At The Dubois Center Celebration, UNC Charlotte Graduates Marked More Than a Milestone
Inside UNC Charlotte’s Dubois Center, the sounds of laughter, camera shutters and reunion-style greetings drifted across a room filled with green-and-gold balloons, glowing marquee letters and graduates finally meeting classmates they had known for years only through computer screens.
UNC Charlotte’s Digital and Professional Learning unit hosted the May 6 celebration for recent graduates, upcoming summer and fall graduates, and completers of professional development certificate programs. By the end of the evening, 74 people had attended, with many bringing parents, spouses, children and close friends who had supported them through late-night study sessions and years-long educational journeys.
The event blended the polish of commencement season with the warmth of a family gathering. Guests posed beneath a balloon arch and beside illuminated “CLT” letters while others lined up for complimentary professional headshots. Tables overflowed with barbecue meatballs, Thai chicken satay, pigs in a blanket, veggie spring rolls and cookies. Nearby, children colored Norm the Niner pages at a kids’ activity table while parents mingled and snapped photos.
For Paula Ruiz Gutierrez, associate director of Online Student Success, the most memorable part of the evening wasn’t the decorations or even the celebration itself. It was seeing the people behind the screens.
“I think what stood out to me most was the support from everyone’s family members,” Ruiz Gutierrez said. “I didn’t expect there to be so many guests. And of course the biggest, most awesome piece was getting to be physically in person with people I’ve only met via Zoom. It was so special to get to hug them and really get to connect.”
That sense of connection surfaced repeatedly throughout the evening. One Master of Social Work student arrived with her baby, a child her classmates had frequently seen during online lectures. Cohort members rushed over excitedly to finally meet both mother and baby in person. Another attendee, nervous because she had never visited campus before, left feeling welcomed and celebrated.
J. McCain of Enrollment Management and Student Services spent the evening volunteering on the elevator, greeting guests and directing them to the third-floor atrium, a bright, open space overlooking the Charlotte skyline through towering glass walls.
“People were arriving excited,” McCain said. “They were happy. Some of them had never been to campus before, definitely not The Dubois Center.”
For many attendees, the celebration represented far more than a graduation event. It was recognition of years of perseverance, sacrifice and reinvention.
Anita Stitt, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies and a minor in sociology, first attended UNC Charlotte in the 1980s before life interrupted her education. Decades later, she returned to finish what she started.
One of the evening’s most meaningful moments, she said, was sitting for a professional headshot, something she had long put off while balancing work, school and family responsibilities.
“It could not have come at a more perfect time,” Stitt said. “I realized, looking through my cell phone, that the couple of photos I attempted to use on my LinkedIn profile weren’t what I needed them to be. And because I have been so busy with school, I have not had the opportunity to go and take some.”
Stitt said the photo felt symbolic of a new chapter as she prepares to pursue new career opportunities after graduation.
As the evening wound down, graduates gathered for a few last photos, clutching UNC Charlotte swag bags filled with tumblers and water bottles before heading toward commencement week.
For Stitt, the success of the evening came down to something simple but deeply meaningful: feeling recognized for her milestone.
“Being a nontraditional student and seeing it all come to fruition, to celebrate in that joy meant everything,” Stitt said.