The Class of 2019 Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows have already started building their futures in graduate school programs and organizations like Goldman Sachs, NBC, Deloitte, Wayfair and the Atlanta Braves.
The Class of 2019 Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows, united by their common interest in leadership, made an impact at Elon and are continuing to do so as Elon alumni.
These students graduated with degrees in 19 areas, including cinema and television arts, international studies, policy studies, political science and psychology. In addition to their rigorous majors, all 25 students completed a minor in leadership studies.
The Fellows are now beginning their careers with a variety of organizations, including Goldman Sachs, NBC, Deloitte, Wayfair and the Atlanta Braves.
At the same time, several other Fellows are continuing their higher education. Eric Cunningham, David Duncan and Walker Helms have recently begun studying law at Elon, Duke and Wake Forest, respectively. Katie Mars is pursuing a master’s degree in international development studies at the University College Dublin.
The Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program is a nationally recognized leadership development program designed to strengthen students’ leadership skills and abilities to impact themselves, their communities and their worlds. The four-year cohort experience builds a strong sense of community among the group and allows students to develop close mentoring relationships with faculty and staff. The Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program was founded by former Mayor of Raleigh Isabella Cannon ’1924 in 1989.
Upon graduation in May, the Class of 2019 Leadership Fellows were bestowed their Fellows medallions. Students reflected on their leadership journey, the program’s impact on their Elon experience and the road ahead.
“The Leadership Fellows program gave me a great start to my college career,” said Maya Eaglin ’19. “It provided me with a peer group and social group that helped me acclimate to the Elon environment. I’ve always felt like I was a natural-born leader, and the Leadership Fellows program helped me realize that truth. Through the program, I learned more about myself and friendships.”
Eaglin also reflected on the support from others, saying, “Fellows connected me with staff members and other resources that helped build my reputation at Elon as well. I would recommend this program for someone who is looking to explore more about their own capabilities, and to be pushed outside of their comfort zone.”
Susan Derasmo ’20, student director of the Leadership Fellows program, spoke about her experience working with the most recent Fellows class, saying, “It gets harder every year to watch senior Fellows prepare for graduation and start their next chapter. I have been able to watch this group grow, lead and fuel their passions, and it is inspiring and empowering. Their mentorship and leadership has impacted so many of us, and I know they will continue to do amazing things in whatever they do, wherever they end up from here.”
During their four-year leadership journey, the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows:
- Engaged in an early orientation experience, an off-campus leadership retreat, and Elon 101 courses together during their first year;
- Benefited from mentorship, both as mentors and mentees, throughout their college experience;
- Participated in classes, such as Foundations of Leadership and Ethical Practice, as part of the Leadership Studies minor;
- Traveled to Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Disarming Injustice: Non-violence in the Civil Rights Movement sophomore Winter Term course;
- Engaged in Study Abroad/Study USA through support of a $1,000 Elon Experiences grant; and
- Completed a common good project and presented at the first-ever ElonEx: Experiential Learning Presentation
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Congratulations to the Class of 2019 Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows Alumni!
Bridgette Agbozo
Reny Barrett
Hannah Benson
Jason Brunette
Josh Cadorette
Joyce Choi
Caroline Cirby
Eric Cunningham
Lilly DeNunzio
David Duncan
Maya Eaglin
Audrey Funk
Sam Glicker
Emily Golden
Walker Helms
Graham Kulig
Alexis Mahshigian
Katie Mars
Tres McMichael
Emma Ott
Leah Vail
Ryan Wells