Gavin Vander Schaaf
Home Campus: UNC
Hometown: East Quogue, NY
Intended Major:English and Comparative Literature, UNC and Cultural Anthropology, Duke
What is something you’re curious about and hope to explore as a Scholar?
I am curious about sociology, psychology, and cultural anthropology, specifically as it relates to human nature and group dynamics. I am fascinated by the way the mind thinks and works, the ways we act and impact our society, and the ways society acts and impacts us. As a Scholar, I hope to explore the characteristics of the social sciences -sensitivity, flexibility, positivity, and value-creating ability; and delve into the positive correlation between embracing these characteristics and the positive impact it engenders in others, galvanizing them to make a difference. To have come from being somebody who felt insignificant, someone who was physically weak every day, navigating chronic pain and challenges – once thought to be endless -to being named a Robertson Scholar was only made possible through the grace of others, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward!