Graduate Life Fellows: Be the pillar to graduate student success
The application period for Graduate Life Fellows (GLF) is now open, inviting graduate students interested in connecting their peers with UNC Charlotte. GLFs work to enhance graduate student success by creating and implementing programs that provide supportive resources. They play a key role in promoting the unique graduate experience and raising awareness of the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life and Learning (CGLL), which offers workshops, programs, courses and initiatives. GLFs become ambassadors by sharing this information through word-of-mouth, social media and outreach to graduate classes and organizations.
To qualify for the GLF program, applicants must be full-time graduate students residing in the Charlotte area during the academic year of their term. They should have a minimum GPA of 3.0, be in good academic standing, and not have served as a GLF in a prior year. International students and those with assistantships are encouraged to apply.
Here are some quotes from the 2025-2026 GLF cohort about their experiences:
“The Graduate Life Fellows program gave me more than leadership experience, it gave me a language for advocacy. The program gave me the freedom to be creative, designing initiatives and programs that truly advocate for students and provide the support they need to thrive.”
Juliana Somuah, PhD Student in Infrastructure & Environmental Systems
“Through my experience as a GLF, I connected with students and fellows across campus, learned to collaborate across different perspectives, gained confidence in brainstorming and sharing my ideas, and realized I could make even a small positive impact on graduate students’ lives.”
Reyhaneh Nouri, PhD Student in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
“Being part of GLF taught me a lot about the importance of connecting with other students during the academic period. Feeling the support that CGLL provides through instruction events and socialization with different cultures positively impacted me.”
Elisa Macedo, PhD student in Infrastructure & Environmental Systems, Teaching Assistant at Integrated Design Research Lab (IDRL)
“It has been an honor to serve as a bridge between my peers and the CGLL, ensuring that student voices are heard and valued. Likewise, being a part of CGLL’s efforts to design and execute developmental programs that enhance the graduate student experience on campus and drive student involvement has been a truly enriching part of my graduate journey.”
Sunday Akanji, PhD Student in the Infrastructure and Environmental Systems
“It truly takes a village of support to make it through such a life-changing journey. Being a Graduate Life Fellow (GLF) with the UNC Charlotte Center for Graduate Life and Learning (CGLL) has given me access to an incredible community and the privilege of creating spaces where graduate students feel seen, supported, and truly belong, even beyond the walls of my own doctoral program.”
Jennifer Adelhardt, Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Scholar, Belk College of Business Adjunct Faculty
GLF application deadline is February 20th.