Creating Community Through “Ubuntu”

Class of 2003 graduates Leatrice and Jason Caldwell met as freshmen in UNCG’s Grogan Hall and have been together for 20 years. While students, it was the family-oriented environment they found throughout campus and as members of the Neo-Black Society that helped them develop life-long friendships.

“UNCG helped shape our perspectives on the world. We learned how to engage with people, recognizing that we learn and grow from the people we meet, regardless of skin color, sexuality, or religion,” says Jason. Those experiences inspired the couple to establish the Ubuntu Endowed Academic Scholarship Fund.

“Ubuntu” is a concept rooted in the African philosophy of community. Often translated as “I am, because we are,” the term embodies the ideas of human connectedness and mutual caring for all.

Leatrice began working at the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union while a student at UNCG and has been there for more than 19 years. She currently serves as a Senior Financial Officer II and District Community Outreach Coordinator. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she volunteers with their Delta Academy mentoring teenage girls.

Dedicated to helping others, Jason is the CEO of Ubuntu Consulting, a faculty member at North Carolina A&T State University, and chairman of the NC Work Partners Development Board of Guilford County. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and serves on the UNCG Alumni Leadership Board. Earlier this year, Jason was selected for Triad Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty Award.

By Christine Garton

Photography by Martin W. Kane