Belk College Class of 2021 Ready to Make Their Mark

May 12, 2021
Categories: Alumni, News

To recognize and celebrate the class of 2021, UNC Charlotte will hold three in-person ceremonies, with approximately 873 students from the Belk College of Business earning their degrees during the spring semester.

Class of 2021 Belk College graduates will be honored at in-person commencement ceremonies at Jerry Richardson Football Stadium with safety protocols in place:

  • 6 p.m. on Friday, May 14 (Belk College undergraduates)

  • 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 15 (Doctoral, Master’s and Graduate Certificates)

The ceremonies also will be live streamed and recorded and include traditional elements such as the ringing of the bell, singing of the Alma Mater and turning of tassels. In addition, class of 2020 graduates will be welcomed back for a ceremony at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 13.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the Class of 2021 and their experience at UNC Charlotte.

“Our graduates’ perseverance and resilience are attributes that will continue to help them reach their professional and personal goals … whatever path they chose,” says Jennifer Troyer, Belk College dean.

The Belk College will celebrate the Class of 2021 and welcome them to a network of nearly 34,000 alumni through video messages, e-communications and social media posts.

Alumni-owned small businesses also are helping graduates, their family and friends celebrate with special items such as balloon designs and professional development seminars.

Belk College May class of 2021 by the numbers:

  • Undergraduate: 693

  • Graduate: 180

Graduate Spotlights

Belk College May graduates include:

Adonis Abdullah, who will earn bachelor’s degrees in business analytics and economics. Abdullah, from Mooresville, was recently awarded an NC IDEA startup grant for a business he co-founded. The Crown and Belk Scholar completed internships with RBC Capital Markets and Microsoft as a student. He will finish his master’s in data science and business analytics through an early enrollment program next academic year.

Ryan Braithwaite, who will earn his finance degree. This summer, Braithwaite will begin a full-time position as a financial planner and analyst at Leidos, a defense contractor in Northern Virginia. Braithwaite, a defensive back on the 49ers football team from Ashburn, Virginia, interned this spring at The Yarmat Group, a commercial real estate firm. A connectivity mobile app he developed was a finalist this spring in the 49er Impact Pitch Competition through Ventureprise.

Ryan Croat, who will earn his bachelor’s degree in accounting. Croat, of Iron Station, spent a semester in Denmark through a program with Copenhagen Business School, one of the Belk College’s global partners. This fall, he plans to attend graduate school at Ohio University.

Connor Derrick, who will earn degrees in business analytics and finance. She is the third in her immediate family to earn a UNC Charlotte degree. Her mother and older brother are UNC Charlotte alumni, and her younger brother is sophomore at the University. Derrick, a Belk Scholar from Charlotte, completed an internship with Lowe’s last summer. She expects to complete her master’s in data science and business analytics during the next academic year.

Daniel Martinez, who will earn his degree in finance. Martinez, of Charlotte, has accepted a full-time position with Lowe’s as a finance senior specialist in the Finance and Accounting Rotational Program, where he completed an internship. This year, Martinez served as president of the college’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter.

Emmanuel “Manny” Perez Ochoa, who will earn his bachelor’s degree in finance with a concentration in real estate. Perez Ochoa arrived with his family from Cuba in 2015. As a Belk College student, he has worked full time as co-owner of Havana Carolina in Concord and endured tough times, including the COVID-19 shutdown last year. He and his family will open their second restaurant in Uptown Charlotte later this year. His sister also attends UNC Charlotte.

India Pitts, who is earning her master’s in management two years after earning her bachelor’s in exercise science from UNC Charlotte. After a competitive interview process, she will begin work this summer at a global company based in the United Kingdom.

Angela Wiegert, who is earning her Master of Business Administration (MBA). Wiegert, who also earned her economics degree from the Belk College in 2005, recently accepted a management position at Wells Fargo.

Janice Wise, who is earning a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA). Wise’s research focuses on entrepreneurship among low-income households. Wise discovered that social cohesion impacts the business practices among low-income entrepreneurs.

Green and Gold Drive Business
The Belk College of Business has been driving business for more than 50 years. Established in 1970, the college offers outstanding business education programs at the undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and executive levels. The Belk College is one of the Carolinas’ largest business schools, with more than 4,600 students, over 100 full-time faculty, and more than 33,000 alumni. Accredited by AACSB International, the college is committed to building strong partnerships in the greater Charlotte region and beyond as North Carolina’s urban research business school.