May 11, 2022

Never would Levi Mullis '22 have imagined that during his time at UNCW he would endure not one, but two hurricanes and a global pandemic before he graduated (with a 3.741 GPA no less). “But I did, and I did it well,” he said.

The Richfield, NC native started out undecided before deciding on tourism, recreation and sport as a major. He studied Japanese, taking an extra semester of the language because he found it so interesting. He joined the Gymnastics Club, ultimately becoming the club’s president. He volunteered at a bird rescue and worked multiple jobs to put himself through the last two years of school.

“I was lucky enough to have a little bit of outside help for the first year and a half, two years of my academic career. But after that I was on my own to pay for it, hence the two jobs,” he said. Mullis was a recipient of the Shawn Nasseri Scholarship, which “helped a lot. I was ecstatic when I received notification that my financial aid status changed and I received that scholarship.”

While the pandemic and other challenges were incredibly difficult, Mullis said they made him resilient and strong. He stayed focused on structuring his days around productivity and honing his work ethic, grateful for all the amazing people he met through his classes, clubs and jobs.

The best advice he received during his time as a UNCW student is: “If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid…what works for you will work for you, even if nobody else does it.”

-- Caroline Cropp

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