The Mildred Millner Alvarez Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship in Psychology honors excellence both in and out of the classroom, supporting students who aspire to careers in mental health care. We are pleased to announce that the 2025 awardees were Serenity Womack and Zion Raczenski. Keep reading to learn more about them and their advice for Psychology majors.
When we asked Raczenski why she thought the selection committee chose her, she spoke about playfulness—and the opportunities she found at UNC Greensboro. “I think I was chosen because of the genuine delight I feel when studying psychology, and the playfulness with which I approach it. I let my curiosity lead me where it wanted to go, ended up taking tough courses I never thought I’d take, pestered professors with questions, joined research labs whose work piqued my interest, and even studied abroad in Germany to learn what I couldn’t at home.”
Womack agreed that persistence and effort make all the difference. “Growing up with a visual impairment and spending much of my early life in hospitals, I developed a deep empathy for others,” she told me. Her goal is to create spaces of comfort, understanding, and joy, particularly for children facing similar challenges. “I’m passionate about helping others and I love the arts, which guided me towards a career in Recreational Therapy.”
Asked if they could offer any advice for other aspiring psychologists, Womack said that during her time at UNC Greensboro, she achieved a lot of her academic goals but also noted that she worked to grow as a person. She sees academic and personal growth as deeply interconnected, and believes that life’s challenges can often point us toward where we can make the greatest difference. “I’ve channeled my life experiences into a meaningful path of service and healing,” she said, describing her way of living as “compassionate, resilient, and purpose driven.”
“I never thought I was particularly smart or special,” Raczenski admitted. “But at UNC Greensboro, I’ve learned that it’s always worthwhile to put your best efforts into all that you do. You never know what opportunities await you because your tenacity was seen and appreciated, or how that effort will change you. I started my undergraduate with vague ideas about what I wanted to do, but along the way I discovered I want to be a clinical neuropsychologist and help people figure out how to live with brain injury or illnesses.”
To learn more about Milly Alvarez and why she believed in UNC Greensboro’s Psychology students, you can read her story and the legacy she created.
If you’d like to contribute to the Psychology Department or the Alvarez fund, your donations will go directly to department to benefit students and faculty.
