Twelve hours from home and separated from the single mother who raised him as an only child, Parker Coffelt isn’t wasting any time getting acclimated to the college life.  

Just two weeks into his first semester at the 北科罗拉多大学, Coffelt is already filling his time outside the classroom with Brazilian Ju Jitsu classes at the 校园娱乐 Center, hanging out with his new friends from Luján Hall and by the time this story publishes, he’ll have spent three days and two nights canoeing down the Gunnison River on an adventure organized by Outdoor Pursuits.  

All of that is in addition to the time he’s spending in class and preparing to start his work study as a lab prep room assistant in Ross Hall. 作为一门生物科学 major on the Pre-健康 track who’s also in UNC Honors Program and considering a minor in Spanish, Coffelt is just as focused on his academics — not to mention finding a good spot in Michener 图书馆 that’s conducive to honing the study skills he knows he will need over the coming years to reach his goal of becoming a doctor. 

“I definitely think it was a lot easier in high school than it has been in college 到目前为止. 有一点学习曲线. 但我会到达那里的，”科菲特说. “Between the pre-med track, the Spanish minor and the Honors Program, hopefully, I’m doing a good job of prepping myself for the many, many years of education to come.”  

While he’s a first-generation student, Coffelt said going to college was always something 他想到了，甚至被期待着. 这似乎也很自然 next step considering he had already earned 42 college credits through dual enrollment 高中课堂. 

“I think if I had a career path and plan that didn’t involve college, my mom would be OK with it, but she’s always talked to me about the importance of higher education. She didn’t go to college, so she knew the difference an education could make.” 

Originally from Boise, Idaho, Coffelt’s journey to UNC really came about by chance. After touring colleges in Idaho, Washington and Oregon and not finding anything that “called to him,” he decided to explore colleges in Colorado. 当他坐着的时候 in one of his high school classes searching for schools on his computer, he happened 遇到UNC.  

“我申请了荣誉课程，并被录取了. 我想‘好吧，这太酷了，’ 所以我开始深入研究，”科菲特说. “我和我妈妈谈过，我们也看了 at pricing and the scholarships I could get and thought, this might be doable.” 

在科菲特找大学的过程中，成本是一个重要因素. 而金融部分 looking promising at UNC, it was a campus visit over spring break and the random kindness of a student that really made a lasting impression on both Coffelt and his mom and 把这所大学列为他的首选. 

“There was a point where my mom and I were crossing the street and we’re trying to 去找罗斯·霍尔，”科菲特解释道. “有个家伙在我们前面，我们要走了 back and forth whether to ask him for help or just figure it out on our own.  

“他最终变得非常棒，”科菲特继续说道. “他说他过去常来这里 休息了一两年，然后又回来了. 他在课间有时间，所以 他和我们一起走来走去，帮助我们走出困境. 我妈妈和我都记得那次经历 因为我真的很酷.”  

Coffelt’s goal of becoming a doctor is a pursuit fueled by his outgoing personality, a knack for science and the motivation to make money. 

“I’m a people person and I find my happiness when I get to work with other people. 我绝对是一个搞科学的人. 我对生物学一直很感兴趣. 我喜欢看 at the micro stuff and seeing how it affects the macro stuff and how we all interact,” 说Coffelt. “I paired those two interests together, and also considered my life 目标. 

“I grew up in a lower-income household, so money definitely motivates me. 但是它也 归结为生活满意度. 你可以赚很多钱，但没有很多 happiness or find satisfaction in what you’re doing,” continued Coffelt. “对我来说, finding that satisfaction is working in the medical field and helping others.” 

Helping others is already something that seems to come naturally to Coffelt. 在 他上的高中 力量的源泉, a program that connects youth to community resources and services to help prevent 自杀、暴力、欺凌和药物滥用. 他还参与了 B爱达荷州西南部的Big Brothers Big Sisters项目 十多年来，我一直是他的学徒和导师. 

“I grew up in a single-parent household, so my mom wanted a strong positive male role 为我做模特，”科菲特说. “我的哥哥斯科特和我配对，他 那绝对是我的榜样吗. 然后，在我大三的时候，我成为了一个大哥哥. Every Wednesday I’d go out with some kids and we’d do fun activities. 那真是太棒了。 way to give back to the community and a program that has done a lot for me.” 

Beyond providing mentorship, the program is also partially responsible for Coffelt 找到去博天堂官方的路. 

“They offered me a scholarship that’s renewable every year and it pays for a third 这真是太好了，”科菲特说. “没有这个，经济上，我的其他。 选择是留在州内. 我想去一个我不知道的地方. Now I get to explore Greeley and Fort Collins and Denver, all of these fun places 接下来的几年.” 

Despite the 800-mile separation, Coffelt said his mother is supportive of his choice 的大学. 

“I wanted to go to college away from home, and as much as we knew it was going to be rough, she understood that this was a good place for me. 所以这是肯定的 这是我来这里的动力. 这里有很多好人，有很好的教育.” 

——迪安娜·赫伯特写