Charlotte Brown

Breathing “life” into residence life, Charlotte Brown’s leadership and event planning has given residents plenty to enjoy. From dances to haunted houses, Brown has turned the residence halls of UNCW into an experience worth remembering.  

Brown is the president of the Residence Hall Association, an organizational body in charge of hosting and promoting campus events and initiatives for residents. 

“We’re the fun part of Residence Life,” said Brown. 

The Residence Hall Association was once a part of UNCW’s campus life until the COVID-19 pandemic ceased operations. It wasn’t until a few years ago that the RHA began to rebuild, with Brown playing a large role in its reemergence. 

“I was sitting in the dorm one day, and I found a flyer for an event,” she said. “I saw ‘s’mores’ and said, ‘That sounds fun!’” 

The program sparked interest from Brown, leading her down a path that would alter her college career. She joined a rebuilding RHA her sophomore year and now, as a senior, has served as its president for the past two years. Initially, Brown was encouraged by her friends to join the RHA as a communications coordinator. 

“When I joined, I didn’t really like talking. Now it’s my whole job,” she said. “I like doing things [even when] I’m not the best at them.” 

Soon after, she was encouraged to take on an executive position as director of programming. It wasn’t long until Brown set her eyes on president. 

As president, she has been pivotal in hosting on-campus initiatives that benefit the community. Last year, her team hosted a food drive for Hawks Harvest, a UNCW food pantry for students experiencing food insecurity, along with a teddy bear drive this past February. 

“We remain committed to giving our residents a great living experience on campus,” she said. 

Her team also hosted a haunted house event in the fall, which had more than 800 participants. “Loggerdead,” was one of the RHA’s largest programs, featuring trick-or-treating for on- and off-campus residents. 

Additionally, Brown and the RHA established an intramural sports tournament for residence halls, including competitions in kickball, basketball and volleyball. In collaboration with the recreation center, Loggerhead Hall residents could face off against those in Terrapin Hall, for example. 

“Our main goal is to build community, allow people to meet new people and to all have fun together. Seeing people enjoy themselves and interacting with each other is the main thing I look forward to.”