Summer bell ringer symbolizes opportunity for perseverance and growth at University

Imani Tisdale was chosen as the bell ringer for UNC Charlotte’s 2026 summer commencement, which takes place at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in Dale F. Halton Arena in the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center.

Tisdale is graduating from the College of Health and Human Services with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, and has been involved in a variety of areas on campus. She has been both a strength and conditioning intern and sports nutrition intern for the Charlotte football team, and has experience within Housing and Residence Life as a resident adviser and housing ambassador.

In Fraternity and Sorority Life, Tisdale was named chapter president of the Kappa Kappa chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. this past May after spending a year as both vice president and programming chair.

Tisdale also has experience in student organizations, with more than two years as a mentor chair for Building Black Students, and was a member of Black Women in Medicine.

To go along with all of the on-campus experience, Tisdale is graduating from the University as a first-generation Niner, and wrote about her unique childhood experience as part of her bell ringer application. She wrote that it taught her “to adapt to change,” and that the Charlotte community was a place she was able to “plant roots in” to help her grow as an individual.

“My journey at UNC Charlotte is a testimony of how resilience and focus can lead to achievement, endless possibilities and identity,” Tisdale wrote. “Serving as the bell ringer would allow me to stand as a powerful symbol for the Class of 2026, proving that our circumstances do not define our limits. Instead, they strengthen us and guide us through our individual paths.

“Sometimes all someone needs is a place to grow, people who believe in them and the courage to believe in themselves.”

The bell ringer performs the longstanding tradition of ringing the UNC Charlotte victory bell, which was gifted to Ms. Bonnie Cone in 1961 when Charlotte College moved from its old site at Central High School to the current University City location. Students chosen as bell ringers are outstanding student leaders who have demonstrated exemplary 49er spirit within organizations, volunteerism and service to others.

Written by: Wyatt Crosher