Belk College graduate student Teresa Hocutt was met with applause on January 12 as she accepted a $4,000 Wells Fargo-CREW scholarship from the Charlotte chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).
“It’s such an honor to be supported by a successful group of women and to be able to gain mentorship and advice from women within the industry,” Hocutt said. “Receiving the local CREW Scholarship indicated to me that my studies are supported and that my choice to go back to school was the right one.”
Hocutt’s educational path is unique. She will be the first student at UNC Charlotte to graduate with a dual Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction Management, a program developed specifically to meet her needs. Hocutt’s undergraduate degree was in business and real estate, which led her to a position as an analyst at Bank of America. Hocutt left Bank of America to pursue the Master of Science in Real Estate program full-time at UNC Charlotte after realizing her passion for real estate development.
“After graduation, I hope to be working in real estate development. I want to be a part of creating communities that bring people together,” Hocutt said. “UNC Charlotte will provide me with the knowledge and skills I need to enter a career in real estate, along with helping me build relationships within industry,” she added.
CREW President Elect, Jessica Rossi, along with Nichole Kelley, CREW member working with Wells Fargo Bank, presented a $10,000 check to UNC Charlotte at their January 12 luncheon. Part of that money will fund Teresa’s award, and the rest will continue to grow CREW’s established endowment for future scholarship awards. The endowment is part of the larger mission of CREW Charlotte to bring more women into commercial real estate by supporting commercial real estate education.
“The support from CREW is particularly important to the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate, and personally to me, as it provides a targeted opportunity to promote the advancement of women in commercial real estate,” Alyson Craig, Director of the Master of Science in Real Estate program said.
“There is a great deal of evidence that diversity in the workplace fosters greater creativity, productivity, and financial performance. Nurturing and promoting female talent is essential for the future success of the commercial real estate industry and CREW’s gift provides an opportunity to sponsor high potential women in our real estate program,” she added.
The Childress Klein Center for Real Estate at UNC Charlotte was established in 2005 to further the knowledge of real estate, public policy and urban economics in the professional community through its teaching, research and community outreach activities. It has been ranked among the 20 most active research institutions in real estate for the past decade.
Learn more about the UNC Charlotte’s real estate program offerings, and the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate’s impact on the Charlotte community.