First Year & Transition Programs Team

Dr. Carla Eastis serves as director of the First-Year and Transitions Program office.  She has been at UNC Charlotte since 2013. Before joining Niner Nation, Dr. Eastis was a sociology professor at Catawba College. At Catawba, she worked with first-year and honors students in addition to sociology majors, and credits these experiences with her interest […]

Mrs. Jahtoya Means serves as the Director of the University Transition Opportunities Program (UTOP) at UNC Charlotte, where she is committed to supporting first-year students in their academic and personal journeys. She joined the Office of First Year Transition & Programs in August 2019 as the Office Manager, where she oversaw the Office Ambassador Program and […]

An everlasting learner, A.J. Simmons earned a Master of Arts in Community Psychology at UNC Charlotte following the attainment of Bachelors degrees in both Psychology and Sociology from Virginia Tech, and now serves as the Senior Associate Director of First Year and Transition Programs. In this capacity, A.J. supports the program managers for UTOP, FIT, […]

Val works with the 49er Intensive Transition Program, which is a program that introduces students to the campus community, familiarizes them with Charlotte’s support services, and helps them to craft a smooth transition into UNC Charlotte. Val also teaches a First Year Seminar course during the fall semester. Val is also a proud UNC Charlotte […]

Chris currently serves as the Assistant Director for First-Generation Academic Initiatives within the Office of First-Year and Transition Programs. He is also a First-Gen alum, graduating from Charlotte in 2019 while studying Psychology. After working with College Advising Corps, he completed a M.S. in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina Central University. Today he enjoys […]