by Jessie Ammons
photograph by Travis Long
“It always gives me lots of enthusiasm to see the graduations, but then also to see where the kids go off to. It’s invigorating to me.” – Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs at Duke Energy
Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, 60, plans to spend time in June at local graduations. After years of involvement with Triangle education, she knows “what a big deal this time of year is.” She believes we should all mark our calendars not just for graduation season in early June, but its aftermath throughout the summer. “I love seeing our town move to another level of excellence,” she says, “and education is a huge part of that. It’s not just college graduates earning advanced degrees, but it’s middle and high schoolers spending time on local campuses for camps and other opportunities.”