Civic Thinking, Local Action: Morehead-Cain Scholars Bring Design Innovation to Rocky Mount

Civic Thinking, Local Action: Morehead-Cain Scholars Bring Design Innovation to Rocky Mount

This past week, more than 70 Morehead-Cain Scholars from UNC-Chapel Hill gathered for an immersive training in community-based design thinking, transforming Rocky Mount’s downtown into a living classroom. This marked the first program the Morehead-Cain Foundation has ever hosted in Rocky Mount, organized in collaboration with North Carolina Wesleyan University and local officials.

Entrepreneurs by Design led the week-long course, equipping scholars for their summer internships with NGOs and municipalities nationwide. Participants explored human-centered design concepts that prioritized civic engagement, empathy, and equity. However, Rocky Mount became more than just a location—it served as the case study.

Over a few days, the scholars were divided into groups based on the cities where they will work this summer. Each group was assigned a different perspective on downtown Rocky Mount, such as those of families, pensioners, teenagers, young professionals, and others. Scholars interviewed citizens, business owners, and civic leaders to gain deeper insights into these viewpoints.

“We had one of our students that was from Rocky Mount on one of the teams, which was great,” said Thomas Montez, Director of Discovery at the Morehead-Cain Foundation. “And then we had a mix of students from all over the country.”

The workshops concluded with group presentations at North Carolina Wesleyan, where participants shared creative ideas for enhancing the downtown experience. One group, which included Jon Aydn Horne, a Rocky Mount native, proposed a trolley system to improve transportation access, reviving a long-standing concept among city officials.

“The transportation idea was really good,” Montez said. “And there was this moment where a city council person was like, ‘This is like a call-out, but it’s a good call-out. It’s like we know this, but you guys are telling it to us in a way that we need to hear it, basically.’”

Montez emphasized that the program’s goal was to listen, co-create, and build mutual trust rather than impose prefabricated solutions. “We don’t do it to try to monetize it or profit from it,” he said. “We do it because we think that the skills and the tools that the students are developing are really helpful to the communities.”

Past Morehead-Cain initiatives to foster civic engagement have had lasting impacts. In previous years, scholars helped launch a mobile produce market in Kentucky and contributed to designing EV infrastructure in Colorado. Montez noted that local influence and continuity are key objectives. “The students do their interviews and all their research and then they give a presentation,” Montez said. “We package that and send it to the local officials.”

The city of Rocky Mount responded enthusiastically. In addition to presenting a plaque of recognition, Mayor Sandy Roberson proclaimed Tuesday as “Morehead-Cain Scholar Day.” “He gave us a nice plaque, we felt very welcome,” Montez said.

The collaboration with NC Wesleyan also played a significant role in the week’s success. “There’s a lot of work happening in Rocky Mount,” Montez said. “And I think this was a nice way to sort of complement that and build on that and support the people who are already doing that work.”

Rocky Mount’s warm welcome left a strong impression, even though the program moves to a different North Carolina town each year. “We’re excited about the possibility of continuing that work,” Montez said.