“Graduates, a commencement is the beginning of a new chapter of your life, and you are now armed with the knowledge from an advanced degree to begin something new,” Gaither said. “The Elon motto is ‘numen lumen,’ which signifies spiritual light and intellectual light. At Elon, you have walked in the light. Now, you enter the world as the light.”

The joint ceremony in Alumni Gym recognized graduates from the Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Business Analytics and Master of Business Administration programs in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the Master of Arts in Interactive Media program in the School of Communications; and the Master of Arts in Higher Education and Master of Education programs in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

Stephen Gyan of the Master of Arts in Higher Education program, who was selected to deliver the message of appreciation on behalf of his fellow students, encouraged the graduates to embrace the beauty of the unknown. A first-generation college student from Ghana, Gyan traveled 5,389 miles to realize his goal of earning a master’s degree and deepening his understanding of how educational systems nurture people and transform societies.

He shared how overwhelming it was at times to pursue an advanced degree in an unfamiliar country, an ocean way from his family. But Gyan’s Elon experience also broadened his educational and professional horizons and boosted his confidence in his own abilities, leading him to pursue his Ph.D. this September.

“There’s power in the unknown, and it’s important to reframe it as a catalyst for action,” Gyan said. “Life may be complex, but I firmly believe that when we trust ourselves and take initiative in the present moment, the world will conspire to help us achieve our dreams.”

Gyan said he believes that earning their master’s degrees Wednesday night signified a stepping stone for the future he and his fellow graduates want to create for themselves. With a commitment to learning continuously, constantly seeking mentorship and acting proactively, he said he felt confident the graduates would leave Elon well equipped to take on whatever comes next for them.

“Let’s draw inspiration from taking small steps even when the path isn’t clear,” Gyan said. “By doing this, we become bold, action-oriented and willing to experiment. It will free us from the fear of inadequacy and imposter syndrome and empower us to embrace the humanity that includes failure as part of our journey. After all, our actions can have a variety of outcomes – it can be good, it can be bad or somewhere in between. But the most important thing is that we would have tried. Colleagues, let’s choose to be optimistic and embrace the positive world that awaits us.”

André Valcour, vice president and laboratory director with the Center for Esoteric Testing and discipline director of allergy, coagulation and endocrinology at Labcorp, echoed the importance of lifelong learning in his keynote address. He remarked on humans’ capacity to adapt to change and reflected on how rapidly the world has evolved throughout his own educational and professional journey.

When he took his first computer programming course in college, he submitted his homework on punch cards. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Vermont was the school’s first to be written on a word processor rather than a typewriter. Today, people carry computers in their pockets or wear them on their wrists and are now experimenting with artificial intelligence as a resource. To keep up with such exponential evolution, Valcour said it’s imperative that people always aspire to learn.

“To soar in the age of explosive change, you will need to constantly increase your knowledge and skills,” said Valcour, a 2014 graduate of Elon’s MBA program. “You will need to be a lifelong learner to be a lifelong success. The days when you could get a four-year degree or even a graduate degree and think that it would sustain you for a lifetime are over.”

To be successful in today’s world, Valcour encouraged the graduates to routinely assess what further self-development they need, what further knowledge and skills they need, what standards they should set for themselves and what strengths they should employ. He also urged them to be proactive in exploring mentoring relationships with people who are smarter than them, people who will provide guidance and support, and people who will challenge them.

“You must remember that if you will be successful in this kind of relationship, you must be open to criticism, you must have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and, most of all, you must be passionate about your goals and be willing to take risks to achieve them,” Valcour said.

Valcour also underscored the importance of not only learning throughout your career but using that knowledge to empower the success of others. Leadership, he said, is not about a person’s position, but about their actions, their innovations and their influence.

“Be the kind of leader that makes others successful,” Valcour said. “Use your talents to effect positive change. Above all, maintain a strong moral compass. Your integrity is your most valuable asset.”

