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Bacarri Byrd is a first-generation college graduate and graduate student. Bacarri is a native of Winnsboro, S.C., and is the proud daughter of the late Bridget N. Gill. Bacarri has studied Communication at the intersections of culture, media and rhetoric. She is truly appreciative of all of her professors during her time at UNC Charlotte. Her favorite courses include “Gendered Bodies,” taught by Dr. Quinlan and “Rhetorical Methods,” taught by Dr. Black. Currently, her plans upon graduation are forthcoming, but she looks forward to some time of rest and renewal with family. Dr. Crane says that “those of us with the good fortune to share a class with Bacarri or to serve as her advisor hold her in very high regard for her total commitment to analyzing and redressing long-standing racial disparities in the media. This commitment coupled with her generous spirit has made working alongside Bacarri an absolute delight. More than ever, the world needs brilliant, joyous warriors like Bacarri.” Dr. Davis says, “I was fortunate to have Bacarri as a student in my Communication Theory class, and I can attest to her concern for social justice and marginalization. I have rarely seen a student work as hard as Bacarri, and I am so proud of how far she has come in the program. I will miss her warm smile in the hallway.”
Tara Gomez Doubiago is from Brooklyn, N.Y, and she moved here from Indiana to prepare for a career in public relations. She is interested in working at a public relations agency and climbing the ladder to establish herself as an industry thought leader. Dr. Gallicano commented that Tara was a standout student as the winner of a highly competitive, semester-long social media simulation in an interdisciplinary class. “Ms. Doubiago mapped a complex algorithm that varied by social media channel and five target audiences of varying importance. She demonstrated the ability to maximize her budget, optimize her post timing by audience and channel and exercise her creativity in producing content tailored to her audiences. She was so systematic in her approach to the algorithm that I asked her for her spreadsheet when the semester concluded.” Dr. Gallicano was also quick to note Tara’s team-oriented participation: “She shared her tips each week with the class without hesitation because she knew the big picture was about growing together in their education. She was also quick to adapt new techniques she learned from others.” Dr. Gallicano also noted Tara’s consistently outstanding performance on every assignment.
Last summer, Tara performed social media work in three internships and also produced public relations work during the prior semester for the Public Policy Program on campus. As Dr. Gallicano’s research assistant, she performed extensive work on a big data project in conjunction with faculty and graduate students from computer science and psychology. She is in the process of co-authoring a paper with the research team. For her capstone project, Tara conducted research involving 25 professionals to produce a white paper about social media trends, tools and opportunities. She also focused on environmental rhetoric during her studies. Tara’s favorite courses were Social Media Management, as well as Politics and Media, and her favorite faculty members include Dr. Leeman, Dr. Gallicano and Dr. Davis, who recalls having Tara in Communication Theory her first semester in the program. “She was a hard worker and deep thinker, and her good humor was a delight to the class.” In her spare time, Tara will work on a children's book, inspired by fictional stories her mother used to tell her when she was a child.
Molly Farris was the 137th graduate of our program. Her advisor Dr. Jason Edward Black says that “Molly is a determined and organized graduate student, who is dedicated to her work and her growth as a teacher and scholar.” Molly, who grew up nearby in Concord, became interested in gender communication nearing the end of her first year. During her first summer she realized her passion for rhetorical studies and took Rhetorical Criticism with Dr. Black in year two. She notes of that class, “[it] was my favorite … because I was really able to hone-in on my writing and to improve my skills. I thoroughly enjoyed having the freedom to write about what makes me happy.” Molly’s MA thesis, titled “Into the Unknown: A Queer Analysis of the Metaphors in Disney’s ‘Frozen’ Franchise,” grew from her conjoined interests in gender communication and rhetorical studies and attends to a queer examination of key figures in the “Frozen 1” and “Frozen 2.” The work organizes a metaphorical scheme for queering interpretations of ubiquitous popular culture. Dr. Black says “Molly has completed a project that will greatly mean and matter to understandings of queer communities. Always deadline-driven, forever inquisitive, Molly has been steadfast in her work over the past two years.” After graduation, Molly is getting married and will do some adjunct teaching for the Department in the fall.
and social justice turned into research projects, conference presentations and the work that would land her a full fellowship and scholarship at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill for her Ph.D. program in the fall of 2020. She will miss her friends and all the incredible faculty she had the honor of learning from while at UNCC. Niner Nation will forever hold a special place in her heart.
Megan Nicole Foster left her hometown of Bedford,
Penn., in 2014 to begin her academic journey in the communication field. She made her first stop in Conway, S.C., and attended Coastal Carolina University, where she graduated with her B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Dramatic Arts. While at CCU, she found her love for research in the communication field with the help of her faculty mentors. During her time at CCU, she presented at four conferences, collaborated on projects with people she greatly admired and ultimately decided she wanted to learn more about communication. Megan’s next stop brought her to The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She took a leap of faith, never visited the campus and ended up literally crawling into orientation, hot, tired and unsure if she had made the right choice. She should have known that her two years in the Communication Studies MA program would be some of the best years of her life. Her cohort members became her family. Some of her sweetest memories were made exploring the city with the “Ladies of the Cohort,” participating in rich class discussions with her amazing peers, eating Wednesday night sushi specials and taco Tuesday deals and being surrounded by people who challenged her to be the best version of herself both in and out of the classroom. She ended up being mentored by several of the most incredible academics and people she had ever known. Megan was able to travel to Spain to present research with the most brilliant digital inequality scholar who knew all the best restaurants, and the two explored Madrid until her feet were numb from walking—in part, because neither of them was very good at navigating the big city without Google Maps (20,000 steps in one day!). In addition to the trip, she was able to put together a two-year portfolio of research related to prison reentry and technologies, conferences, in-person experiences and overall priceless mentorship all thanks to “the Beebs” (Dr. Reisdorf). She participated in one-too-many Facetime calls with the queen of research methods, Dr. Basinger. Often, she drank coffee, vented for hours and found herself encouraged by her amazing advisor, Dr. Black. She listened to the wise tales of paranormal communication from the department’s #1 funeral crasher, Dr. Davis and took a few risks on a meaningful independent study. She served as the Social Chair for CSGSA and co-chaired the Graduate Communication Circle. Most importantly, Megan’s love for communication activism
Dr. Davis says of Megan, “I am so proud to have supervised Megan in an Independent Study research project looking at the experience of school shooting survivors. Megan took a passion stemming from her traumatic experiences in spring 2019 and (with Anna Henderson) used it to understand and make meaning of the experience for themselves and their cohort. Megan is a joy to work with, her enthusiasm is infectious, and I could not be more proud of her.” Her advisor Dr. Black says, “Megan’s commitment to social justice - whether through her scholarship on digital inequalities or her feminist and family activism - is awe-inspiring. She and her work are emblems of the meaningful ways communication can matter to the world to those most vulnerable in our communities and to the larger public.”
Haley Hartsell , a Charlotte native, graduated from UNC
Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Spanish in 2017. She was drawn to our Master’s program because of its flexibility and esteemed graduate faculty. During her time in our program, Haley has served as an exemplar departmental citizen serving as the program’s graduate assistant, reporting and writing for the department’s annual EZine magazine and serving as president of CSGSA. Several of Haley’s research projects were based on health communication topics, including her thesis project on medical error and apology discourse, as well as a paper co-authored with committee member Dr. Basinger entitled, “Communal Coping and Self-Care in Black/African American and White Individuals Living with Type 2 Diabetes,” which they plan to present at NCA in November, 2020. Dr Basinger said: "It has been an absolute privilege to watch Haley grow as a scholar over the years. Her ideas are compelling and original, and she has a sharp and inquisitive mind with the capacity to transform people's experiences and relationships. I am excited to watch her excel in all of her future endeavors!" According to her advisor Dr. Quinlan, “Haley is one of the most intellectually curious students I have worked with. She is one of those students who takes criticism well and is
exceptionally motivated and independent. It has been an honor to watch her grow from undergraduate to graduate school. I know Haley will be successful wherever life takes her and she is an excellent representation of the Communication Studies Department and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I hope she continues on to get a Ph.D.!”
successfully navigated the mysterious, difficult and painstaking IRB process with good humor, and an attention to detail even she did not know she had. Anna is smart and tenacious and has been a delight to work with.”
Dr. Davis says of Haley, “I had the great pleasure of working with Haley in her dual roles as CSGSA president and Research Assistant for the graduate program. Haley is so organized and efficient that she makes hard work seem easy. Haley has a take-charge attitude and an ability to drill down to what is most important and to get it done no matter what. I have greatly appreciated her this year.” Additionally, Haley is also passionate about research that gives voice to marginalized populations, initiatives aimed at improving health literacy and of course, dismantling the patriarchy. Haley would like to thank her advisor, Dr. Quinlan and committee members, Dr. Basinger and Dr. Davis for inspiring her love for all thing’s health communication, as well as supporting and mentoring her during the crazy journey that is graduate school. She says, “it could not have been done without you!” After graduation, Haley plans to pursue a field in health communication or enroll in a Ph.D. program where she can continue the research she loves.
Annalisha Henderson , Anna Henderson came to our
program from just down the road in Hickory, N.C., and she will be the first person in her family to receive a master's degree. To get to this remarkable accomplishment, she, like other students in her cohort, has had to work through a number of unprecedented crises – including a school shooting and a global pandemic. She is grateful for the support of her peers, and for the relationships that came from facing these difficulties as a community. Anna pursued a variety of interests in our program, including work on the intersections between sport, media and gender. She hopes to pursue a career in sports media that allows her to write about and advocate for women’s sport. Dr. Grano, Anna’s advisor, says, “Anna was a dedicated and passionate student and I’m looking forward to what’s next for her, because I know she’ll do good, meaningful work.” Dr. Davis worked with Anna (and Megan Foster) on a research project to understand the experience of school shootings from the survivors’ perspective. She says, “Anna
Faith Klatt hails from Raleigh, N.C., and her interests in graduate school have centered on the military. Specifically, her research concerns how military service members and their romantic partners access social support to manage mental health concerns. Her master’s thesis, completed under the direction of Dr. Basinger, focused on this topic in the context of online forums – a unique and hugely impactful area in interpersonal and health communication research. “Faith worked incredibly hard to create a thesis project that is not only theoretically interesting, but also practically useful” Dr. Basinger says. “Her work has the potential to improve people’s everyday lives. I am so proud!” Faith’s favorite class as a graduate student was Dr. Basinger’s Interpersonal Processes in Health Contexts seminar, but she also enjoyed her experiences in Dr. Davis’s and Dr. Reisdorf’s classes. After graduation, Faith would like to teach at the college level. She would like to extend a special shout out to all the members of her cohort for being such a great support system, amazing people and lifelong friends. Says Faith, “they each have enhanced my life and helped me to grow as a person!” Dr. Davis recalls having Faith in her Communication Theory class. She says, “I knew from the beginning Faith was going to be one of our top students. Faith is smart, thoughtful, and a hard worker. I have enjoyed having her in the program! I know she will do great things in the future.”
Brittany Little : If Dr. Davis had to come up with one word
to describe Brittany Little, it would be perseverance. Brittany has obtained this degree through a dogged insistence that she will finish it, despite hardships and delays. Brittany joined our graduate program in 2016. She got her BA degree in Communication from East Carolina University. She was in Dr. Davis’s Research Methods class, who says, “from early on, I was impressed with her willingness to work hard and learn. I remember that in her first year in our program, she accompanied me and several other students to Campbell University for a recruiting visit. Brittany has always been willing to do whatever it takes to support the program and her fellow students. I was proud when Brittany’s paper, ‘Deeper than Skin: Cosmetics Influence on African American Women Identities,’ was competitively accepted for the Graduate Research Symposium in 2017.” While in our program, Brittany was vice president of CSGSA in 2017, and she held graduate assistantships in our department (she was TA for Organizational Communication) and for UTOP (University Transition Opportunities Program). While in our program, Brittany contributed to consulting projects with Delhaize America and Food Lion with Dr. Bochantin, and her directed project capstone is a needs assessment of leadership communication for the Queen City Metropolitan Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, a project begun with a pilot study in Dr. Davis’s Research Methods course. Dr. Davis says, “with Brittany’s passion and work ethic, she will have a great future. I’m proud of what she has accomplished.”
Hayley Overman was the 136th graduate of our program and was the first graduate of 2020! Hayley was originally from the Outer Banks and spent her time as a graduate student developing an impactful program of research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and communication in a variety of contexts including health and higher education. Her favorite faculty members include Dr. Basinger and Dr. Davis. According to Hayley, “Dr. Basinger has been a great mentor since I first began the program during my senior year of undergrad. She has constantly pushed me to do things outside of my comfort zone (like presenting at a conference) and has always been a huge supporter both in the classroom and out. Dr. Davis reached out to me during my junior year and highly, highly encouraged me to apply for the early-entry program. If it wasn't for her and her persistence, I most likely would not have applied for the program.” Hayley’s comprehensive exams committee was endlessly impressed with Hayley’s passion for studying ASD and her commitment to becoming an informed, impassioned advocate for that community. After graduation, Hayley will be working as a high school teacher for students with ASD. Her adviser, Dr.
Basinger, notes, “Hayley will be an invaluable educator and ally for people with ASD. I am so proud of her work at UNC Charlotte, and I know she will be an incredible representative of our program in her future endeavors!” Dr. Davis says, “Haley worked as a Research and Teaching Assistant for me while an undergraduate. I was immediately impressed with her work ethic and intelligence. She has continued to make me proud during her tenure in our program. I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish in the future!”
Azubeze Uzoma , originally from Raleigh, N.C., also graduated with his bachelor's degree from UNC Charlotte. As an undergraduate, he studied Health Communication and minored in Public Health. As a master's student, his interests expanded to include organizational and crisis communication and student affairs in higher education. Some of his favorite research work has involved applying his knowledge and experiences of organizational and crisis communication to local problems on the ground, namely, UNC Charlotte's crisis response strategies and UNC Chapel Hill's response to the Silent Sam controversy. Beze has worked in Housing and Residence Life at UNC Charlotte and his career goal is to progress in student affairs. Upon graduation, he plans to work as a Residence Education Coordinator, putting his background in communication to excellent use. Dr. Norander has appreciated Beze's presence in her courses and as an advisee. He always has a smile and positive words to share. Dr. Davis says, “Beze was a Research Assistant for me when he was an undergraduate, and was in my Communication Theory class as a graduate student. Beze is smart and a hard worker, and I am always happy to see his smile. He has been an asset to our graduate program.”