Sixteen students in Elon Academy's Pi cohort were celebrated on Wednesday, May 8, as they prepare to graduate from high school and pursue new educational opportunities.
As Sirah Brent prepared to begin her Elon Academy journey as a student at Eastern Alamance High School, she was not sure what to expect and what obstacles she would face. Would she feel homesick during the time spent living and learning on Elon’s campus during the summer? What would the program actually entail?
What she found was support for her academic and personal success from not sure the faculty and staff at Elon engaged in the college access and success program, but from the fellow students in her cohort, Elon Academy’s 15th and named after the Greek letter “pi.”
“Academically, Elon Academy truly pushed me to excel creatively and critically among my peers,” Brent shared Wednesday night at a reception hosted by President Connie Ledoux Book for her cohort, which will graduate from high school in a few weeks. “I found myself surrounded by mentors, peers and professors who are not only passionate about student success, but are also invested in our personal growth. At the end of the day, they are preparing us to start anything.”
Brent and the other 14 students in Elon Academy’s Pi cohort are well-prepared for what lies next, and on Wednesday night, they were joined by family members and friends to recognize all they have accomplished during their high school years and to celebrate what lies ahead as they continue their educational journeys.
Elon Academy is the university’s program for academically promising high school students in Alamance County with a financial need and/or no family history of college. The program, part of the Center for Access and Success, consists of three consecutive summer residential experiences before the sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as year-round Saturday programs for students and families.
These 16 scholars have received 90 college acceptances from more than 30 colleges and universities. Due to challenges from a revision of the federal system for determining college financial aid options, many students are still waiting to hear about financial assistance but already, at least half the members of the cohort will be able to graduate with a degree with little to no debt. They will be heading to institutions including Elon University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Guilford College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Alamance Community College.
Associate Professor Kim Pyne, who is the interim director of Elon Academy, said that the time these scholars have spent in the program has been a bit of a roller coaster as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic but that they have persevered and are ready for their next big adventure. “You have been 100 percent committed to your goal of attending college,” Pyne said to the scholars. “You have worked hard, you have supported each other and you have leaned on each other. Now you’re finally at the threshold of seeing your goals and your dreams come true.”
President Connie Ledoux Book spoke about the value of a college education, and reminded the Pi scholars that they have received the preparation and the tools they will need to succeed in the years ahead. “We’re confident in your ability to navigate college, to know how to ask for help and how to turn to your peers like you’ve done in Elon Academy for support,” Book said. “We want to continue to be a support to you as you navigate your experience in college. This community stays available to you, to reach back out to and to turn to for our support and guidance as you navigate college. Congratulations for all that you’ve achieved to get to this point — we’re excited for what’s next in your life.”
During the program, several students were recognized for the educational opportunities that lie ahead for them:
- Chloe Grandsire is the first Elon Academy scholar to earn the Questbridge scholarship, which paired her with Duke University where she will receive over $87,000 per year. Questbridge Scholarships connect some of the nation’s most exceptional youth from families living with lower incomes with leading colleges and opportunities.
- George Thompson earned the Goodnight Scholarship at N.C. State University. This is another fully funded four-year scholarship program that invests in students from lower- and middle-income families in North Carolina studying in STEM disciplines.
- Ja’Sāi Branch earned a spot in UNC-Greensboro’s flagship student success program, the Guarantee Scholars, which provides mentorship, a vibrant community, and works alongside its students to develop innovative ways to overcome barriers to success.
- Three members of the cohort will attend Elon as scholars in Elon’s Odyssey Program: Jimmy Barrera-Mancilla, Venus Castaneda and Jonathan Mushi.
As they prepare for high school graduation, the Pi scholars heard from Janya Moore, a fellow Elon Academy graduate who two years ago attended her own president’s reception as a scholar and is now studying social work at Winston-Salem State University. “Before starting this new chapter in your life, I want you to know, it’s OK to not know everything,” Moore said. “College will be a new environment for everyone.”
As high-achieving students, they may be used to be ahead in their school work and being able to easily overcome challenges, Moore said. “There will be times when you receive feedback you don’t like, you don’t know how to adjust your bed or just your struggling on an assignment,” Moore said. “Please do me a favor and ask for help. Never be afraid to ask for help.”
To recognize their achievements and to help prepare them for what lies ahead, each Pi scholar was given an academic cord signifying them as Elon Academy scholars that they can wear at their high school graduations and a copy of “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times” by Mónica Guzmán, this year’s Common Reading selection at Elon, courtesy of the university’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
Emily Winterich-Knox, assistant director of college success at Elon, closed the reception with words of encouragement to the Pi scholars. “Your college acceptances and your scholarships are no mistake,” Winterich-Knox told them. “You earned each one of them. Believe that you can do this and that everything you need to make it in college is already inside you.”