In her charge the graduates, President Connie Ledoux Book said she hoped they would carry Elon’s core values of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect with them as they begin their next chapter as master’s degree recipients.

“Use these Elon values when you encounter hard choices,” Book said. “Lean on them – and each other – when you need to reason things out. Remember, we are forever bound together by these values – you, me, your classmates, faculty, staff, Elon.”

Candidates for the Master of Science in Accounting Degree

Alex Belveal

Katlin S. Bollenbach

Blake C. Cleven

Liam M. Dabagian

Tommy Dimock

Claire E. Doherty

Taylor Getz

Kaitlin A. King

Jack C. McAuliffe

Jackie Schmidt

Ariston J. Tomes

Jake Varady

Julia C. Vide

Callum R. Walker

Candidates for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Degree

Annabelle Ackroyd

Jessica Booth

Jack Cutler

Rafi Dahdal

Léanna Dejean

Justine Dobral

Matthew Downing

Raphael Engelhard

Luca Erhardt

Zac Ervin

Zane Bruce Gilbert

Kai Glass

Chazz Harley

Nazhiyah Hayes

Dylan Heap

Kathryn Johnson

Maya Johnson

Daniel Martin

Drew Ellen Menscer

Hannah Miller

Ajay Nimmala

Caleb Ogunmola

Tate Ostrowski

Shane Paradine

Edoardo Righetti

Victor Roche

Isak Sedin

Suman Sharma

Trinity Roshni Swepson

Vanessa Taylor

Jabril Williams

Jun Yin

Candidates for the Master of Business Administration Degree

Kyra Auguste

Richard Bechtold

Quintin Brenner

Frederick Brown

Jose Daniel Castillo Solano

Felicia Cenca

Major Duckett

April Dawn Dudash

Jessica Hamrick Hart

Nitish Kumar

Meghann Mae Lail

Breanna Lewis

Aeriel Miller

David Eugene Morgan III

Jasmine C. Ryant

Victoria Schneider

Warren Snell

Brandon Jade Swindell

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Interactive Media Degree

Raven Monique Abbott

Jessica Maris Baker

Andrew Allen Dryfoos

Isabella Maria Szalay Hilditch

Tishana Trinity Jackson

Kaitlin N. McGoogan

Cameron Xavier Rosebud

Gabriella R. Sable

Denise Yvonne Simmons

Abigail Sparkman

Morgan Sierra Stankiewicz

Amaya C. Waddy

Puxin Zhao

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Higher Education Degree

Hao Chun Chi

Julia Ruth DeWitt

Darynha Gnep

Elana Rae Gutmann

Stephen Gyan

Caleigh Shea MacKinnon

Marie-Clare Oluebube Ofoegbu

Elijah Pennock

Vanessa Lorraine Truelove

Haley Nicole Turczynski

Alexandra Lucia Weaver

Candidates for the Master of Education Degree

Robert A Alvis

Fernando Antonio Arevalo Rodriguez

Wanying Deng

Yanmei Duan

Maria Florencia Guida

Alexa Perkins LaTorre

Wenting Li

Zongchao Mu

April Ashford Siler

Madeleine Steffani Tapia Solis

Before they crossed the Commencement stage and received their diplomas on Wednesday, May 17, Participate Learning CEO David Young urged the spring graduates from some of Elon’s masters-level programs to carry their passion for learning with them through whatever comes next in their professional journeys.

Young reminded them that graduation is a fixed point in time, and the world keeps changing every day. But as our society, economy and planet rapidly evolve, Elon graduates share a significant characteristic that will ensure their success far beyond their technical skills.

“You have proven that you have learned how to learn, and you have done this repeatedly, time and time again, for many years,” Young said. “Elon is and has always been committed to lifelong learning and has provided you with everything you need to be a continuous and curious learner for decades to come. Not everybody has this capacity, and it is a clear differentiator as you enter or re-enter the job market.”

