The top Elon LEADS priority was increasing support for students in the form of scholarships.
During the Elon LEADS Campaign, donors contributed $155 million to establish 287 new endowed scholarships, bringing historic growth to Elon’s endowment. Among the new endowed scholarships created, 127 were in Elon’s Odyssey Program. Donors also endowed 41 Fellows scholarships and 74 Elon Engagement scholarships to assist admitted students.
For the love of learning
When Sam Martin ’24 enrolled at Elon, he had his sights set on becoming an elementary school teacher so he could be the same kind of mentor as those who made a profound difference in his education growing up in Bradenton, Florida.
“I had a few really impactful teachers who were incredible role models for me, and I want to be a role model for other students,” Martin says. “It’s really powerful when you have teachers who have high expectations for you and make you strive to achieve.”
Fast forward three years, and those dreams of a career in education are even closer to reality thanks to Martin’s Teaching Fellows scholarship and the Gail H. LaRose Scholarship in the Odyssey Program that was established during the Elon LEADS Campaign to make an Elon education possible for future teachers like Martin.
Martin is learning how to connect with young learners by volunteering as a tutor with the university’s “It Takes A Village” Project, which pairs Elon undergraduates with public school students who are struggling to read. “I love the Village Project,” he says. “It’s yet another opportunity to work with kids and make an impact. The truth is, they’re impacting me much more than they know by molding me into a better teacher and human being.”
This spring, Martin traveled with his Teaching Fellows cohort to Dunedin, New Zealand, where they took two courses at the University of Otago, including a five-week teaching placement in a local school there. Martin is looking forward to returning to campus an even stronger educator.
“I want to instill a love for learning in kids,” Martin says. “I want them to feel free to be confused for a minute and allow them to sit there and figure it out. We call it productive struggle. I think it’s some of the most formative learning students can have. Once I see an idea click with a student, it brings a smile to my face.”
Martin appreciates the support and guidance of the staff in the Teaching Fellows and Odyssey programs. He’s also grateful to the donors who made his scholarships possible, including Elon Trustee Michelle LaRose and her brother, Scott LaRose, who endowed the Gail H. LaRose Scholarship in honor of their mother, who graduated from Elon in 1964 with a degree in elementary education.
“I’m indebted so much to the LaRose family in terms of what they’ve been able to do for me and my family,” Martin says. “It’s life changing when you’re able to come to a school like Elon and not have to take out loans. The gratitude I have for them is off the charts every day.”
Making a sustainable impact
There’s a reason Ariana Wilson ’23 is one of the most active students on campus. “You have to be involved in order to evolve,” Wilson says. “That is something that I have carried with me throughout my time at Elon.”
Last year, Wilson spent spring semester in Barcelona, Spain, immersing herself in the culture by living with a host family whom she remains in touch with today. “It was an amazing experience full of self-discovery and personal growth,” she says. “I gained lifelong connections and transferrable knowledge and experiences to apply to my personal and professional endeavors.”
As an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow, Wilson has gained new insights into her own leadership style. She has also fueled her passion for service. As coordinator for Elon’s Service Living Learning Community, Wilson supported first-year students in their college transition and deepened their learning about service and social justice within Alamance County.
In addition, as a Leader in Collaborative Service coordinator for United Way of Alamance County, in collaboration with Elon’s Kernodle Center for Civic Life, Wilson helped organize service trips with partnering agencies, led food donation drives, recruited for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and increased student awareness and engagement with United Way.
“Being on the ground and directly involved in the work and conversations with Alamance County residents was powerful in itself and a reflective moment of the change occurring and to come in the county,” Wilson says. “I’m proud to have helped set the foundation of developing engagement strategies for Elon students.”
Wilson, a double major in marketing and project management, also completed three internships, including at L’Oréal USA. After graduation, she will begin her career working in the company’s consumer products division. “I feel blessed that I’ve been able to attend Elon and build relationships with professors and staff who have provided guidance and support,” she says.
Wilson is thankful to be the recipient of the Edward W. and Joan K. Doherty Scholarship in Elon’s Odyssey Program, which was endowed with a generous gift from Trustee Ed Doherty and Joan Doherty p’07, who served as co-chairs of the Elon LEADS Campaign.
The scholarship, she says, reduced the financial burden for her family while allowing her to immerse in the Elon Experiences freely. “I have been able to make a sustainable impact and build relationships with my peers, faculty and staff, and community partners,” Wilson says, “and in doing so, I have been able to leverage my network to receive a full-time job.”
