Musician and UNC Alum Tift Merritt, a True North Carolina Gem, Still Has Plenty of Material to Mine

Posted Sep 26, 2025
Although born in Texas, Tift Merritt was raised in Raleigh and is a North Carolina girl through and through. She waitressed in Wilmington for a stint after high school before enrolling at UNC in the late ‘90s, where she immersed herself in the creative writing department, studying under Doris Betts and intending to become a fiction writer. (Indy Week)

Related: Campus Connections

Here are seven of Chapel Hill's hidden gems to check out
Tonya’s Cookies and Cafe - Tonya Council, granddaughter of the late Mildred Council, continues her family’s legacy with her own establishment on Elliott Road. Her...
Sat Aug 8, 2026

UNC ranks as a top college for career success
Tar Heels’ journeys don’t end when they leave Chapel Hill. Carolina graduates go on to be leaders in public health, media and entertainment, business and...
Wed Aug 5, 2026

UNC student Faith Hedgepeth's accused killer pleads not guilty, 14 years later
Miguel Salguero-Olivares pleaded not guilty on Monday to the 2012 rape and killing of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth. His attorney presented the plea during...
Tue Aug 4, 2026

Franklin Street: Where Stories Are Made
Serving as the front door to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since its very beginnings, Franklin Street is legendary for game days...
Mon Aug 3, 2026