For the first time since their creations in 2008, incoming Watson and Odyssey Scholars took part this week in a specially designed orientation program that introduces the academically talented students with financial need, or no family history of college, to resources available to them as Elon University students.
The Elon University Summer Bridge Program is also a way for the 28 scholars to begin forging a common bond that university administrators hope will last for years. Through various activities – including mock class lessons, guest speakers, ropes challenge courses and writing seminars – the scholars are introduced to expectations that often vary significantly from what they encountered in high school.
“Our specific goals are for students to form relationships with each other early, so that when they get to school, they already feel they have a support system in place,” said Lauren Flinn, assistant director of the Multicultural Center and the staff member who spearheaded the orientation program. “We also want to orient them to Elon’s campus culture and climate before they get here, so it eases some of the transitional concerns that tend to impede first generation or low-income students.”
One such workshop took place Wednesday afternoon in a second-floor meeting room in the Moseley Center. Scholars positioned tables and chairs into a circle, where a discussion led by Leigh-Anne Royster, the director of student development at Elon, spoke on topics of sex, alcohol and drugs on college campuses.
The conversation was as frank as it was uncomfortable at moments, though students acknowledged during the workshop that the topics were important to confront. “You want to meet new people. You want to do new things. You want to find success,” Royster told the group. “Oftentimes, students can find that the choices they make in those areas … can either derail those goals or enhance those goals.”
By Thursday morning, scholars had filled a second-floor classroom in the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center to discuss a chapter reading with Laurin Kier, associate director of tutorial services and an assistant professor of sociology. The reading introduced scholars to the responsibilities of being a “global citizen,” which was followed by active exchanges between the students and their professor.
“My goal is to just make people think,” Kier told the class. “I certainly hope we’re at least getting people to question what they’ve always known. … Why do you really believe what you believe?”
Founded in 2008, the Watson and Odyssey Programs comprise recipients of several endowed scholarships. Watson Scholars receive either The Leon and Lorraine Watson North Carolina Scholarship or The Elon Commitment Scholarship. Odyssey Scholars receive one of five endowed scholarships: The Honorable Thad Eure NC Achievement Scholarship, John L. Georgeo Scholarship, Margaret Ann Hall Scholarship, Susan Scholarship, or Mac Mahon Family Scholarship.
Both programs provide scholarship recipients with support services such as peer and faculty/staff mentoring, coaching, campus networking, leadership and service opportunities, and funding for book and computer stipends. Some additional funding minimizes loan burdens while encouraging and supports student participation in engaged learning opportunities like internships and study abroad.
Leon Williams, director of the Multicultural Center, said that through the recruiting process, a few scholars may have been unable to visit the university for various reasons, and the program allows them the opportunity to situate themselves at a much slower pace. “This program is equipping students with the confidence, knowledge and skills to perform in the classroom at a high level while living a balance life,” he said.
One scholar lauded the orientation program for the community it helped to create among Watson and Odyssey Scholars.
“They make us feel like we won’t have to worry about things, that everything will be alright,” said Ana Brambila, a rising freshman from Graham, N.C., who would be the first in her family to earn a college degree. “This provides stability.”