Rise: Funding endless possibilities

In 2016, Elon Trustee Ed Doherty P’07 and wife Joan Doherty P’07 endowed eight Odyssey Program scholarships to make a life-changing Elon education possible for students like Jubitza Figueroa ’21, who have significant financial need but also potential to be forces for good in the world.

In May, the Charlotte, North Carolina, resident became the first Edward W. Doherty and Joan K. Doherty Odyssey Scholar to graduate from Elon, earning a degree in political science with a minor in women’s, gender and sexualities studies. It was a powerful moment for Figueroa, whose Elon experience has inspired her to become a women’s rights attorney. “When I first came to Elon, I didn’t understand that there were people who cared so much and who would go out of their way to help complete strangers,” she says. “But when I had the chance to meet the Dohertys, it showed me that there are people who are dedicated to helping others.”

The Dohertys are among the donors whose gifts and commitments have helped fund 200 Odyssey Program scholarships as part of the $250 million Elon LEADS Campaign. Deepening scholarship funding is the top priority of Elon LEADS, the largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history. Elon is now halfway to the Boldly Elon goal of 400 Odyssey scholarships, or 100 scholars per class.

In addition to the scholarship, Figueroa credits her faculty and staff mentors for giving her confidence to pursue her dreams. “I don’t think I would have had that feeling without the community and mentorship at Elon,” she says.

“It was a tough environment to navigate with the identities as gay and Latina that I have, but at the end of the day, Elon pushes you to become empowered.”

Established in 2007, the highly selective, four-year Odyssey Program is a national model for serving students with significant financial need who are often underrepresented on college and university campuses. Many are the first in their families to attend college. The cohort-based program includes some of Elon’s largest scholarships endowed by more than 25 generous families.

Odyssey scholars are consistently among the top-performing students on Elon’s campus. That was certainly the case with Figueroa. An active student leader, she served twice as a mentor to incoming Odyssey students and volunteered with the “It Takes a Village” Project, which serves children in the community who are struggling to read. In Elon’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center, she led training and education efforts for the campus community, helping to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA students. Similarly, her work in El Centro helped strengthen Elon’s Latinx/Hispanic community.

“People are able to be themselves fully in more spaces at Elon, and it was really nice to be part of that,” Figueroa says. “It was a tough environment to navigate with the identities as gay and Latina that I have, but at the end of the day, Elon pushes you to become empowered.”

For Marcus Elliott, director of the Odyssey Program, Figueroa is one of the most influential student leaders he has worked with. “She’s one of those trailblazers who is brave and fearless about being her authentic self and inspires others to do the same,” Elliott says. “She’s a gift to the Elon community.”