Corey Davis went from ‘dream school to a dream come true’
This story was written by Caroline Daly ’24 and originally published on unc.edu
Corey Davis ’26 toured UNC-Chapel Hill in ninth grade with his dad and brother and instantly knew he wanted to be a Tar Heel.
Seven years later, he’s wrapping up his time at Carolina and will celebrate his accomplishments at Spring Commencement.
“I fell in love with UNC and loved everything about it. Hearing the history of the school and sports success and just knowing how happy my dad was to even be there for the tour was surreal,” said Davis. “My dad’s dream school was UNC, so I grew up on UNC basketball. His family was full of huge Tar Heels.”
Carolina challenged him from the start. Davis arrived with plans to major in political science and attend law school. But then a friend suggested he join “Sports Xtra,” a live student-run sports show within the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Davis covered a tennis match and was hooked. He enjoyed being behind the camera, on the court experiencing the game from a different angle and then putting together a video recap for others to watch.
“I think ‘Sports Xtra,’ not in a cliche or dramatic way, really changed my life. Hussman didn’t ever really feel like coursework. I had a lot of different opportunities for hands-on experience with ‘Sports Xtra’ being the epitome of that,” said Davis.
Davis used skills learned as a camera operator, often filming women’s soccer games throughout the season. He was behind the camera at the 2024 NCAA women’s soccer national championship, which the Tar Heels won.
He then served as a production associate on a documentary detailing the team’s championship run, using the footage he captured and gaining valuable video editing and storytelling skills.
“Hussman does an amazing job of instilling the ability to effectively communicate and tell a story,” Davis said.
In fall 2025, Davis worked as a beat writer and videographer for North Carolina Tar Heels on Sports Illustrated, covering Carolina football and men’s and women’s basketball. He wrote daily articles, long-form features and in-depth game and player analyses. He attended all home Carolina football games to capture footage, gather insights and produce complementary visual content along with his written stories.
“Storytelling became such a constant, in my academic career specifically. It helps me thrive and I enjoy telling people stories,” said Davis.
To round out his Carolina experience, Davis traveled to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games to work as a news correspondent for news outlets like WRAL, WITN and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He assisted fellow students with on-site filming and post-production editing for written and video stories.
“We were there for almost three weeks being real reporters. It gave us a taste of what the lifestyle would be,” said Davis. “I got to practice everything I’ve learned at the Hussman School, storytelling, problem solving, reporting and setting up interviews.”
Seven years after Davis stepped onto campus for the first time, he’s now ready for his next step. After graduation, he will bring his love of storytelling into the marketing world, working for IBM Corporation in New York.
“This school had everything I needed in a way, and it was the perfect balance of life. I wanted to go somewhere academically rigorous and push myself, experience a dominant college athletics program and have a larger social life,” said Davis. “I wouldn’t have had my college experience any other way. It went from being my dream school to a dream come true.”