Study USA launched its first summer program in Charlotte, comprised of Elon students interning with various organizations around the city while taking a class on Urban Design in Charlotte.
Elon Charlotte opened in September 2023 and recently hosted its first summer cohort of Study USA students, who lived in South End, learned about Charlotte through an academic course and community-based experiences, and grew professionally through internships.
Professional Experience
A key component of Study USA programs is the internship experience. Students engage in opportunities integrating knowledge and experience while building their professional network within the host city. Internships are a valuable component of career development and many of the Elon Charlotte students’ experiences were made possible by funding from the Queen City Internship Program.
Jack Halpern ’25, double major in business analytics and entrepreneurship and innovation, interned with the Business Intelligence & Data Analytics team at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont. Halpern spent significant time on an extensive project analyzing potential opportunities in the labor market, various industries, population sizes and more across the region’s 18 counties, culminating in final presentations to teams at Goodwill.
“I felt like my project work was really purposeful and I enjoyed the opportunity to present to the executive leadership team.”
In addition to his project, Halpern had the opportunity to meet with various staff members throughout the company to learn more about their roles and career paths.
“I’ve always thought about working in the nonprofit sector and it was really interesting to see firsthand how my passion for nonprofit work can align with the type of career field I am interested in,” said Halpern.
Christian Atwater ’26, a sport management major, interned with Student-Athlete & Institutional Programs at the Atlantic Coast Conference. The summer is often a quiet time in college athletics, but not when it comes to programming for student-athletes. Atwater played an instrumental role in the preparation and implementation of events for the ACC member institutions’ student-athletes.
Atwater said the highlight of her internship experience was “planning and executing events like Unity Tour and SAAC [Retreat].” Through her internship, Atwater explored the field of student-athlete programs and services in college athletics.
“Learning insights from people that work with student-athletes daily made me want to look into this possible career path either on a campus or conference level,” Atwater said.
Jenna Kate Gordon ’25, a communication design major, served as Brand Development Intern with Dare to Jump, LLC, a startup formed by Elon alumna and former Study USA participant, Daniela Pereyra ’16. Gordon was able to apply knowledge from her classes while learning new skills.
“I enjoyed creating the logo and working on the website” for Dare to Jump, LLC.,” said Gordon. “It showed me that I want to do website design and to take courses in that!”
“I’ve always thought about working in the nonprofit sector and it was really interesting to see firsthand how my passion for nonprofit work can align with the type of career field I am interested in.”
-Jack Halpern ’25
Establishing a Foundation
In addition to their internship experiences, students had several opportunities to grow their Charlotte network through the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance’s Intern CLT program as well as various events to engage with Elon alumni. On the first day of the program, students attended an ice cream social with Elon alumni living in the Charlotte area and were able to ask questions about the city and their individual career paths. Throughout the summer, students attended multiple lunch and learns, allowing students to learn about key components of professional development while also building connections with the wider Elon community.
The Intern CLT program “focuses on giving interns at Charlotte-Region based companies an unforgettable experience.” According to Sebastian Schroeter ’25, this program allows students “to connect with other interns formally and informally, as well as make connections with industry professionals that attend some of the events.”
“I thought all of the events they hosted were really unique and thoughtfully planned,” said Atwater. “It was cool having the opportunity to meet other people from different schools interning in Charlotte.”
Should students choose Charlotte after graduation, they already have a solid foundation of relationships to support their next steps.
Charlotte: Yesterday and Today
Study USA programs are an excellent opportunity for students to test out a city prior to establishing post-graduation plans. Students lived in the vibrant South End neighborhood and were immersed in Charlotte city life for the summer, walking the Rail Trail and hopping on and off the light rail in their explorations. Home to numerous sports teams, students were able to take in a few live sporting events while also engaging in hallmark experiences like the U.S. National Whitewater Center and Carowinds. Unique to Elon Charlotte’s program, the history, culture and design of the city were embedded in the Urban Design in Charlotte academic course taught by Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies Ryan Kirk with the city of Charlotte serving as “a living laboratory for field-based learning of urban design concepts.”
Students heard from local historian Tom Hanchett as they walked the streets of Uptown, learning about the growth of Charlotte and how racial segregation unfolded throughout Charlotte’s history. While walking the streets of NoDa (North Davidson), students observed the remnants of the textile industry and mill village turned arts district. The premise of this course is simply that every single aspect of the built environment is the result of human decisions.
Alumna Grace Eng Harper ’15 led a tour of Truist Field, home of the Charlotte Knights Minor League baseball team, and educated the class on its move from Fort Mill, South Carolina to Uptown Charlotte over ten years ago as well as the economic impact of the stadium in the heart of the city. Significant discussion took place around placemaking and stakeholders and their impact on urban design decisions.
Schroeter appreciated how the class was “geared towards how the city is structured and how its design impacts people that live there.”
“I enjoyed that we weren’t sitting in a classroom and instead had the opportunity to explore Charlotte and see firsthand the things we were talking/learning about,” said Atwater/
“I enjoyed that we weren’t sitting in a classroom and instead had the opportunity to explore Charlotte and see firsthand the things we were talking/learning about.”
-Christian Atwater ’26
Study USA programs provide unique opportunities for Elon students to immerse themselves in a city through academic, professional and community-based experiences. Applications for the summer and fall Study USA programs, including Elon in Charlotte, open on October 1 at www.elon.edu/studyusa. Study USA programs are part of Elon University’s larger National Campus initiative. National Campus Programs aspire to be an extension of Elon’s main campus by bringing the same quality, energy, engagement and service to constituents around the country. These campuses benefit the greater university by offering unique professional and cultural experiences to undergraduate and graduate students that they can only experience in these select locations and provide engagement for external members of the Elon community.