The joint ceremony in Alumni Gym recognized graduates from the Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Business Analytics and Master of Business Administration programs in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the Master of Arts in Interactive Media program in the School of Communications; and the Master of Arts in Higher Education and Master of Education programs in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

Jason Smith G’23 of the MBA program, who was selected to deliver the message of appreciation on behalf of his fellow students, applauded the time, energy and dedication that graduates from all six programs devoted to earning their degrees. Inspired by his pastor, Smith focuses on one word to live by each year, such as grace, patience and gratitude. He framed his address to his fellow graduates around his word for 2023 – silence.

“Today we celebrate loudly and proudly,” Smith said. “This Commencement day is all about talking, speaking and congratulating. But silence is not about quietness. Silence is slowing down. Silence is stillness.”

Smith acknowledged the hard work, sacrifices and compromises that each graduate poured into obtaining their master’s degrees. Moving forward, he encouraged his classmates to honor that effort by embracing the peace that comes with silence.

“Each one of you is a high achiever and high performer, reaching what only 10% of Americans will ever obtain,” Smith said. “How do we blend high performance, success, silence and stillness? My suggestions are to live in the present. Always use paid time off. Always. Talk less. Listen more. Practice gratitude. Check in on your friends. Enjoy work but still leave early. Attend your children’s activities but stay late. Have a date night with your significant other all of the time. Call your parents. Class of 2023, learn to love stillness and silence.”

In his keynote address, Young reflected on his own exposure to Elon’s dynamic learning environment from an early age. His father is former Elon President J. Fred Young, so he grew up surrounded by “the power of community, kindness, engagement and empathy” that Elon offered.

Elon paved the way for his family’s “lifelong pursuit of and commitment to global education and cultural exchange.” Young’s company, Participate Learning, is the leading provider of K-12 global education programs and one of the largest international exchange teacher programs recognized by the U.S. Department of State.

“Elon introduced my siblings and me to worlds that would otherwise have not been possible – visiting professors, guest speakers, exchange students, travel, languages and more,” Young said. “And these experiences taught us to try and stand in someone else’s shoes for a while and understand what their lives are like.”

Young urged the graduates to carry the rich learning experiences they gained at Elon with them to their next adventure. He said that as an employer who has hired thousands of staff in more than 30 years, he would infer that candidates with master’s degrees would possess certain attributes – like technical knowledge, problem solving, initiative, ambition and self-discipline. But he would expect candidates with an Elon master’s degree to go a step further, with additional characteristics like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, valuing differences, intercultural understanding and curiosity.

“These Elon qualities make you so attractive in the marketplace,” Young said. “And, by the way… your degree is going to become more valuable over the years, and I’ll tell you why – because if there’s one thing I know about Elon, it’s that we will never stop growing, never stop improving and never stop pursuing excellence until we’re No. 1 in every possible ranking there is.”

Young said he had no doubt that everyone who crossed the Commencement stage that night possessed those qualities, and he emphasized that lifelong learners often become excellent leaders.

“When I look out at you, that’s what I see – dozens and dozens of future leaders ready to enter the world and make a positive impact,” Young said. “And it brings me joy and hope to see, because we have huge challenges ahead as citizens and humans. We need you now, and we need you fast!”

President Connie Ledoux Book charged the graduates to remain resilient and steadfast in their future endeavors, like the mighty oaks for which Elon is named. Oaks symbolize the Elon community’s strength, she said – strength that also resides within each member of the Class of 2023.

“I hope each time you see an acorn, or an oak tree,” Book said, “that you are reminded of the personal leadership that you have developed during your studies at Elon, strengths and skills that I’m counting on you to use to make a difference in the world.”

