Rewind: The Top 12 Photos of 2024

If a picture’s worth 1,000 words, then we have 12,000 words that capture the essence of 2024. As we step into this new year, let’s look back at some of the best moments of 2024 — in pictures.

Carolina graduates, in graduation regalia, throwing their caps into the air in Kenan Stadium while fireworks go off in the background

Graduation was a blast

Carolina celebrated almost 9,000 graduates at spring and winter commencement.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Carolina students lying on grass while wearing eclipse glasses

Totally awesome eclipse

In April, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center held an event for the community to come together and safely view the partial solar eclipse.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Carolina cheerleaders marching out of a tunnel at Kenan Stadium

Carolina’s full of camaraderie

Carolina Cheerleaders cheer Tar Heel students on the field, on the court and they excel in the classroom. What are you cheering for at Carolina?

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

A Carolina student and mascot Rameses holding up signs thanking donors

Giving thanks

Tar Heel students came together to show their gratitude for the generosity of donors and the Carolina community at GiveThanks.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

A hand holding a fiber optic cable in a lab

Enlightening research

Carolina ranks 9th nationally in research because of brilliant work like this noninvasive technique that focuses a tiny beam of light on one part of the cerebral cortex of mice.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Rhiannon Giddens sitting on a stone wall on Polk Place while holding a banjo, next to a musician holding a fiddle

A pop-up jam session

Rhiannon Giddens, the inaugural Southern Futures Artist-in-Residence at Carolina Performing Arts, brought partnership, connection, history, advocacy and joy to UNC-Chapel Hill.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Sophie To taking off headphones in front of an open laptop

Contributing to UNC’s oral history collection

Sophie To, PhD candidate in health behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, played a significant role in uplifting Asian and Asian American voices through the Southern Mix Project and Southern Oral History Program at Chapel Hill.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Christian Chiron standing in a kitchen in a chef’s coat while smiling and holding up ingredients on a spoon

Cooking up a flavorful feast

Christian Chiron, executive chef and director of culinary process at Carolina Dining Services, keeps thousands of Tar Heels well-fed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Carolina students playing fiddles and banjos in a circle on campus

Warming up in fall

Joseph McCudden, Ben Creed and Mollie Ray play music outside Hanes Art Center before their “Bluegrass Experience” class taught by Hank Smith on a colorful and cool fall day.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

Young Alumni Leadership Council members walking up the steps into Wilson Library from Polk Place

The next generation of leaders in action

The Young Alumni Leadership Council (YALC) is modeled after the University’s Board of Visitors and is the primary volunteer leadership group for UNC-Chapel Hill’s emerging leaders.

Photo by Andrew Bounds

Kennedy Williams standing in the Carolina Cupboard, an on-campus food pantry.

Fighting food insecurity

Kennedy Williams is the 2024-25 president of the Carolina Cupboard, an on-campus food pantry. She and the other student volunteers work tirelessly to help fight food insecurity at Carolina.  

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh

University Landscape Architect Dan Widis standing with 5 members of the groundskeeping team at UNC-Chapel Hill in front of the Old Well.

Campus beautification 

University Landscape Architect Dan Widis worked with the groundskeeping team at UNC-Chapel Hill to plant new vegetation at the Old Well.

Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh