By Jasmina Nogo
Staff Writer
Despite her busy schedule of endless campus meetings, late nights studying and early mornings of trail restoration, Elinor Benami has a calm and patient disposition and makes those around her feel like there’s nowhere else in the world she’d rather be.
“Even though I know she’s one of the busiest and most active students on campus, she always has time to stop and talk, to ask how your day was, and she never rushes,†said junior Bryce Koukopoulos, who knows Benami through UNC’s student sustainability organization, FLO Food.
As an outstanding student and an exemplary campus leader, Benami, a junior from Knoxville, Tenn., was named the first Eve Marie Carson Scholar for her dedication to environmental issues. The scholarship will fund a summer experience after her junior year as well as financial aid for her senior year.
“I’m both incredibly honored and humbled to have been selected for the scholarship,†Benami said. “And though I’d like to say I enjoy a good challenge, to be a very direct part of Eve’s legacy is also quite a set of shoes to fill.
“Being named the first Carson scholar is certainly a great privilege, and, as such, is also a great responsibility for me to uphold in service to the rest of the Carolina community and beyond.â€
The Eve Marie Carson Scholarship Executive Committee, composed entirely of students, designed the scholarship program in honor of slain student body president Eve Carson to reward ambitious students who have shown strong involvement in a leadership role at Carolina. A separate selection committee of students and faculty chose Benami from among 138 qualified applicants.
“Elinor was chosen for her breadth and depth of her passion,†said senior Andy Woods, director of the scholarship’s executive committee.
“She has done a ton of work with the environment and she has demonstrated a commitment to leadership and service while still pursuing her passions,†he said.
Benami is double-majoring in international studies and economics and plans to pursue a career that will allow her to use a diverse set of skills, she said. She is interested in service careers and research in sustainability policy.
“I like interdisciplinary projects that allow the use of multidimensional skills,†she said.
She is currently co-chair of the Student Government Environmental Affairs Committee, which collaborates with students and faculty to promote key environmental principles, encourage sustainable lifestyles and facilitate cooperation between student environmental groups and the university.
“It’s been a long and evolutionary process,†she said of her passion for environmental issues. “A lot of different things have begun and sustained my interest in environmental justice.â€
She said it started with a love for food and quickly evolved into all of the issues concerning where our food comes from and how it’s treated.
“It has become a social justice issue for me more recently,†Benami said.
“One of the biggest roles we have is to connect sustainability groups on campus,†she said of the Environmental Affairs Committee. The committee focuses on tangible projects as well as leadership development. Benami said she will step down from her position next year because she wants to leave room for other great leaders.
She is currently exploring several options for the summer project that the scholarship funds. One of these is to work for a center in southeastern Israel that deals with local sustainability issues.
“The undergirding philosophy appeals to me. No matter what the political situation is, we should still care about our earth,†she said.
Another project she is considering is working with a scientific research group called Bridging the Rift on the border of Israel and Jordan that documents local biological species in an effort to develop scientific collaborations between scholars from the two nations.
“Another way to look at research could be as a way to create new solutions,†she said.
She said she’s particularly attracted to going to this part of the world because her father grew up in Israel.
“It helps provide a sense of rootedness,†she said of knowing where her family comes from.
“It’s a really important issue that I haven’t addressed in my life,†she said.
Benami also is interning for the N.C. Botanical Garden in Battle Park on campus, doing trail maintenance, tours and other projects.
“I love being there,†she said. “There’s so much campus history and an element of retreat and restoration.â€
When asked how many hours of sleep she gets on average per night, she laughed and said anywhere between four and seven. She said she doesn’t hesitate to take time out of sleep if it means knowing that she’s done as much as she can.
“To know I’ve spent my day doing something useful for other people is what matters,†she said. And if that means long nights of committee meetings and early mornings of trail maintenance, she’s eager to do it.
UNC will hold a ceremony to remember Carson on March 5, the one-year anniversary of her death. The ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. in The Pit on campus, with music starting at 3:45 p.m.