UNC Charlotte Alumni Night 2025

In 2015, Caitlin Cassell, Greg Rutkowski, Sayma Waleh, Aerial White, and I (re)started the UNC Charlotte Design Student Group.

I say “student group” but it was much less organized than that…basically 6-10 friends with a passion for Adobe products trying to find ways to pad our résumés post-graduation. What can I say? We were all “leaders who use Design to tell stories and drive results.”

The group had been inactive for years and we had no idea the group even existed. Were it not for our professor, Robert Quigley Campbell, telling us of the legend of Banks Wilson—the original organizer from years passed, we probably still would have no idea.

We were young, wildly creative, and had no idea what the world of Design would hold for our careers, lives, and beyond. From that student group, countless lifelong friendships, passion projects, and one marriage (so far) were formed.

Last night I was privileged enough to sit at a presenter table with my own very own ✨name card✨ on it surrounded by 40? 50? 60? students and faculty. Niner Designer Alumni Night. There were opening ceremonies, presentations, stickers, name tags, tote bags, pre-event communications, Qdoba, and all that jazz. The student officers all wore collared shirts. It was an impressive production to say the least. At least compared to our last minute “Hey guys, are we meeting today?” mass texts from 10 years ago.

All this, followed by very pointed and informed questions from the students afterwards during the table discussion portion of the night. Questions about résumé building, interview strategies, and even follow-up questions from previous years I attended.

I am not one to be bashful about the impact of the Charlotte Design community…I am a direct product of it. But to see how the spark we (re)lit a decade ago has grown into a full-blown, campus-sponsored student group (with Qdoba, no less.) Goddamn inspiring.

The kids will be alright.