Alumni

Comfort Olorunsaiye, a 2015 Ph.D. graduate of the UNC Charlotte’s Health Services Research program, has received a Changemakers Grant from the Society for Family Planning.

The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association, in partnership with the University Career Center, recently launched My 49er Network, a powerful interactive platform for alumni, helping them connect socially and professionally with other 49er graduates.

Alumnus Adé Hogue ’12 was commissioned by The Undefeated, a sports and pop culture website owned and operated by ESPN, to illustrate the words of Black athletes and leaders “using their platform to speak up for what’s right.”Hogue has frequently provided design work for civic and activist causes and was excited to provide posters “to support those out there fighting for the health and safety of people of color.”

A UNC Charlotte study posed a basic question: What characteristics of forest bird species make them more or less vulnerable to urbanization?

The story of Little Red Riding Hood is so old, no one really knows its origin. But a new version published this summer by the Anchorage Museum in Alaska recasts the familiar tale as a celebration of language, diversity and self-determination.“Little Red Riding Hood: A New Translation” is the latest product of a three-year research project by Associate Professor of Art Marek Ranis into unique words in many languages that have no direct English translation. It is illustrated by alumna Hannah Barnhardt ’16.

Shelves in stores across the nation are lined with boxes of unsharpened pencils, colorful crayons, shimmering notebooks and countless variations of bookbag designs.  As some families trek out to safely purchase new school supplies, others know that new supplies are simply out of reach.Approximately one in five children in the United States live in poverty, according to the American Psychological Association.For those children, priorities for their family such as paying rent and bills take precedence over new uniforms to accommodate their recent growth spurt.

Alumna pools talent, resources to help produce “Be the Change” concert.

Chelsea Karpeh ’18, a clarinetist and customer service representative for Blumenthal Performing Arts, collaborated with violinist Malik Johnson to organize “Be the Change,” a benefit concert to address social justice for African Americans.

UNC Charlotte double alumna Michelle Plaisance ’09 M.A.T. ’14 Ph.D.  has been named dean of the School of Humanities at Greensboro College. Plaisance has taught English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at the college since 2014, also serving as director of the TESOL program. Upon graduation from UNC Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1992, teaching was not a career of interest for Plaisance. She experimented with a variety of jobs before discovering a passion for TESOL through the lens of a parent to her two daughters.

The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association is giving 49ers the opportunity to stay active and healthy, while supporting students in need, by participating in the Niners Go the (Social) Distance Virtual 4.9K Race.