Candidates for the Master of Science in Accounting Degree

Kaitlyn Susan Cherniss

Luke Taylor Chisholm

Yuzu Pham Do

Colburn Gray Ehrhart

Andrew Clinton Junkin

Hunter Autumn Leong

Jacob Stone McAllister

Brian Joseph McDonnell

Hari Meher Nori

Conor J. O’Neill

Jane Madelyn Ragland

Madison Schulenburg

Olivia Noreen Taylor

Candidates for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Degree

Gustavo Damian Atencio

Joseph Alan Baughman

Kalli’Ana Alize Claire Botelho

John Otis Bowen III

Kiana Aires Bradford

Michael Clow

Matthias Delbove

Baptiste Di Maiolo

Nicole Rose Dischinger

Abigail Marie Fusca

Franc Gàmiz Quer

Sean Elliot Halloran

Alexander James Kisch

Apolline Lartiguevieille

Nicolas Legeay

Benjamin C. Muse

Jehan Panthaki

Michael P. Purcell

Corbin David Skaff

Chelsea Paige Wallace

Master of Business Administration Degree

Sandra Paola Acosta Pena

Abdulmohsen Alzamil

Faiger Megrea Blackwell

Timothy Q. Boles

Skyler Christian Davis

Mary Marie DeFriest

Timothy Patrick Dengler

Lindsey Miller Furiness

Jacquelyn Renee Gauntlett

Paris Elaun Henderson

Olivia Creech Holbrook

Brian Scott Joyner

Aleah King

Quianna Lewis

Alexa Noelle Lowey

Sierra McKoy

Aaron Nana Kwame Ofori

Babatunde Sunday Opaleye

Quinn Patrick Reilly

Cassidy B. Richardson

Jason Smith

Kathryn Larned Soraghan

Rosemary Sparrow

Faisal Sulman

Kari Austin Taylor

Nathan Wyscarver

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Interactive Media Degree

Olivia Beth Archer

Shaina Danielle Catchings

John Edward Donohue

Abby Yongting Lachance

JaRiah Teree Morris

Sequoia Raven Nichols

Maya Nicole O’Neal

Hana Rose Sedivy

Courtney Lillian Simmons

Michaela Angelle Zeno

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Higher Education Degree

Jordan Ballantyne

Kelsey Frances Baron

Ivy Blue Breivogel

Toni Maria Formato

Mackenzie Grim Hahn

Martha Yulissa Lopez Lavias

Charles D. Presar

Sarah May Richey

Odaly Esmeralda Rivas

Amy Elizabeth Smith

Rebecca Elisabeth Wiles

Candidates for the Master of Education Degree

Michael Buttner

Destiny Carter

Valentina Cubillos

Manfredo De la Cruz Interiano

Yanela Ferrer

Kirsten Garrison

William Giblin

Erika Liseth Hernández

Ana Herrera Castillo

Javiera Leyton Alarcon

Emma Lu

Kimberly Manning

Marcela Marambio

Issac Marsh

Deanna Polito

Tatiana Rudiander Conte

Corey Waters

Hannah Wilpon

For the first time, master’s degree candidates from all six of Elon’s graduate-level programs that conclude in the spring received their diplomas in a single Commencement ceremony Wednesday evening in Alumni Gym.

The ceremony recognized graduates from the Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Science in Management and Master of Business Administration programs in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the Master of Arts in Interactive Media program in the School of Communications; and the Master of Arts in Higher Education program in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. Though they have different professional paths, all of the graduates will embark on the next phase of their journey united in the core tenets of their Elon education.

Kerrie-Jean King G’22 of the Interactive Media program, who was selected to deliver the message of appreciation on behalf of her fellow students, highlighted the common threads the graduates share across their areas of study. They are all lifelong learners who chose to continue their education at Elon, and they would all cross the stage to receive their diplomas and hoods because of their hard work, determination and drive.

“Though we have experienced different majors and concentrations, we have all had the privilege to learn and grow in a resource- and relationship-rich environment,” King said. “This is a campus where people who want to learn don’t just learn but thrive because of the resourcefulness, accessibility and inclusiveness that is Elon.”

King encouraged her fellow graduates to carry the lessons they learned both in and outside the classroom with them as they become leaders in their respective professions and to create the same kind of relationship-driven environment they experienced at Elon in their new workspaces.

