The Covid-19 pandemic took lives, damaged lives, interrupted lives—and for a fortunate few, directed lives.
Haley Hanks is a case in point. You may have encountered Haley working behind the reception desk at the Governors Club. Since 2022, she has been juggling tables, making reservations, and greeting all of us with a winning smile that says, “I’m glad you’re here.” Haley received Step Forward Scholarship Fund awards in 2023 and 2024.
Reflecting on the last few years, Haley describes her life in Wilmington, NC as “normal.” She grew up playing tennis, and her job all through high school was working at Landfall, a residential community, where she served as the assistant tennis instructor to children.
Covid hit in 2021 when Haley was in high school. Wilmington exploded, becoming a “Top Ten” city of growth. People streamed out of larger cities in the Northeast to escape the virus, welcoming the open spaces and beaches of Wilmington. Haley noticed this rapid growth, and it fascinated her. As a result, she studied for and received her residential real estate license as a high school senior. She also noticed that the residential market was saturated—even during Wilmington’s “boom” days.
Commercial real estate began to look attractive to Haley.
Now studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a rising senior, Haley recalls that her college choice felt very logical. Her mother and father had both graduated from the university, “and I had gone to so many games there when I was in high school,” Haley adds. However, the real “clincher” to the college choice was UNC’s Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies. Haley said few universities in the Southeast have an undergrad emphasis in this field. When Haley graduates in May 2025, she will have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an area of emphasis in real estate finance.
In the summer of 2023, through resources at the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Wood Center, Haley secured an internship at Greystar Real Estate Partners, headquartered in Charleston, SC. This company has approximately 950,000 multifamily units under management globally, with three main areas of concentration: Property Management, Investment Management, and Development/Construction. While there, Haley worked on the Southeast Development Finance Team and assisted with research on capital markets and sourced debt and equity for new developments.
This summer at Greystar, Haley will be on a different team—the Development Operations group, validating and assimilating data for the North American Development Investment Committee meeting.
What’s up for Haley as a senior? She hopes to apply for a Winter Break Global Immersion Elective through the Kenan-Flagler Business School. This 1.5 credit hour course is led by professors at Kenan-Flagler who focus on real estate specialties such as consulting and sustainability. About thirty students are admitted to this program each winter.
Although Haley admits she never has much free time, her idea of a wonderful weekend afternoon is going to Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, then hitting Home Team BBQ for their pulled pork nachos. Her other favorite love is pickleball, not surprising due to her earlier tennis instruction.
She also sets personal goals for herself. Last summer, she determined to run a half marathon: “Tricky—since I don’t quite have the runner’s build,” she said. Out at dawn on the Charleston streets, Haley trained daily and last February ran the Wilmington half marathon.
Haley considers her time at the Governors Club and is filled with gratitude. “The financial aspect of the program is huge [tuition, books, and fees]; more than that is the mentorship aspect. I have met with members of Governors Club who have been involved in commercial real estate. They have provided me with inspiration and ideas. Thank you to everyone at SF and the GC Community. I am forever grateful to everyone.”
Nancy Broaddus, president of Step Forward, adds, “Haley is a high achiever in her field which not long ago saw few women tackle the industry.” Dr. John Zaremba, head of the SFSF Scholarship Committee, states, “Haley is an amazing young person who is skilled far beyond her years. All of us on the scholarship committee feel certain she will have a brilliant future. We’d love to tie the SFSF ‘wagon’ to her star.”
Haley’s advice to all of us: “Don’t be afraid to get involved and do something you’ve never done before.” We think she’s definitely doing that.
Haley Hanks is a case in point. You may have encountered Haley working behind the reception desk at the Governors Club. Since 2022, she has been juggling tables, making reservations, and greeting all of us with a winning smile that says, “I’m glad you’re here.” Haley received Step Forward Scholarship Fund awards in 2023 and 2024.
Reflecting on the last few years, Haley describes her life in Wilmington, NC as “normal.” She grew up playing tennis, and her job all through high school was working at Landfall, a residential community, where she served as the assistant tennis instructor to children.
Covid hit in 2021 when Haley was in high school. Wilmington exploded, becoming a “Top Ten” city of growth. People streamed out of larger cities in the Northeast to escape the virus, welcoming the open spaces and beaches of Wilmington. Haley noticed this rapid growth, and it fascinated her. As a result, she studied for and received her residential real estate license as a high school senior. She also noticed that the residential market was saturated—even during Wilmington’s “boom” days.
Commercial real estate began to look attractive to Haley.
Now studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a rising senior, Haley recalls that her college choice felt very logical. Her mother and father had both graduated from the university, “and I had gone to so many games there when I was in high school,” Haley adds. However, the real “clincher” to the college choice was UNC’s Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies. Haley said few universities in the Southeast have an undergrad emphasis in this field. When Haley graduates in May 2025, she will have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with an area of emphasis in real estate finance.
In the summer of 2023, through resources at the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Wood Center, Haley secured an internship at Greystar Real Estate Partners, headquartered in Charleston, SC. This company has approximately 950,000 multifamily units under management globally, with three main areas of concentration: Property Management, Investment Management, and Development/Construction. While there, Haley worked on the Southeast Development Finance Team and assisted with research on capital markets and sourced debt and equity for new developments.
This summer at Greystar, Haley will be on a different team—the Development Operations group, validating and assimilating data for the North American Development Investment Committee meeting.
What’s up for Haley as a senior? She hopes to apply for a Winter Break Global Immersion Elective through the Kenan-Flagler Business School. This 1.5 credit hour course is led by professors at Kenan-Flagler who focus on real estate specialties such as consulting and sustainability. About thirty students are admitted to this program each winter.
Although Haley admits she never has much free time, her idea of a wonderful weekend afternoon is going to Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, then hitting Home Team BBQ for their pulled pork nachos. Her other favorite love is pickleball, not surprising due to her earlier tennis instruction.
She also sets personal goals for herself. Last summer, she determined to run a half marathon: “Tricky—since I don’t quite have the runner’s build,” she said. Out at dawn on the Charleston streets, Haley trained daily and last February ran the Wilmington half marathon.
Haley considers her time at the Governors Club and is filled with gratitude. “The financial aspect of the program is huge [tuition, books, and fees]; more than that is the mentorship aspect. I have met with members of Governors Club who have been involved in commercial real estate. They have provided me with inspiration and ideas. Thank you to everyone at SF and the GC Community. I am forever grateful to everyone.”
Nancy Broaddus, president of Step Forward, adds, “Haley is a high achiever in her field which not long ago saw few women tackle the industry.” Dr. John Zaremba, head of the SFSF Scholarship Committee, states, “Haley is an amazing young person who is skilled far beyond her years. All of us on the scholarship committee feel certain she will have a brilliant future. We’d love to tie the SFSF ‘wagon’ to her star.”
Haley’s advice to all of us: “Don’t be afraid to get involved and do something you’ve never done before.” We think she’s definitely doing that.
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Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 4631
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4631
[email protected]
Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a 501c3 organization. EIN #83-3175469