Heather Stevenson is ‘a Tar Heel helping Tar Heels’

This story was written by UNC Hussman alumna Caroline Daly ’24 and originally published on unc.edu.

Heather Stevenson ’00 wears many hats — assistant director of career services, professor, student and mom of four.

With a degree from UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, a new job at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a doctoral degree program at the UNC School of Education, Stevenson is soaking up all Carolina has to offer.

“Coming to Carolina was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” said Stevenson. “I loved my time here being on campus. I could show you where I was in the Pit when I heard Dean Smith retired or where I was on Polk Place on my 20th birthday.”

Stevenson came to Carolina — the first time — with plans to study journalism, serving as an on-air anchor for “Carolina Week,” a student-run news broadcast. She was also a member of the varsity women’s rowing team for her last three years.

After graduating, Stevenson worked as a general assignment reporter with WECT News in Wilmington for three years. She combined her journalism skills and passion for education as a high school broadcasting teacher at South Brunswick High School. Stevenson worked in freelance videography as well.

Stevenson moved back to Chapel Hill in 2015 when her husband, Shawn Stevenson, took a job at Duke University. It was around this time she received an email from a UNC Hussman alumni list saying the school was looking for adjunct professors. She then started teaching digital storytelling and later joined the school as an assistant director of career services.

Shawn Stevenson is now the IT director at the School of Data Science and Society. The two meet for lunch at the Carolina Club four days a week when they are both working on campus.

Stevenson is also pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership with a concentration in organizational learning and leadership with the UNC School of Education. The flexibility of the online classes and Carolina’s tuition waiver program for faculty and staff appealed to her.

“I was looking for opportunities to continue my education, and this was the best opportunity that aligned with giving me the content I was interested in,” said Stevenson. “I’m so passionate about career education and helping as many students as I can.”

Being involved with the School of Education also inspired her to keep teaching. This is her first year teaching “EDUC 311: Life-Career Design.” The course helps students curate job materials like resumes and cover letters for specific positions, refine their LinkedIn profiles, network and participate in mock interviews.

“I ask them to go through the steps of their career development journey with the idea that you’re going to have some tools in your toolkit to help yourself navigate those next steps and skills to take long after Carolina,” said Stevenson.

Now, Stevenson is starting a new position with the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School as an assistant director of career services for the Master of Science in management program, building career services for those students.

“I get to be part of the discovery process with students as they’re figuring out what they want to do. It makes me emotional to be a part of that because I care about them so much,” said Stevenson. “I love being able to share resources, coach and encourage them and be a sounding board. I want them to go be successful and turn around and help Tar Heels coming up behind them.”

Although Stevenson wears a lot of hats, she loves that they’re all Carolina Blue. “I tell my students I’m a Tar Heel helping Tar Heels,” said Stevenson. “As a Tar Heel, you feel like you’re part of something bigger than you, and you have this community who has your back.”