November 29, 2023 | Sarah Fetters
Lorna Ricotta ’22M comes from a proud and resilient people and is now a proud Seahawk.
A member of the Lumbee Tribe, primarily located in Robeson County, just 100 miles from UNCW, Ricotta is part of the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River, with more than 55,000 enrolled tribal members.
"I want to share our culture with others,” Ricotta said. “I want to share what it means to be Indigenous and honor the earth, family, each other, all while highlighting the beautiful aspects of what makes our culture so unique. We are a resilient people."
The resiliency is exemplified through self-determination and resounds through the tribe's education and entrepreneurship. In 1887, Native Americans in Robeson County petitioned for state legislation to establish a school to train American Indian teachers. The law established a Board of Trustees and appropriated $500 for salaries only. The school evolved into UNC Pembroke.
"In 1994, I had the honor of serving as a tribal ambassador, traveling throughout the state and across the nation to represent our tribe,” she said. “Our traditions celebrate faith, community, education, foodways, self-efficacy, determination and a unique culture. Being Lumbee is a beautiful aspect I treasure and enjoy sharing."
After graduating from UNC Pembroke with a music performance degree, Ricotta pursued a professional singing career and performed on cruise lines throughout Hawai’i and the Western Caribbean.
Following the tours, she pivoted to a different performing stage, where she won Miss North Carolina 2000. She was the first Native American to win the title and the first Lumbee to represent North Carolina in Miss America.
Winning scholarships as a part of the competitions paid for her graduate school. She earned an MBA from UNC Pembroke while working full time as the Director of Alumni Relations and then Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
“Advancement work combined the elements that interest me from marketing and telling stories,” she said of her choice to begin on the advancement career path. “Advancement professionals understand the significance of friend-raising and fundraising to sustain affinity for an organization.”
This affinity curiosity lured Ricotta to UNCW through the online Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) master’s program.
“I was drawn to the IMC program because I wanted to sharpen my marketing and communications skillset,” she said. “I was especially drawn to the digital marketing aspects of the program. The IMC program blends branding, crisis communication and storytelling.”
The online intensive one-year program option made her a Seahawk. One of her biggest takeaways from the IMC program was about brand building. It begins with creating a signature story, developing a consistent narrative and strategically messaging the brand through marketing, communication, graphics, events, and public relations.
“When I came across the IMC program, I thought it was fascinating to learn about branding and narrative creation as well as the digital aspects,” she said. “The narrative storytelling remained with me, especially the persuasive narrative. In addition to the fascinating program content, the professors engaged students with compelling approaches.”
Ricotta knew there could be more to her UNCW experience even after her classroom time had ended, so when she was asked about joining the UNCW Alumni Association, she agreed. She is now involved with the Triangle network and hopes to connect more Seahawks near her home in Cumberland County as the number of alumni in the area increases.
“I greatly cherished my learning experience at UNCW,” Ricotta said. “Having previously directed alumni relations at UNC Pembroke, I realized the role of the alumni association in supporting the vitality of the university.”
Making connections, bringing groups together, and building community are nothing new for Ricotta, who has been doing these things with her Lumbee Tribe for decades.
“Having led other nonprofits and serving as an advancement officer, I thrive on weaving connections between organizations that produce vital solutions and the champions who fill the voids," she said. “The skills that I gleaned from UNCW’s IMC program that complement advancement work include research design, game-changing approaches, crisis communication, and building brand communities.”
Today, in addition to her work with North Carolina nonprofits, she is a certified yoga and meditation instructor.