The Scholarship and Opportunities Fair will feature a range of academic opportunities designed to support student engagement and learning at Elon and any applicable financial awards and incentives.
The Center for Access and Success and the Center for Engaged Learning are collaborating with various campus organizations and programs to host the third annual Scholarship and Opportunities Fair on Monday, March 4, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in McKinnon Hall.
The universitywide event brings together student support services, academic opportunities, and potential financial assistance or awards associated with those academic opportunities from across campus in one central venue.
Aligned with Elon’s strategic plan Boldly Elon, the fair will help students strengthen their toolkits for academic success, think strategically about ways they could enrich their undergraduate careers by building mentoring relationships with faculty and staff, and how they can use engaged learning experiences at Elon to achieve their academic and professional goals.
Sabrina Thurman, associate professor of psychology, has been instrumental in the development of this event since its inception in 2022. She recently published a Center for Engaged Learning blog post describing the importance and creation of the event, which began as part of programming for First Pheonix: A First-Generation College Student Peer Mentoring Program.
In the blog post, Thurman explains that Elon offers a range of high-impact academic experiences that foster student engagement and learning, and offer countless benefits for students from all backgrounds, but especially for students from underserved and historically excluded populations. These experiences “are often financially supported by the university administration, offer some financial assistance or awards, are led or directed by permanent staff and faculty members who possess significant social and professional capital to help advance students’ careers, and contribute significantly to persistence in educational attainment for marginalized or historically excluded students,” Thurman wrote.
Student attendees will be invited to pursue up to three different “adventure pathways” at the event, which will focus on Facilitating Integration and Reflection on Elon Experiences, building Mentoring Constellations (i.e., multiple supportive mentoring relationships), or Student Success. Attendees are invited to interact with representatives of the Student Professional Development Center, Lumen Prize, Center for Leadership, Counseling Services, the Global Education Center, Learning Assistance, Undergraduate Research, Center for Financial Literacy, the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, the Gender and LGBTQIA Center and many other programs and centers across campus. Representatives will be eager to discuss with student attendees the academic support and opportunities they offer and any associated financial awards or incentives.
“Ultimately, our goal for the Scholarship and Opportunities Fair is to help all students learn about the range of high-impact mentored academic opportunities (and the financial awards or supports associated with some of them) available,” Thurman wrote. We hope the event helps us take strides towards Boldly Elon’s goal to “deepen engaged learning, providing every student with access to high-impact experiences.”
If you have any questions, reach out to firstgen@elon.edu.