“My hope for each of you, as we leave Elon, is that you stay curious,” King said. “Continue to seek out learning opportunities and use the tenacity that you have gained in your graduate studies to propel you forward and make the world a better place.”

Carol Cunningham, vice president of consumer insights and business strategy at BET, also focused on the power of education and human connection in her keynote address to the graduates. Cunningham grew up in Miami with a Cuban mother and a Honduran father who held education and helping others in the highest regard. With an unwavering work ethic, they made sure their family had every opportunity to grow and thrive.

Her father worked numerous shifts at United Airlines and her mother cleaned several convents and priests’ quarters for the Archdiocese of Miami so Cunningham and her siblings could attend Catholic school at a discount. They made sure an encyclopedia set was always in the house. They sponsored all 14 of her father’s siblings for U.S. citizenship and helped family and friends with finances because they epitomized “a spirit of each one, reach one,” a value Cunningham still carries with her.

“I know my life would not have been the same if my mother and father hadn’t come to this country to pursue their dreams,” she said. “James and Estela reminded us daily of what the United States represented for our family, and they had a love for education that was absolutely relentless.”

Cunningham’s career has been driven by a passion for consumer insights, consumer engagement and business strategy. She is fascinated by what makes people tick – their lifestyles, motivations, beliefs and values. That commitment to understanding people drives every facet of her work and has only grown stronger over time.

“If I learned anything from this pandemic, I learned about being an innovative disruptor, curating and creating content for change and doing good, making a connection with others,” Cunningham said. “… I’m challenging you all to speak up, engage and connect with others in a very real and necessary way.”

For the past 18 months, Cunningham has been working with companies such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and McDonald’s to help them understand how to define their own “brand bravery” and voice to more effectively reach consumers. She quickly realized the same blueprint she developed for brand bravery is equally applicable to human bravery.

“Lead with boldness,” Cunningham said. “Be direct in your intention. Operate with transparency and authenticity. Really embrace being transformative. Always be solutions-oriented; this world is riddled with enough problems. Focus on being an agent of cultural change. … Embrace your love truths and find your soul’s force. Walk connected to others by unifying and amplifying your voices so that they’re embodying the spirit of each one, reach one.”

In her charge to the graduates, President Connie Ledoux Book urged them to be resilient and steadfast like the oaks for which Elon is named. The oak, she said, symbolizes Elon’s community strength – a strength that now resides within the graduates as they begin a new chapter.

“I hope that each time you see an acorn or an oak tree … you are reminded of the personal leadership that you have developed during your studies at Elon,” Book said, “strength and skills that I’m counting on you to use to make a difference in our world.”

Candidates for the Master of Science in Accounting Degree

Dean Anthony Anzalone

Jacob Mark Bicknell

John Francis Carro

Carson Prado Jones

Taylor Nicole Kassay

Joshua Kyle Lim

Sarah Jane McCarthy

Kaitlyn Paige Moonsammy

Ciara Therese Mottley

Bennett James O’Brien

Giavanna Lucia Papavero

Nick Stewart

Ryan Stolba

Aisling P. Sullivan

Leah Nicole Traumuller

Candidates for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Degree

Ahmed Alsaba

Suma Amujuri

Wai Yee Irene Chiu

Matthew Jacob Edsall

Maxwell James Ferrari

Kyle Fränkel

Graham Oliver Hutchinson

Frank John Iacobell

Sumera Ingram

Tristan Michael Mazzulli

Israel Jacob Pattison

Alexander Hampton Taylor

Adel Vadkerti

Candidates for the Master of Science in Management

Catherine Christina Parsons

Candidates for the Master of Business Administration

Hunter Alexander Hampton Amos

M. Corey Bell Jr.

Ashley Nicole Capps

Henry T. Carkhuff

Salvatore Catapano

Steven E. Devane

Hannah Doherty

Derrick Durbin

Kengnjisu Fon-Ndikum

Brandon Rayjohn Freeman

Nicole Garcia Jorge

Alisha Brianna Harris

Blaise Andrew Haubert

Rynita Julien

Akinsola A. Kayode

Mark Allen Leath

Rosita Littlejohn

Graham Morris

Mark Edward Morton Jr.

