Six Charlotte students receive spring tuition as winners of the Niner Career Challenge

Six UNC Charlotte students earned spring 2026 tuition as winners of the Career Center’s annual Niner Career Challenge. Congratulations to Kevin Andoh, graduate epidemiology student; Saispandhana Billupati, graduate computing and informatics, computer science student; Hari Keerthi Uppalapati, graduate health informatics and analytics student; Julian Leake, senior psychology major; Emerson Schoneld, junior construction management major; and Tiffang Zheng, junior marketing major. 

Now in its fifth year, the Niner Career Challenge aims to get Charlotte students engaged with career development. Participants earn points by participating in career-related activities and events throughout the semester and track their progress on scorecards, which are updated daily.

“Navigating the U.S. job market initially felt overwhelming as I had limited exposure to professional networking, internships and the expectations employers have beyond academics,” Billupati, an international student, said. “The Niner Career Challenge played a critical role in bridging that gap by providing structured, practical and confidence-building learning opportunities.”

Around 2,700 students participated in the latest Niner Career Challenge. Students who participated in more than 10 eligible activities were entered to win the grand prize of spring tuition. Students that participated in five or more eligible activities were entered into monthly gift card raffles. The Niner Career Challenge featured a variety of events hosted by campus partners including the Center for Graduate Life and Learning, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Niner Finances, the Belk College of Business and the College of Computing and Informatics.

“I appreciate the variety of events this challenge offers and it has helped me toward achieving my personal, professional and educational goals,” Schoneld said. “Through the Niner Career Challenge, I was able to prepare for an internship and see a day-in-the-life of various careers.”

The Niner Career Challenge is sponsored by Career Center employer partners: Columbus McKinnon, Piedmont Airlines, Principal, PSA Airlines, Spectrum and Truist. The next Niner Career Challenge will take place from September through November 2026. All full-time students enrolled in at least six credit hours or a co-op, master’s or doctoral program are eligible to participate.