Students call this Massey Award winner ‘a bright light’
Tracy Harter made Alexander and Joyner residence halls welcoming spaces in her 19 years as a Carolina housekeeper.
For nearly two decades, Tracy Harter helped Carolina students feel at home. More than a housekeeper, Harter is a warm presence and motherly figure whose kind smile has a way of putting people at ease.
Harter recently retired after 19 years of service at UNC-Chapel Hill but not before receiving a 2026 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award.
A slew of students nominated Harter for the Massey Award. Those fortunate enough to have Harter as their housekeeper at Alexander and Joyner residence halls described her as “a bright light” and a consistent source of positivity. Not only did she go about her work with great care, but she took time to talk with students, ask them about their lives and their schoolwork and remember the small details.
Harter called receiving one of the most prestigious honors for faculty and staff “overwhelming.”
“It really humbles a person,” Harter said. “I was raised on: You always do the right thing, not for glory or that pat on the back, but you do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Doing the right thing” has taken many forms for Harter throughout her time at Carolina. During times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, she showed leadership and acted above the scope of her duties. When new housekeepers, especially those from foreign countries, joined her team, Harter took them under her wing and helped them acclimate.
Harter has never been afraid to speak up for herself or for her peers, campaigning for improved working conditions, equity and access to resources — while also encouraging co-workers to channel their own voices.
“It’s been an honor to be a voice for those that feel like they don’t have a voice or they’re afraid to have a voice,” Harter said. “I never wanted anybody to go through some of the challenges that I had to go through when I first came to UNC.
“I’ve tried to explain to different individuals, ‘Speak up for yourself. You can be your own voice.’ The more you speak up and speak out, the less afraid you have to be.”
Harter said she enjoyed the challenge of her work at Carolina, emphasizing that housekeeping is “more than cleaning.” Harter is a problem-solver and an advocate, and she played a pivotal role in helping students adjust to college life by creating clean, safe, welcoming spaces to live.
“She exhibits kindness and compassion in all that she does,” one student nominator wrote. “She goes out of her way to speak to each and every student she runs into and brighten their day. I can personally attest that everyone I have ever mentioned her to has reacted with nothing less than an ‘I love her so much!’ or a ‘She makes me so happy!’”
That feeling is mutual. Harter said she’ll miss her interactions with students more than anything else.
“The students were the best part of my job, and I enjoyed trying to create an environment where we were more like family and friends,” she said. “A lot of people, they’ve never been away from home before, or they’re coming from another country. To have a welcoming, warm, safe-feeling environment was always the goal.”
