Class of 2022: Hundreds of Business Niners set to graduate
Nearly five hundred Belk College of Business students are set to receive their degrees during the Fall Commencement ceremonies at Dale F. Halton Arena on Friday, Dec. 16.
The ceremonies will be broadcast live at ucomm.charlotte.edu/livestream.
Undergraduate ceremony | 1 p.m., Friday, Dec. 16
College of Arts + Architecture
Belk College of Business
College of Computing & Informatics
College of Health & Human Services
Graduate School ceremony | 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 16
Doctoral, Master’s, Graduate Certificates for All Programs
“Congratulations to the class of 2022 graduates, who join our Business Niner alumni network of more than 36,000. Whether you are continuing your education or heading into the workforce, we know that you will make us proud as you enter the next chapter of your journey.”
– Dr. Jennifer Troyer, Dean of the Belk College of Business
The Belk College is celebrating the fall class of 2022 and welcoming them to a network of over 36,000 alumni through e-communications and social media posts, in addition to the Belk College fall graduates celebration that was hosted on Dec. 1.
Belk College fall class of 2022 by the numbers:
- Undergraduate: 390
- Master’s: 89
- Doctorate (DBA): 1
- Ph.D.: 1
- Graduate certificates: 2
Additionally, many Business Niners earned their degrees in August following the summer 2022 term and are eligible to participate in December commencement ceremonies:
- Undergraduate: 158
- Master’s: 79
- Doctorate (DBA): 2
- Ph.D.: 1
UNC Charlotte will award 2,387 undergraduate degrees and 1,266 graduate degrees during the Fall 2022 Commencement ceremonies.
Here is a glimpse of the Belk College’s fall class of 2022.
Spotlights
Undergraduate
Orrann Dillard ‘22
International Business
Post-graduation plans: I have received a full-time offer to join BMW manufacturing as a transportation analyst.
Favorite Belk College memory: Going on the freshman retreat for the Business Honors Program.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: Dr. Ted Amato
Piece of advice for new business students: Find a major you really enjoy. It will make your college experience much more enjoyable. Also, get involved with as many student organizations as you can your first year here.
One word to describe the Belk College: Fulfilling
ShaDavia Holloway ‘22
Finance and Accounting
Post-graduation plans: I will be starting full time as a risk associate at Grant Thornton.
Favorite Belk College memory: My favorite memory was the first day of classes my freshman year because although I didn’t know where I was going, everyone I stopped to ask for help was super nice and helpful. That experience itself solidified that Charlotte was the right choice for me.
Most impactful Belk College faculty/staff member: Zack Lord had a lasting impact on my time here. He always believed in my abilities and pushed me as a student. He helped me realize my limitless potential and I am forever grateful for his influence.
Piece of advice for new business students: I encourage you to always believe in yourself and to be open to new experiences. Remember you are doing the best you can with what you have so enjoy life for what it is and not what it could have been. Create a life that makes your inner child happy because that is what true success is all about.
One word to describe the Belk College: Blissful
Nathan Chandler ‘22
Finance; concentration in Risk Management and Insurance
Post-graduation plans: Over the summer, I interned with TIAA in their Risk Management department. I am returning to TIAA full time beginning in January.
Favorite Belk College memory: I received a scholarship through Gamma Iota Sigma and the Belk College, which included an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco to attend a risk management and insurance conference to network with professionals and learn about the industry.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: Tom Marshall has been the most influential to me. Ever since I started at UNC Charlotte, he has guided me through the programs and been a wonderful resource to me inside and outside of the classroom. He made school more affordable to me through various scholarships and made the education more meaningful. I am forever grateful for Mr. Marshall.
Piece of advice for new business students: The Belk College offers many great majors. Be sure to pick a major that you are very interested in and enjoy learning about. You’ll end up enjoying the work, too!
One word to describe the Belk College: Entrepreneurial – at the Belk College, I felt as if I was in control of my education and was able to set myself up for success in ways that worked best for me. The Belk College offered many opportunities for me to network with professionals and sell myself to companies, but it was never forced. This made me feel more in control of my future and gave me a sense of the entrepreneurial spirit for myself.
Mele Naulu ‘22
Finance
Post-graduation plans: I accepted an offer for a full-time position as a portfolio associate at Horizon Investments. I am working toward attaining Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, and I plan to pursue my master’s in finance at UNC Charlotte. I also plan to take on a leadership role with First Generation Investors in Charlotte to aid high school students in gaining financial literacy to help them be better prepared in life and to reach their financial goals.
Favorite Belk College memory: I think my favorite memory was when I was in my investments class this semester and a student asked Dr. Judson Russell how he came to find his passion in this field. He said something on the lines of “love what you do.” He truly enjoys investing/finance and he loves to teach it, too. I learned a lot from that class and it made a huge impact on my own passion for investing and finance.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: I’ve had a lot of great teachers but I think the person who made the biggest impact on my life was Dr. Judson Russell. Like I mentioned before, I’ve learned so much from his classes.
Piece of advice for new business students: Take full advantage of the knowledge that is being passed on to you. You are truly lucky to be here. Many won’t have the same opportunities or access you do. The things you learn at Belk College and at UNC Charlotte will only benefit you and others around you, so stay focused, ask plenty of questions, and remember that success is best shared.
One word to describe the Belk College: Enlightening
Christian Ray ‘22
Business Analytics
Post-graduation plans: I am pursuing several work opportunities for 2023. In fall 2023, I am planning to attend law school, where I will earn a Juris Doctor.
