On May 20, 2025, two UNC Charlotte graduate students, Lauren Hultquist, a master's student in Psychology, and Melissa Hatley, a Ph.D. student in Biology, proudly represented Charlotte at Graduate Education Day in Raleigh.
As North Carolina natives, they met with ten state policymakers to champion the cause of graduate researchers statewide. Hultquist showcased her vital work on online anonymity in the digital age, a pervasive issue impacting citizens across North Carolina. Hatley presented her research on pathogen-resistant genes in soybeans, a crucial crop cultivated in all 100 North Carolina counties. Their impactful research perfectly encapsulates the importance of graduate-level studies and its broad benefits for the state.
Graduate Education Day is an annual event organized by the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools. Universities from all regions visit the North Carolina General Assembly for a day of advocacy, networking and community building. Students meet with legislators to exhibit their research and advocate continued government support for graduate-level studies. These meetings provide students with valuable research communication experience and the opportunity for legislators to learn about the far-reaching impact of research occurring in their state.
UNC Charlotte faculty and staff members were also in attendance, including William Tolone, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, and Betty Doster, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for External Relations and Partnerships. This Graduate Education Day was Doster’s final one, as she will retire at the end of June after nearly 15 years at UNC Charlotte.