Catalyze cover art

Catalyze

Catalyze

By: Morehead-Cain
Listen for free

Summary

 This is Catalyze, a podcast from the Morehead-Cain Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Inspired by our namesake chemist benefactors, Catalyze reflects the energy of transformation, action, and momentum. Each episode features conversations with Morehead-Cain Alumni and Scholars who are shaping their communities, industries, and the world. From formative moments at Carolina to career pivots, leadership philosophies, and personal values, we explore the stories behind the people who lead with character and purpose.All rights reserved Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Rotdalmwa Joan Dimka ’26 of the University of Jos and Eniola Hawawu Salawu ’26 of the University of Lagos

    Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Rotdalmwa Joan Dimka ’26 of the University of Jos and Eniola Hawawu Salawu ’26 of the University of Lagos
    May 12 2026
    This spring, the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows will conclude their year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This miniseries of the Catalyze podcast highlights members of the first class, featuring global fellows from Nigeria, Turkey, and India. In this episode, Morehead-Cain Global Fellows Rotdalmwa Joan Dimka ’26 and Eniola Hawawu Salawu ’26 speak about their journey to Carolina, experiences in the program, and how the year will inform their future impact. About the guests Eniola is an accounting student at the University of Lagos, passionate about financial literacy, climate change adaptation, education, and wealth creation in Africa. She is the founder of the Consulting Club of Lagos, the first fully established consulting club at her university, created to help students from all faculties build the practical, analytical, and professional skills they need to flourish in the labor market. She also cofounded EcoCarbon, a sustainable enterprise focused on promoting corporate sustainability across Africa, reflecting her commitment to aligning finance with climate action. At UNC–Chapel Hill, Eniola and her team won the internal and Mid-Atlantic Regional Finals of the Venture Capital Investment Competition for the first time in six years, further deepening her interest in venture capital and the impact investing space. She is also working to create an innovation hub within her school in Lagos to provide students with the facilities they need to create and scale bold ideas. She ultimately aims to lead a venture capital firm that invests in bold, sustainable solutions to foster a more inclusive global economy. Rotdalmwais a biochemistry student at the University of Jos with a passion for proteomics, storytelling, and educational reform. As a course representative and public relations executive for the Biochemistry Study Community, she helped lead a waste management project to the finals of a state hackathon. A former intern at the Centre for Youth Participation, Dialogue and Advocacy Africa, she also founded Student Republic, a student-run editorial supporting first-year university students while promoting intellectual discourse and social consciousness. At UNC–Chapel Hill, she is conducting foundational research in the Arroyo Lab on electrochemical biosensors to explore testing and treatment for UTIs. She is also furthering her craft in storytelling, reading poems at open mics and publishing them in the Daily Tar Heel. Rotdalmwa hopes to pursue research on urinary tract infections, build a career in spoken word, and enter public office to drive systemic change in Nigeria. About the Morehead-Cain Global Fellows program The Morehead-Cain Global Fellows program identifies, invests in, and empowers emerging leaders who seek to positively shape communities across the world. Global fellows pursue a fully funded year of undergraduate study and research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During their time at Carolina, global fellows engage in rigorous academics, immersive research, and meaningful cross-cultural exchange. The program includes funded travel within the United States, personal coaching from Morehead-Cain advisers, and yearlong leadership development designed to strengthen purpose, confidence, and impact. Global fellows return home with world-class research experience, an international network, and the skills to lead with clarity and purpose. Are you ready to step forward and shape the world for the better? Learn more at global.moreheadcain.org. Music credits The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. How to listen On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Disha Parasu ’26 of the Vellore Institute of Technology – Chennai

    Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Disha Parasu ’26 of the Vellore Institute of Technology – Chennai
    May 5 2026

    This spring, the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows will conclude their year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This miniseries of the Catalyze podcast highlights members of the first class, featuring global fellows from Nigeria, Turkey, and India.

    In this episode, Aadya Gattu ’28 of the Scholar Media Team speaks with Morehead-Cain Global Fellow Disha Parasu ’26 about her journey to Carolina, her experiences in the program, and how the year will inform her future impact.

    About the guest

    Dishais a computer science student at the Vellore Institute of Technology – Chennai specializing in AI and machine learning. She is a core member of Quantumplators, where she explores quantum algorithms and cryptography applications. A Womanium Scholar and participant in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Interdisciplinary Quantum Hackathon, Parasu is passionate about integrating quantum computing with AI to enhance cybersecurity. She is also the founder of Collective Qubits, a student-led startup dedicated to raising awareness of quantum computing around the world. Inspired by UNC–Chapel Hill’s ethos of giving back and lifting others forward, she makes Collective Qubits events free for Carolina students, ensuring that access to quantum education remains open and inclusive. She also helped launch a neighborhood library to bridge generational gaps through the sharing of books and aims to drive innovation in quantum research and digital safety.

    About the Morehead-Cain Global Fellows program

    The Morehead-Cain Global Fellows program identifies, invests in, and empowers emerging leaders who seek to positively shape communities across the world. Global fellows pursue a fully funded year of undergraduate study and research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    During their time at Carolina, global fellows engage in rigorous academics, immersive research, and meaningful cross-cultural exchange. The program includes funded travel within the United States, personal coaching from Morehead-Cain advisers, and yearlong leadership development designed to strengthen purpose, confidence, and impact. Global fellows return home with world-class research experience, an international network, and the skills to lead with clarity and purpose.

    Are you ready to step forward and shape the world for the better? Learn more at global.moreheadcain.org.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • First class of Sophomore Selection scholars to graduate from UNC–Chapel Hill this May, Pt. 2 with William Cook ’26

    First class of Sophomore Selection scholars to graduate from UNC–Chapel Hill this May, Pt. 2 with William Cook ’26
    Apr 28 2026

    It’s been nearly three years since the Morehead-Cain Foundation launched the Sophomore Selection process. The program was established to identify second-year students at Carolina who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character.

    This year marks a historic milestone: the first class of Sophomore Selection scholars will graduate this May from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These fifteen scholars joined the Morehead-Cain Program in fall 2023.

    In this episode, host Oni Terrado ’27 sits down with William Cook ’26 of Nashville, Tennessee, to reflect on the experiences that have informed his vision of leadership, from job shadowing at a Nashville lumberyard to founding the Human Flourishing Initiative at Carolina, working with entrepreneurs in South African townships, and joining an industrial crane services startup in Chicago.

    Sophomores are nominated through Morehead-Cain’s network of campus partners, including professors, department heads, teaching assistants, and staff from scholarship, service, extracurricular, and cultural programs. Morehead-Cain invites nominees to apply early in the fall semester. Learn more about the Sophomore Selection process.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet