By Wyatt Crosher, Assistant Director of Communications for Student Affairs
Pennda Arami was chosen as the bell ringer for UNC Charlotte’s first 2025 Summer Commencement, which takes place at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 9, in Dale F. Halton Arena, located in the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center.
Arami is a graduate student, earning dual master’s degrees: a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts in Ethics and Applied Philosophy. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UNC Charlotte in May 2022 as a double major in criminal justice and criminology and economics with a liberal arts concentration.
Outside of academics, Arami has been heavily involved at Charlotte, becoming a member of the Black Organization Alliance Board, the Muslim Students Association, United Muslim Relief, Earth Club and more. She also served as a graduate teaching assistant in the University Center for Academic Excellence (UCAE), leading the Peer Mentor Program.
In her bell ringer application, Arami said that earning this honor would be a symbol for all of the hard work and dedication she put into her time at the University, and believed that other students could look up to what she accomplished in her time here.
“I want to be a positive representation of what is possible when you are surrounded by community, support and opportunity,” Arami wrote. “My journey has not always been linear or easy, but I've remained grounded in service, leadership and an unwavering belief in the potential of others.
“Ringing the bell would not only celebrate my accomplishments — it would honor the people, programs and principles that shaped me into the leader I've become. I want others to look at that moment and believe that they, too, belong and can thrive at UNC Charlotte.”
The bell ringer performs the longstanding tradition of ringing the UNC Charlotte “victory bell”, which was gifted to Ms. Bonnie Cone in 1961 when Charlotte College moved from its old site at Central High School to the current University City location. Students chosen as bell ringers are outstanding student leaders who have demonstrated exemplary 49er spirit within organizations, volunteerism and/or service to others.