Skylar Tirotta is Setting the Example

Skylar Tirotta fell in love with UNC Charlotte a decade ago, during a Charlotte 49ers Football home game, in the pouring rain. 

“Looking back, going to the football game is one of my fondest memories. It was my birthday. There was a hurricane and we got rained out, so my friend and I had to walk from the stadium back to West Deck,” said Tirotta.

At the time Tirotta had been bouncing around a couple community colleges but couldn’t find what she was looking for. She was struggling to stay focused, unsure of her goals and didn’t yet see the importance of her education.

“I have ADHD and a learning disorder, so my super power is I’m really good at a lot of things, but it makes it hard to choose just one thing to stick with,” said Tirotta.

She was trying to decide if a four-year school was right for her and considering a school in the mountains that felt similar to her hometown.

“But I came to that football game and I saw the school spirit. Everybody seemed so happy to be a Niner and I just felt at home,” said Tirotta. “I think I felt like that was where I should have been and I was beating myself up a little over wasting time by not taking school seriously. I could have been in the student section, losing my voice, cheering on a new football team.”

 “I was soaking wet with soggy Converse, and yet I had the best time of my life and I knew I wanted to go to this school. I have loved UNC Charlotte for a long time.”

Taking a detour

Tirotta applied to Charlotte and was accepted, but didn’t attend after she found out she was pregnant with her son, Xander. When he was about six months old she tried to resume her education. 

“When I came back to school after having my son, I failed miserably. I was freshly post-partum and I didn’t do my best because I didn’t have my head on straight. I was just all over the place,” said Tirotta. “So after that, I worked for a long time, and struggled to provide for my son, and then one day it just clicked.” 

“The whole reason why I decided to go back to school and to finish was because of Xander,” said Tirotta. “I wanted to have better opportunities to be able to provide for him and to have the experience and knowledge to pursue a career. I wanted to set an example for him.”

Tirotta worked with campus administration to plead her case for forgiveness and was able to get back into UNC Charlotte. She has taken classes full-time the past two years and success has followed.

“I’m super proud of myself because I have made the Dean’s List twice. I have just been trucking along, trying to do my best and learn as much as I can,” said Tirotta.

Xander, who is now seven, has been along for the ride. 

“We would walk around and play in the gardens, or we would follow the food robots and it would just be a really, really fun time for him and I. Holding hands and just looking around, I know that I’m doing this for him, and he sees how hard I’m working, and he gets the experience too,” said Tirotta. “It just made us closer because he would just tell me, ‘Mommy, I’m so proud of you,’ and ‘Mommy, I want to go to this school, too,’ and it helped me as well, because it made me realize that I don’t have to sacrifice spending time with him to come to school, because I can just bring him with me when I when I need to.”

“I know that in the future, he’s going to look back and he will have memories of going to college and getting to write on the white boards, and getting to hand out papers from my professors. He’s going to value education so much more because he was with me on campus. So if you’re able to bring your kids to class, let them experience it, let them understand how important it is to you, and for them to pursue higher education,” said Tirotta.

Encouragement and a support system

Tirotta will be crossing the stage on August 9 so that Xander can witness how the effort has paid off. She is graduating from the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences, earning a bachelor of arts in Anthropology with a minor in Urban Youth and Communities from the Cato College of Education.

She credits the support from the Office of Adult Students and Extended Services and her favorite faculty members for their continued support and kindness.  

“Dr. Sara Juengst was just really understanding while I was still navigating my son’s behavioral issues,” said Tirotta. “She was so patient with me and she loved having Xander in the class.” 

Tirotta found additional reassurance and support from Lydia Light, Timothy Murtha, Susan Harden, Maisha Cooper and Debarati Dutta, faculty members who helped her to keep going when she was feeling overwhelmed by school.

Encouragement also came in an email with an opportunity to apply for ARISE, a summer research program at Penn State. Tirotta applied on a whim and was accepted as one of 25 students to participate this summer, spending time in Zoom sessions and a week at Penn State. Tirotta’s research focused on using GIS mapping in a multidisciplinary approach, exploring access to food and its impact on health outcomes.

Tirotta is hoping ARISE will help prepare her for entering a graduate program or begin to lay the groundwork for a career in the community. 

While she wishes she could have participated in more things, she balanced her time for her classes and her son. 

“I’m walking out of here with good grades and life experience and it’s fine. I had to come to terms that my path just looks different than other people’s,” said Tirotta. “I did what I could, and I finished strong with wonderful experiences.”