our world continues to become more global from a commercial and political perspective,” Wolberg says, adding, “These opportunities for studying abroad have provided me with an interesting window into the realities of our increasingly interconnected world.”

While critical to her success in international business, study abroad trips don’t come cheaply. Wolberg credits the Mel Hughes Scholarship, which is awarded to four Allegacy members annually, for helping validate her accomplishments as well as providing critically needed financial resources in pursuit of her goals for the future.

“I think it’s wonderful that Allegacy supports me, and others like me, who have achieved so much in high school and have promising careers ahead of them in college and beyond,” Wolberg says. “It should make Winston-Salem residents proud to live in a town where a credit union is investing its money in young people to make a difference in their lives and in the community overall.”

If you need help making your college dream a reality, members can apply to the Mel Hughes Scholarship Program by February 10, 2012. The program awards four $1,300 scholarships to high school seniors accepted on a full-time basis or current full-time college students now enrolled with at least 12 semester hours at an accredited post-secondary institution. Plus, four $250 scholarships for community/technical school students are awarded annually.