Blanca Iris Padilla

McKenna B. Quinn

Benjamin Taylor Richardson

Charles Robert Rizzo

Eric Paul Roman

Chadbourne Mark Rumley

Nichole Skjerbek

Emily Elizabeth Squicciarini

James Tyrell Stanley Sr.

Michael Tanner Strickland

Victoria Waddell

Erica Walsh

Mary Margaret Welker

Donovan Miles Rivera Williams

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Interactive Media Degree

Diamond Alea Carroll

Zack Benjamin Fertig

Kerrie-Jean King

Savannah Starr Knight

Julia Ann Kocsis

Doo Young Lee

Christina Suzanne Marchand

Ana Luisa Martinez-Valles

Daniela Sanchez Romero

Alyssa Leticia Sandy

Emma Rae Sisk

Tyrell Kelvin Smalls

Ivana Danielle Spurlock

Sophia Jacqueline Theriault

Master of Arts in Interactive Media Class of 2020 Graduates in Attendance

Kwame Amponsah

Rakhia Ardasia Bass

Tabari Jamaal Boykin

William Arthur Brown

Arlette Danielle Hawkins

Michael David Hemstreet

Tehya Rashan Jackson

Victoria Elise Murrell

Candidates for the Master of Arts in Higher Education

Chanece Lenae Bigelow

Nicholas John Boudreau

Casey Madeline Enright

Corinna Marie Fonseca

Jenna Catherine Gibilisco

Allison Elizabeth Mannai

Emilie Phyllis Newman

Norma Edith Rodriguez

Brianna Monique Torres

Mallory Nicole Williams

Jamie Juno Wire

Nelson Rafael Ysabel

These 10 accomplished alumni from the past decade have achieved professional success, continuously work to better their communities and serve as loyal alumni role models. They are:

Carlos Andino ’17

Equal Justice Works Fellow at Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

A political science major and captain of the Elon Men’s Cross Country team, Andino assisted in the development of the Elon Student Government Association’s first committee focused on promoting inclusivity and diversity. He also held leadership roles with the Presidential Student Leadership Advisory Committee and the North Carolina Student Legislature, where he argued against LGBTQIA+ and racial discrimination on and off campus. After graduating a year early in 2017, Andino attended Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. He now serves as a fellow at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs in Washington, D.C. Over the past year, he has brought lawsuits against police departments and landlord developers alleged to have discriminated against Black and Brown residents of the district. Andino has also drafted legislation, testified before city council and hosted community events to promote the dismantling of systemic racism.

Danielle Deavens ’16

Co-founder at Bold Xchange

A journalism major with a minor in professional writing and rhetoric, Deavens was an active member of the Omicron Iota chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and an Honors Fellow. She also served as an editorial intern at three professional magazines during her college career, which helped her snag post-graduate roles at Food Network Magazine and Brides Magazine. In 2018, Deavens developed a strong interest in entrepreneurship and joined Venture for America, a two-year fellowship matching recent graduates with startups in emerging cities. During that program, Deavens and her now-fiancé Doug Spencer ‘16 started their own venture. Bold Xchange is a platform that makes it easier to discover and support Black-owned brands. The St. Louis-based company has been contracted to create gift boxes full of Black-owned brands for companies like The Home Depot, CarMax and CapitalOne.

