Jessica Prichard reaches the finish line thanks to Charlotte’s online BSBA program
Jessica Prichard prepares to walk across the stage at Spring 2026 commencement as one of the Belk College of Business’ first graduates of the online Bachelor of Science in business administration program. Prichard, a 39‑year‑old mother from Statesville, began her journey at UNC Charlotte more than a decade ago, and her path to graduation was full of detours, resilience and risk‑taking.
“I can be proud of my journey for being able to show my child that no matter what things she faces, even if it is a tougher road, that eventually you can get there with hard work and perseverance,” Prichard said. “[Graduation] is going to be wildly rewarding for me to be able to do something that has been, gosh, 14 years in the making.”
A hard-fought journey
Born in Statesville, North Carolina, Prichard first enrolled at Charlotte in 2012. She commuted to campus from Mooresville, pursuing an operations and supply chain degree while working full-time. By 2015, her life accelerated. Between her new marriage and work, she became burned out with school and left without completing her degree. In 2018, she gave birth to her daughter and left the workforce to focus on raising her.
Prichard’s life would take a turn in 2021. She separated from her daughter’s father and had to rebuild. At this point she recognized the value a college degree would provide but her first instinct was survival.
“At that time, the most important part was getting back into the workforce and ensuring that I was able to maintain a stable and safe life for my daughter and me,” Prichard said.
This new path to reinvention was not easy. Around this time, Prichard confronted her addiction to alcohol and began a recovery process that reaches five years this July. Recovery has forced Prichard to put a lot of things in perspective including the grace of people around her and her own “bulldogged sense of not giving up.”
“I have found my way to the other side of things by making tough choices,” Prichard said. “I want to be able to show my daughter that although life can be really brutal and really hard, fear is never a good reason to not take the chance.”
In the summer of 2025, after Prichard had made it through a custody case and parts of her life finally felt settled, she made the decision to finish her degree at Charlotte to build a better life for her daughter and herself.
Returning to Niner Nation
The Belk College of Business launched its fully online Bachelor of Science in business administration (BSBA) in partnership with the School of Professional Studies in spring 2025 and was recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees for 2026. As a single mother, Prichard said completing her degree wouldn’t have been possible before this online program.
“The freedom that comes with an online program is a breath of fresh air,” Prichard said. “If there hadn’t been an online program, I probably still would be exactly where I was a year ago.”
The 49er Finish Program was also critical to her second act at Charlotte. The program, which is dedicated to helping former Charlotte undergraduate students complete their degrees, helped Prichard realize how close she came to graduating all those years ago. Prichard also leaned on the Office of Adult Students and Extended Services, supporting her through transcripts, aid, career services and consistent check‑ins. These resources helped Prichard feel like she belonged at Charlotte again and gave her the confidence to fulfill her dreams.
“It was like having a support system of people that you just knew were on your team,” Prichard said.
Reaching the finish line
In December, Prichard took another big chance on herself. With only five classes remaining, she chose to leave her full-time job as general manager at Camp Wagging Tails and become a full-time student. For the past six months she has lived off her savings, which she admits has been a terrifying experience and a major risk, but one she trusts will pay off.
When Prichard crosses the stage in Halton Arena on Saturday, May 9, it will be a momentous, full-circle moment for her family.
Her mother graduated from college when Jessica was about her daughter’s age, working full-time and taking night classes to earn her degree. Since she was eight months pregnant with Jessica’s brother, she did not walk for her graduation but Jessica has a vivid memory of making a construction paper diploma and cap at the kitchen table with her dad.
Prichard takes a great deal of pride knowing that her mother and her daughter will be in attendance.
“We are an incredibly tight-knit trio of women,” Prichard said. “In life, there are so many different choices that we can make, but being a mother or being a parent is not something that is withholding. It can be very much a part of your process and graduation.”