Favorite Belk College memory: The fall 2022 welcome back meeting for the Business Honors Program.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: Dr. Scott Tonidandel
Piece of advice for new business students: Get acquainted with all your professors, learn to engage in small talk, and treat every relationship with your peers and with faculty as one that will last beyond your time in undergraduate studies.
One word to describe the Belk College: (Microsoft) Excel
Reema Patel ‘22
Accounting
Post-graduation plans: I plan to attend law school in the fall and pursue a Juris Doctor degree in the field of corporate law. I hope to work in the mergers and acquisitions sector or something similar after I obtain my law degree.
Favorite Belk College memory: Being in the Business Honors Program was my favorite part of being a Niner because it meant being a part of a group of students who are just as ambitious, driven and passionate as I am. Through BHP, I had the opportunity to network, build professional skills, and gain a close group of friends. My favorite part about the program was the mentor/mentee program. I was lucky enough to experience this from both a mentee and mentor perspective and it has greatly contributed to not only making the entire university experience less stressful, but also has allowed me to build relationships with a few of my closest friends.
Most impactful Belk College faculty/staff member: Zack Lord, who was the assistant director of the Business Honors Program while he was here. His practicums were some of the most fun I have had, and they were a great learning experience. He is an amazing supporter of all of his students and I will carry his teachings and insight with me as I move on to this next stage of my life.
Piece of advice for new business students: Take advantage of all of the opportunities you have available to you. Going to different networking events, Lunch and Learns, organization meetings were all opportunities I took advantage of and gained a great deal. I solidified a great network of my own, gained an internship, established a professional presence, and even learned how to develop my professional skill set through these events. I highly recommend Business Niners take advantage of these opportunities and events because there is so much to learn and gain from them. The Belk College provides students the opportunity to grow into who they are and be confident.
One word to describe the Belk College: Transformative
Graduate
Charlotte Lafourcade ’22
Master of Business Administration
Women’s Golf
Post-graduation plans: I accepted a full-time role at Umbraco LLC in Charlotte, where I’ve been interning this semester.
Favorite Belk College memory: Networking with my classmates in the MBA program.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: Dr. John Tuders. His classes have been the most interesting of the entire program.
Piece of advice for new business students: Take the opportunity to network with your classmates and professors.
One word to describe the Belk College: Insightful
Andres Nussbaum ‘22
Master of Science in Economics; concentration in Quantitative Financial Economics
Post-graduation plans: I am moving to New York City to start a new job as an associate at Jefferies Group LLC.
Favorite Belk College memory: Building long-lasting relationships.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: Dr. Craig Depken has played an important part in my research project and has supported me in this long journey.
Piece of advice for new business students: Go all in and don’t be afraid of making mistakes because the one who doesn’t make mistakes is the one that didn’t try.
One word to describe the Belk College: Transformative
Sharat Vyas ’22
Master of Science in Mathematical FInance
Post-graduation plans: I’ll be continuing at Genesis Global where I recently joined as a senior software engineer. The knowledge I acquired in the MAFI program will help me in building high-performance capital markets centric software for Genesis Global’s various clients.
Favorite Belk College memory: In our first day of Stochastic Calculus, our instructor compared our journey over the semester to a flight. As we went through the semester, he would give updates on where we were in our journey. When the course was finally wrapping up, he said we’d finally arrived at our destination. That was probably one of my favorite moments during my entire MAFI program. The class formed a strong sense of camaraderie over the semester.
Most impactful Belk College faculty member: One of my favorite professors was Dr. Hwan Lin. In his Numerical Methods class, we focused on various ways to approach the option valuation problem. I really liked that each programming assignment built on itself. By the end of the semester I had a collection of tools that I had written myself and could use to not only solve the option pricing problem, but various other mathematical finance problems.
Piece of advice for new business students: I would strongly recommend any new business students to learn how to program. It’s a vital skill that can help set you apart and make you a versatile person.
One word to describe the Belk College: Everlasting. The friendships I made and knowledge I acquired will be with me for the rest of my life.
Highlights
Aleksandr Wittemann, a triple major in finance, Spanish, and international business, was selected by UNC Charlotte to serve as the bell ringer during Friday’s undergraduate commencement ceremony. Wittemann will perform the longstanding, honorable tradition of ringing the UNC Charlotte “victory bell,” which was gifted to Bonnie Cone in 1961 when Charlotte College moved from its old site at Central High School to the current UNC Charlotte location. Bell ringers are considered to be outstanding representatives of UNC Charlotte and its resilient spirit.
Belk College staff member Elona Ellis will graduate with a M. Ed in educational leadership on Friday. Ellis, a native of Durham, began working at UNC Charlotte in 2014. She joined the Belk College in 2018 as program manager of the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate. Ellis has always been passionate about helping others and being an advocate for students in higher education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Jonathan Hill ’13, a member of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Board of Directors, will welcome graduates into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Assocation during Saturday’s commencement ceremony. Hill studied management information systems during his time at the Belk College.
Management information systems major Kiyoshi Roberts graduates from UNC Charlotte on Friday. A native of The Bahamas, Roberts chose Charlotte due to the campus’ connection to the city, the Business Honors Program, and the excellent business programs offered. Her advice to incoming students is to find an organization or club on campus that feels like family because the opportunities are endless.
First Bank hosted a special graduation celebration for first-gen graduate Nick Chen, who is unable to attend his UNC Charlotte Commencement ceremony. Chen, who studied finance, interned at First Bank and recently accepted a full-time role as a commercial credit analyst at First Bank. He was recently accepted into UNC Charlotte’s master’s program in data science and business analytics.