Make summer matter.
Interested in business? Want to start your own company? Getting ready for college?
If you’re a rising high school junior or senior in the Charlotte area with an interest in business, join us in June 2025 for the Tar Heel Business Academy. The pre-college Academy is an outstanding opportunity for you to develop important critical thinking and leadership skills. You’ll work with your classmates on dynamic projects and simulations and apply goal-setting lessons that will help you plan for the college application process.
Throughout the week, you’ll learn important business concepts from world-class Professors Paul Friga and Chip Snively from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Friday is a special day when you’ll work with Associate Dean Tammy Samuels, learning more about yourself through individualized assessments and building goals for your future. At the end of the week, you’ll “graduate” from the Academy – with a certificate of completion and a group photo – prepared to take the business world by storm!
Program details
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Applications for this year’s Academy are now closed.If you’re interested in attending next year (or beyond), complete our contact form. |
We’re here for you!
Complete the form below and we’ll reach out with additional information and support. Or contact us directly at precollege@kenan-flagler.unc.edu or 919-962-3213.
What you’ll learn
At the Tar Heel Business Academy, you’ll explore the business world – and have a fun time doing so!
Knowledge is power.
You’ll be introduced to four key business topics — strategy, operations, marketing and finance — through real-world applications, case studies, and group projects. This new knowledge will prepare you for a wide range of careers in business and beyond. In addition, throughout the program, your professors will provide guidance on how to use generative AI to amplify your creativity.
Put it into practice.
You’ll work with your classmates and professors to produce and present a project for a real “client”, an entrepreneurial leader from the Charlotte area. This practical experience will help you succeed in college and later when you enter the professional world.
The soft skills that matter most.
You’ll develop critical teamwork, presentation and networking skills that will make you an impressive leader, further strengthening your resume for college and job applications.
Plan for your future.
You’ll learn more about yourself through sessions that explore personal branding, address personal finance topics, and help you chart your journey to college and into future careers.
Program topics and agenda
Each day begins with a look at the day’s agenda.
From Monday to Thursday, each day will tackle a different business topic – strategy, operations, marketing, and finance – with an overview discussion, a review of real-world applications and related case studies, a team-building exercise, time to work on a team project, and coaching sessions with the professor. Each of these days will also feature a lunch session with an executive from a major corporation. On Friday, you and your team members will present your projects and receive valuable feedback on your work from your peers, the professors, and your client. Prizes will be awarded for the best ideas and delivery.
At the Academy, you’ll also explore topics related to personal growth. On Monday morning and Friday afternoon, you’ll attend sessions on personal branding, professional communications and personal finance.
Meet the instructors
Professor Paul Friga
Dr. Friga teaches courses in consulting and strategy and is the director of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s consulting area of emphasis. He has written multiple books on consulting and his work has been published in top journals. Prior to teaching, he worked as a management consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and McKinsey & Company and has consulted for numerous major companies, including Microsoft, Boeing, and the U.S. Navy. Dr. Friga is also a double Tar Heel with both an MBA and PhD from UNC Kenan-Flagler. He also graduated magna cum laude with a double degree in management and accounting from Saint Francis University.
> Read Professor Friga’s full bio.
Professor Chip Snively
Professor Snively teaches courses in finance, including a personal finance class for all students at Carolina. He’s also taught courses in the executive development program and covered courses on investments and project management and a Global Immersion Elective to Finland, Russia and Estonia. Prior to teaching, Professor Snively worked for Intel in various senior management roles, including running manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, China, and Puerto Rico, and at American Airlines. He received his MBA from Indiana’s Kelley School of Business and an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Kentucky.
> Read Professor Snively’s full bio.
Instructor Tammy Samuels
Ms. Samuels serves as the associate dean of talent and administration for UNC Kenan-Flagler. Previously, she led the Career & Leadership team for MBA and Alumni and served on the Board for The Consortium for Graduate Study for Management. Prior to joining UNC Kenan-Flagler, Ms. Samuels worked in New York City at LIM College, an institution focused on the business of fashion, and in other executive leadership and career coaching roles at Duke and at several other top universities. She is a certified HR professional with degrees from Montclair State and Rutgers and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California.
Frequently asked questions