North Carolina State graduates were in for a surprise when their commencement speaker vowed to erase some of their student debt, offering the class “greater freedom” to pursue their goals.

Anil Kochhar, the son of a notable late NC State alumnus, revealed that he and his wife, Marilyn, would pay off all final-year loans for the graduates during the Wilson College of Textiles commencement ceremony in Raleigh on Friday.

“It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025–26 academic year,” Kochhar announced.

The emotional gift honored Kochhar’s late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, who traveled from Punjab, India, to Raleigh in 1946 to study textile manufacturing at NC State.

The crowd erupted in cheers and gave the Kochhars a standing ovation as stunned students realized their senior-year loans were gone.

“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve,” Kochhar added.

The graduating class consisted of 176 students who received their bachelor’s degree and another 26 earned a master’s degree, according to Axios Raleigh,

For many students, the surprise payout could mean a dramatically different future.

“As a daughter of immigrants, this money helps me and my family a lot, and I’m really fortunate to have an opportunity like this,” Alyssa D’Costa, a fashion and textile management major, told the university.

Prakash Chand Kochhar arrived in Raleigh on a scholarship to attend the then School of Textiles, where he was believed to be only the second Indian student ever to enroll at the university.

He went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school and build a career that took him around the world before his unexpected death in 1985.

The Kochhar family has made several major donations to the college in recent years, including scholarships and funding for faculty and graduate programs — but Friday’s graduation surprise may have been their most memorable gift yet.

“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said.

“A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.”

“Eighty years ago, a young man traveled thousands of miles from India to Raleigh with little more than hope and determination,” he added.

“He could not have known where that journey would lead. He could not have imagined the life it would create, or that one day his son would stand here speaking to a graduating class at the very institution that welcomed him.”

University officials said the Kochhars coordinated with school leadership and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to arrange the debt payoff before graduation.

“I could not be more grateful to Anil and Marilyn for this extraordinary investment in our newest Wilson for Life alumni,” Wilson College of Texiles Dean David Hinks said.

“One of our primary goals is to make the Wilson College affordable for all, and Anil and Marilyn are helping us achieve it,” Hinks said.

HAMPTON, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said its wardens are investigating the eighth boating death of the year following an incident on Watauga Lake.

At around 7 p.m. on Friday, the TWRA was dispatched to a boating incident at Rat Branch boat ramp after the caller said the operator had fallen overboard in the no-wake zone and did not resurface.

The victim, identified as 36-year-old Alexander Luster, of Boone, North Carolina, was participating in a bass tournament and fell overboard prior to the start of the event, TWRA officials said. First responders recovered his body shortly after 11:30 p.m.

TWRA said an autopsy has been ordered, and the incident, which is the eighth boating death in Tennessee this year, remains under investigation.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A graduation ceremony for NC State University’s Department of Biological Sciences at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night left hundreds of family members outside, frustrated and emotional after they were not allowed into the building.

Inside, graduates were met with pomp and circumstance as they walked across the stage to accept their degrees.

Outside, people shouted in confusion as they realized they would not be permitted to enter.

“I’m hurt. She’s hurting. We’re hurt,” said Dr. Darlene Jackson, a grandmother from Winston-Salem. “They’re asking, can’t we get here? But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.”

Families said they arrived about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, only to find a line wrapped around the building. Many said they were eventually told the venue had reached capacity.

“They are saying the fire marshal shut it down because it’s too crowded,” Jackson said. “They should have known how many occupy this. They should have had it in a different place.”

Sally Charlet said she flew in from Florida earlier in the day to watch her granddaughter graduate.

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“We get here, and we are turned away,” she said. “That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well, and they should have tickets. That would have made a lot of sense.”

According to GoPack.com, Reynolds Coliseum seats about 5,500 people.

Some families said they were especially devastated after years of supporting their students’ work.

“It’s very disheartening,” said Rhonda Bartone, whose son earned his Ph.D. In toxicology. “He did a five-year program getting his Ph.D., and we have no family. And they’re seeing him get his Ph.D. right now. We had to text his professor and ask him to please take some pictures of him. It’s hard not to cry.”

Several people outside shared photos sent by students inside showing empty seats.

“There was unfortunately not better planning for the hundreds of students, maybe even thousands of students, and, of course, thousands of students, even more people, parents, siblings, loved ones,” said Julia Norton, whose fiancé earned his Ph.D.

One father, Eddie McFall, who is also an alumnus of NC State, said he has three children at the university, including a senior graduating Friday.

“His mother was five feet from the door when they shut it down,” he said. “Won’t let anybody in there.”

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About 45 minutes after the ceremony began, someone came outside to address the remaining crowd. Families were told their only option was to watch a livestream from the student union or on their phones.

“I can go to my house and watch the livestream,” McFall said. “Who’s the event coordinator? Who from the school did this? This is awful, and it needs to be made right.”

NC State did not respond to questions about how the situation unfolded or why the event was not ticketed. The university said it provided a livestream for those unable to attend in person and had posted earlier in the week advising visitors to expect delays around the coliseum.