April Post, a 2001 Elon graduate, returned to North Carolina in 2004 and immediately made an impact in her classes, her church and for local Hispanic students and their families. In recognition of her efforts, Post, lecturer in Spanish, has received the 2010 Periclean Award.
Post began teaching at Elon in 2004 after completing her master’s degree at California State University in Sacramento. One of the classes she taught was the 300-level Spanish conversation course, and she wanted to add a service-learning component to its requirements. She teamed up with one of her former education professors, Glenda Crawford, and Crawford’s capstone seminar class to create the Amigos Club. In the classroom component of the program, Elon students learn about the social and educational issues facing children and families for whom English is not a native language.
Outside the classroom, Elon students pair with English language learners in Alamance Burlington Schools, including Cummings High School and Turrentine and Broadview iddle schools. Approximately 15 local families per semester benefit from cultural, service and educational activities with Elon students in the Amigos Club. The experience has proven transformational for Elon’s participants.
“It’s the perfect coupling of interactive learning and community service,” says a current student.
A former Amigos Club participant says, “My amiga, María, calls me all the time and we have conversations in both English and Spanish, something I never would have been able to do had I not enrolled in Professor Post’s conversation class.”
Outside of Elon, Post has brought energy and a passion for service to Integrity Community Church, where she and her family worship. Pastor Bud Wrenn calls Post one of the church’s “key leaders,” and in 2006, the church named Post its Volunteer of the Year.
Post drew upon her experiences traveling abroad in Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica and Spain to plan and lead church service trips to Mexico and Guatemala. She also plays an integral role in raising funds and encouraging parishioners to participate in service endeavors.
“She has used her skills and talents as a participant and a facilitator, introducing students and fellow parishioners to worlds they might not have explored on their own,” says an Elon colleague.
Post is the eighth recipient of the Periclean Award, which is presented annually to an Elon faculty or staff member whose service to the broader community exemplifies the Periclean ideals of civic engagement and service.