The Ridgley siblings have created a home away from home on Elon's campus.
Students at Elon University today can all remember their college application process. The high stress levels during the first semester of senior year, learning time-management skills and trying to figure out a way to answer your relatives at dinner about where you’ll attend when you might not have had a single clue. The pressure of making a choice can be so immense, especially after just a few short college tours.
But Lily Ridgley ’26 was able to “find a piece of home here at Elon” with her two older brothers, Pierce and Will Ridgley, already attending Elon as members of the Class of 2025.
“My brothers were pretty adamant about me coming here,” Lily said. Her brothers even went as far as encouraging her to do a poor job filling out applications to other colleges to ensure she’d come to Elon.
Even though moving to college can be a difficult change, she felt at ease in making the transition knowing she had her two older brothers close by.
“Having my brothers made it all better. I went to boarding school for high school, so I’m actually used to being away from home, but it’s really nice to have a support system here,” she said.
Additionally, she feels that Elon University is a great space to showcase all three of their interests. All three of the Ridgley siblings have different strengths and Elon offers each of them a space to thrive in each of those areas.
Lily is a double major in finance and economic consulting. Pierce is currently undecided, while Will is an environmental science major. With these different courses of study, they utilize different parts of campus as well.
“This campus has a lot of different spaces, which is really nice. I don’t really go to the library often, but I always go to the Oak House to study, and I know my brothers would never go there — I don’t think,” she said.
In regards to the social atmosphere of Elon, the three siblings participate in similar activities. Both Will and Pierce are in Greek Life, and Lily is making an effort to get involved when she’s looking for activities beyond her classes.
“It’s nice to be able to see them, but it’s also nice that I don’t have to if I don’t want to,” she said.
Even though they possess different academic and social interests, Elon still provides a space for all three siblings to explore their passions and immerse themselves in the community.