Elon University is featuring a variety of photos every month to highlight the exceptional learning, work and activities of students, faculty and staff.
Elon University welcomed its community back to campus in January for a Winter Term that featured experiential learning opportunities and moments of personal growth for students on campus and around the globe.
View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications and participants in Elon University Study Abroad programs.
Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Eig delivered the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address and Liberal Arts Forum Lecture on Jan. 9, 2025, in McCrary Theatre.
![Jonathan Eig speaks on stage to the right. An Elon podium is on the left](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/250109_MLK_Jonathan_Eig_23-950x634.jpg)
Winter Term Study Abroad
Elon students participated in a variety of study away experiences, including travels to Spain and the university’s first nursing program visit to Cuba. More than 1,000 students traversed the United States and 27 other countries with programs available through the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center.
![Group of people walking in a city square with traditional European architecture and a lamp post in the background.](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/5Y5A2224-950x634.jpg)
![A large group of students and faculty, many wearing Elon University shirts, pose for a photo in a tropical courtyard filled with lush green palm trees and plants. The courtyard is surrounded by a historic-looking building with arched walkways, yellow and white walls, and green shutters, as the group smiles at the camera in a mix of standing, kneeling, and crouching positions.](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/IMG_0399-1-950x713.jpeg)
Burst the Bubble
Students led their own “Burst the Bubble” sessions: free, non-credit sessions during Elon University’s Winter Term where students who possess a talent, interest, or skill share their knowledge with peers.
![A group of young dancers practice in a studio, extending their arms in unison during a rehearsal. The instructor in the foreground, wearing a black top and gray pants, leads with focus and confidence, while the others follow attentively in the background.](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/250108_BTB_March_To_The_Beat_21-950x634.jpg)
Winter Term
Winter Term courses took on unique and challenging subjects. Assistant Professor Israel Balderas highlighted recent book banning conversations and their implications. The discussion was part of an interdisciplinary collaboration between Balderas’ Media Law and Ethics course and Assistant Professor Matthew Young’s Polarization & Civil Discourse class.
![Elon professor Israel Balderas stands in front of a Powerpoint presentation.](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/Balderas-16-9-950x535.jpg)
The room where it happened
Auston Henderson ’17 led a master class in Scott Studios for majors in music and the performing arts on Jan. 6, 2025. The music theatre alumnus is performing in the national tour of “Hamilton.”
![A group of dancers practice in a spacious studio, following the lead of an instructor in a gray sweatshirt and black beanie. With arms extended and focused expressions, they move in sync, surrounded by mirrors reflecting their coordinated movements.](https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/74/2025/01/IMG_2078_edited-copy-950x633.jpg)