For Kassidy Oliphant ’25, there was no single moment that made it clear that NC State was her dream school. The realization dawned on her one day her junior year of high school and solidified as she stepped on campus for the first time for new student orientation.
“It just really felt like home,” is how she describes the experience, and that feeling has followed her throughout her four years here at NC State, which just came to an end with her graduation this month.
Oliphant is from Charlotte and when considering colleges, she knew she wanted room to grow but the necessary support for successfully living away from home for the first time. At NC State, she was able to grow and gain a community that bolstered her development as a student and person.
“I am grateful for the scholarship I received, and the opportunity to engage and thrive.”
Being a recipient of the Nelson Family Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship has allowed Oliphant to focus her time on studying and volunteering. The scholarship, established by Dr. Lewis H. Nelson ’63 and Mrs. Nancy Nelson, benefits students pursuing an undergraduate degree in the College of Sciences, with preference given to North Carolina residents.
“I am grateful for the scholarship I received, and the opportunity to engage and thrive,” she said.
The scholarship has given her the chance to do more than just attend classes. She has been able to apply her classroom knowledge to real-world experiences, without the burden of financial stress.
Oliphant is majoring in biological sciences with a concentration in human biology. While attending NC State, she became a certified nursing assistant, worked in nursing and rehabilitation in the Raleigh area and cultivated critical professional experience.
“It was a good way to gain clinical skills while still being able to go to school because you can pick your types of shifts,” she said.
Being able to apply her coursework knowledge to real-life experience highlighted classroom discussions about topics such as the inequity of healthcare. “There’s just not equitable access to healthcare in general, so a lot of people will go untreated,” she said. “That makes me want to be an advocate going forward.”
She took that desire to be an advocate and provide for the community to Prevent Blindness, an organization known for providing free vision screenings at the North Carolina State Fair. Oliphant is interested in optometry and says it was good for her to get some experience in that field while serving the community.
It turns out that free screenings are effective and necessary for the community. “People were always like, ‘oh my gosh, I didn’t know my vision was that bad,’ and you’re like ‘yeah, you need to go get some glasses.’”
There’s no question about Oliphant’s professional growth as an NC State student. But part of growth is challenge, and her time at the university included personal growing pains too. She often found herself being one of a few people in class who shared the same racial background.
“You’d be in situations where you’re the only Black person in your class. Or one of just a few. You didn’t really feel seen in certain situations, but I feel like that did push me to grow and find my people and community,” she said.
Where did she find her people? All over campus. Oliphant discovered a true sense of belonging with the Caribbean Students Association, often attending programming events that the group hosted. She then went on to serve as the secretary of the club.
Beyond that, her time spent at late-night study sessions hosted at the African American Cultural Center also fostered community with her peers. Outside of these curated spaces, she and her friends got involved in the indomitable school spirit of NC State, attending various sports contests and making sure to support the Wolfpack. Watching NC State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams in the 2024 Final Four was one of the highlights of her collegiate experience.
When asked what advice she would offer to an incoming student to be successful at NC State, Oliphant said, “I would say making connections is the most important thing. Stepping out of your comfort zone, and going to clubs and other events so you can find people who have similar values and ambitions as you. Having like-minded people around you who have a lot of the same passions and work ethic. It motivates you.”
These are undeniably the things that pushed Oliphant to get outside her comfort zone and build the connections with others that fortified her academic pursuits. Now, as she steps off the bricks of NC State’s campus, and into the world, these are the experiences she will carry with her.
“[Extraordinary opportunity is] the opportunity to be your best self. To do things maybe you wouldn’t be able to.”
Kassidy Oliphant graduated Saturday, May 3, from the College of Sciences with a degree in biological sciences. After graduation, she intends to take a gap year focused on volunteering and working as a certified nursing assistant before applying to physician’s assistant school.
The Nelson Family Extraordinary Opportunity scholarship helped shape her time at NC State, giving her: “The opportunity to be your best self. To do things maybe you wouldn’t be able to. A chance to excel yourself.”
When Kassidy dreamed of attending NC State there’s no way she could have known everything that was in store. But she proved that when given the opportunity, there’s no limit to what she can Think and Do.
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