Award established for slain UNC students
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- An award has been established that will pay tribute to two of the three students murdered in a shooting in Chapel Hill.
The Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha Memorial Award will be given to a student or students at Carolina's dental school.
Barakat was a second year student and Abu Salha was scheduled to enroll this fall.
The pair, along with Yusor's younger sister Razan Abu-Salha who was a sophomore at N.C. State, were shot to death in February.
The couple had planned to travel to Turkey this summer to provide dental care to Syrian refugees and, following their graduations from the UNC School of Dentistry, they planned to open a dental practice together.
"Deah and Yusor led lives of great purpose and this fund is a fitting tribute to their humanitarian devotions," said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. "Through this award, the Carolina community is honoring their legacy of creating a more compassionate world through dentistry and delivering aid to those who are most vulnerable and in need."
The award was established to help students planning a local, national, or international service project.
Those who wish to contribute to the Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha Memorial Award Fund should visit https://secure.dev.unc.edu/gift/Default.aspx?p=MAIN, then click search funds and type in "Barakat Memorial Fund."
