Author: Amy Browns
Five Charlotte students received tuition to cover their spring 2025 tuition, as winners of the Career Center’s annual Niner Career Challenge. Sponsored by employer partners Columbus McKinnon, Flexcare, Novant Health, Principal, and Spectrum, more than 3,600 students participated this year, an increase of 45% over participation the previous year.
In its fourth year, here’s how the Challenge works – The more career-related activities and events students attend, the more points they earn on their scorecard, which gets them more entries/chances to win. The scorecard updates daily so students can track their progress and participation.
All Charlotte undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in at least six credit hours or a co-op, master’s, or doctoral student in full-time status are eligible to participate. Only students who participated in 10+ eligible activities are entered to win the grand prize of spring tuition.
The 2025 spring tuition winners participated in a combined total of 314 events and their names are:
- Grace Asaad – Computer Science
- India Clark – Exercise Science
- Ranaroath Mey – Health Systems Management
- Abhilash Pusapally – Engineering
- Madison Silver – Health Systems Management
The award-winning Challenge included all Career Center events and programs, as well as other opportunities with campus partners including Center for Graduate Student Life, the College of Computing and Informatics, and the Center for Academic Excellence. Winner Abhilash Pusapally, a graduate student in the Williams States Lee College of Engineering says, “Participating in the Niner Career Challenge helped me develop strong interpersonal and communication skills, especially in networking. It boosted my confidence in interviews and really helped me overcome the anxiety of the job search, preparing me for future opportunities. I’m grateful for the experience!”
