Beloved Chapel Hill Author, UNC Grad Sarah Dessen Takes a Look Back

Posted Sep 19, 2022
After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, Sarah Dessen worked mornings as Chapel Hill writer Lee Smith’s assistant and in the evenings pulling shifts as a waitress at the Flying Burrito. In between, she sat down to write every day, seven days a week. After about a year of rejections, Smith enjoyed one of Dessen’s books enough to send it to her agent. (Indy Week)

Related: Campus Connections

19+ things to know about UNC Spring Commencement speaker Mia Hamm
Former North Carolina women’s soccer star Mia Hamm (class of 1994) is stepping onto a different field in Chapel Hill on May 10. She’ll join...
Wed May 7, 2025

National drone racing championship comes to Carolina
Carolina doesn’t have a drone team of its own yet, but Joseph Sharp - the fabrication education specialist with the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical...
Wed May 7, 2025

Suki Lin: UNC’s hidden gem
UNC is filled with notable figures but there is one bright star on UNC’s YikYak: the corgi, Suki Lin. Suki first became known to the...
Sun May 4, 2025

Jim Lampley wasn't supposed to fall in love with boxing. Instead, he became its voice
Jim Lampley has been the voice of boxing for a generation, which is remarkable because the assignment was only supposed to last one fight. In...
Fri May 2, 2025