Welcome to the Storage Scholars Spotlight series! Every week, we highlight a different school in our network of college storage locations. This week, we’re talking about Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Read on to learn more about this highly ranked institution and why it’s the perfect place for your summer storage needs! 

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About WFU

Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, founded in 1834. The school is home to almost 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students from across the globe. The campus spans 340 acres. WFU is the home of the Demon Deacons, its nickname, and mascot, and competes in 16 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. Fans can be seen sporting school colors of black and gold and chanting its school motto, "Pro Humanitate," meaning "For Humanity."

What Wake Forest is Best Known For?

Wake Forest is one of the oldest academic institutions of higher learning in the entire state of North Carolina. Its business program maintains a reputation for being one of the best in the country. The School of Business's part-time MBA program has ranked #1 in North Carolina for the last twelve years, according to U.S. News & World Report. The school is ranked #13 among the nation's best business programs. Its prestigious reputation has taken time to acquire, but it is now one of the top schools in the country for its commitment to academics. 

History of WFU

Wake Forest began its history in the early 1800s in Wake Forest, North Carolina, as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute. It was re-chartered after four years and underwent a slight name change to Wake Forest College. More changes came in 1956 when the college moved 100 miles west thanks to an invitation from the Z. Smith Reynold's Foundation, where it stands today. The new campus featured 14 beautiful Georgian-Style buildings, which remain today. However, the campus has grown tremendously in both size and academic prestige. A large portion of land from the campus was gifted to the university by the R.J. Reynolds Estate, which owned the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The college gained university status in the 1960s and officially became Wake Forest University, 

Famous Alumni

Throughout the years, many notable individuals have graduated from Wake Forest University. Muggsy Bogues, Arnold Palmer, Brian Picollo, and Tim Duncan are just a few well-known alumni in the sports world. Several notable politicians make the list of famous alumni, including Richard Burr, Charlie Crist, Jesse Helms, and Kay Hagan.

     While not an alumni, we can't discuss notable WFU men and women without including beloved teacher Maya Angelou, who discovered her love of teaching right at Wake Forest. Angelou, a poet, actress, writer, and civil rights activist, has a solid connection to the university. In a 2008 interview, she told the USA Times: "I'm not a writer who teaches. I'm a teacher who writes. But I had to work at Wake Forest to know that."

Life On Campus

The majority of students who attend Wake Forest University live right on campus. Aside from being beautiful all year round, it is a desirable home for students. While there is nothing like experiencing the campus firsthand, you can take a virtual tour to see it yourself. 

Many students choose to participate in one of the 25 fraternities and sororities found on campus. While joining a chapter can add to an already demanding schedule, the values and bonds formed can be priceless and far outweigh the time you will put in.

Life Off Campus

Take a stroll outside campus to the beautiful city of Salem-Winston, and you will see why it's consistently voted one of the best places to live in North Carolina. Whether you're searching for a local brewery or prefer to take a walk and enjoy the sights, there is a little of everything here,  

We love an excellent local brewery, and Wise Man Brewing blew us away! Thanks to the mural-sized logo that spreads across the side of their industrial building, you can't miss their location if you try. The beer flavors are unique, but we love the creativity in their beer names most of all! Angelo's Italian Pilspays homage to the original owners of the building. Each beer can also cleverly includes a quote from a "wise man" in history. 

If discovering some of Winston-Salem's rich history is on your to-do list, visit Historic Bethabara Park, a National landmark. Its 183 acres of preserved land can be a bit overwhelming, so do a bit of research and have a plan before you go. You can stroll along the walking or birding trails and observe some wildlife at the observation dock. For a deeper look at the park's 18th-century history, schedule a guided tour of the historic buildings and see the historical artifacts from an expert for yourself. You will learn about the history of the Moravians and their early religious struggles and experience firsthand the more than 40 archeological ruins that have been restored or reconstructed over the years.  

If you have time for a game, grab some tickets to Truist Stadium, where you can see the Winston-Salem Dash minor league baseball team. The stadium is still new and quite modern, with many options for viewing the game. The park is kid-friendly and even allows pets on certain nights.  

Favorite Traditions

WFU Students will tell you that the school traditions make the school memorable and its roots strong. Homecoming has been a long-loved tradition at Wake Forest University and includes an annual bonfire to welcome back the alums to campus. Over the years, it has grown to include the Festival on the Quad, many class reunions, a tailgate party, and the pinnacle event: the Saturday afternoon home football game. In 2005, the President's Ball rounded out the weekend lineup as a formal community gathering. The beloved weekend has become a WFU staple, bringing students, alums, and family together yearly. 

Storage Scholars and Wake Forest University

Wake Forest is the home of Storage Scholars. It's where the company first started, thanks to WFU alumni and Storage Scholars CEO Sam Chason. Chason got his entrepreneurial start in the dorms at Wake Forest during his freshman year. After the first year, he met his business partner (and future CFO), Matt Gronberg. Their story and company growth have been remarkable, and they were recently featured on ABCs Shark Tank in October 2022. 

Thanks to his early partnership with the university, Wake Forest is one of the schools with which Storage Scholars has Key Access to provide top-notch service to its customers. This means they've teamed up with Residence Life and can access the dorms before students move in at the start of school and after they move out at the end of the year. Trained students from WFU, known as "Campus Co-founders," are responsible for running Storage Scholars on-site for a more tailored and personalized experience.

Over the summer of 2022, Storage Scholars rolled out its brand new "Ship to School" Program, and Wake Forest University was one of six campuses able to test it out. Students received shipping boxes and supplies at their homes, filled them with their belongings, and shipped them to the Storage Scholars warehouse (located near campus), where they stayed until a week before college move-in. At that time, the Co-Founders and their team used their Key Access to drop off those boxes before students arrived on campus. 

In addition to shipping boxes from their home, Students could order items from online retailers and have those dropped off. Students and parents raved about the convenience of the program and the efficiency with which it was executed. Kudos to all the co-founders and student movers for launching a successful Ship-To-School program. To learn more about Storage Scholars and secure your spot for an upcoming campus move, visit www.StorageScholars.com.

Sources:

https://collegegazette.com/what-is-wake-forest-known-for-is-wake-forest-a-good-school/

https://about.wfu.edu/

https://studentengagement.wfu.edu/getting-involved-at-wake-forest/campus-traditions/

https://about.wfu.edu/history/

https://admissions.wfu.edu/facts/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_Forest_University

https://edurank.org/uni/wake-forest-university/alumni/

https://mayaangelou.wfu.edu/story/

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