Ben Lutz ’17

Founder at Al Fusaic

A double major in international and global studies and political science with a triple minor in Middle East studies, peace and conflict studies, and interreligious studies, Lutz was heavily engaged with Model United Nations all four years at Elon. He studied abroad five times, all in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region with an emphasis on Arabic learning. In 2020 Lutz founded Al Fusaic, an educational and cultural platform for resources related to the MENA Region. To date since its launch, he has published more than 500 articles focusing on language learning, history, politics, food, culture, a recommendations library and more, all related to the region. He also serves as director of communications and operations at Mediators Beyond Borders International in Washington, D.C., maintaining the global organization’s network of mediators who support international peacebuilding efforts through effective mediation strategies. Lutz holds a master’s degree in Middle East security politics and peace studies from the University of Bradford in England and is currently a Ph.D. student in the Centre for Religion, Reconciliation, and Peace at the University of Winchester in England.

Bill Powers ’13

Global account director at Havas NY

A strategic communications major with a minor in sport and event management, Powers began his career in public relations before deciding that his true calling was advertising. He joined Erwin Penland in Greenville, S.C., working with Verizon, before moving to New York to join McCann NY. He spent six years at McCann, playing a key role in the business stewardship of several brands, including Verizon, the United States Postal Service, Coca-Cola, U.S. Bank and SAS. He now works at Havas NY, serving as the global account director for JLL commercial real estate. Powers has also been active in his local community. While living in Greenville, he worked pro-bono to promote the activity of Harvest Hope Food Bank and started the Greenville Elon Alumni Chapter. While in New York, he was involved with Back on My Feet, participating in weekly volunteer runs with a local homeless shelter in Times Square. Powers now lives in Waxhaw, N.C., with wife Lauren ’13 and son Liam.

Cedric Pulliam ’12

Senior advisor for the chief medical officer, Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A double major in international studies and political science with a triple minor in in African/African-American studies, criminal justice and non-violence studies, Pulliam came to Elon ready to foster change both domestically and globally. He was involved in the Student Government Association, S.M.A.R.T. Mentoring Program and Periclean Scholars, among other organizations, and completed four study abroad programs and 10 internships. Pulliam has served as a public servant in the U.S. federal government for nearly 13 years with a focus on foreign diplomacy, global and public health, global human rights, infectious diseases, international development and multilateral diplomacy. Currently, he is the senior advisor for the chief medical officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy. He advises and provides subject matter expertise across the entire infectious disease portfolio of the office, which coordinates the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America Initiative and the development and implementation of national strategic plans for HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, vaccines and vector-borne diseases. Pulliam lives in Atlanta with his dog, Checkers.

Doug Spencer ’16

Co-founder at Bold Xchange

A business management major with minors in marketing and leadership studies, Spencer was an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow and part of Elon Volunteers! Through his involvement with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and a student organization called Men of Character, he frequently mentored at the Burlington Boys & Girls Club and Grove Park Elementary School. After stints in marketing at Fortune 500 company Lumen Technologies and venture-backed D.C. startup Quantified Ventures, Spencer enrolled at Georgetown Law School. He graduated in May 2021 and became full-time co-CEO of Bold Xchange, Inc., the company he co-founded with fellow honoree and fiancée Danielle Deavens ’16. Based in St. Louis, Bold Xchange is an e-commerce platform that makes it simple to discover and support Black-owned brands. Companies such as The Home Depot, CarMax and DocuSign have partnered with Bold Xchange to bolster their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The company has been featured in outlets such as New York Magazine, Glamour and Today.com.

Nasia Thomas ’15

Theater actress

Thomas grew up engrossed in music, from seeing Broadway shows on every school break with her grandmother to attending the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. After graduating from Elon with a BFA in music theatre in 2015, Thomas went on to grace the stages of many prestigious theater houses such as The Kennedy Center, The Muny, The Princess of Wales Theater in Toronto and The Ahmanson in Los Angeles. She went on a Broadway national tour and then made her Broadway debut in 2016 as Little Eva in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” She has gone on to do two more Broadway shows: “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” as Tammi Terrell and the revival of “Caroline or Change” as Radio 1. She has done some film and television roles, recorded a couple of cast albums (including the Grammy Award-nominated cast album for “Ain’t Too Proud”) and performed on The Tony Awards, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Good Morning America. She lives in New York with her dog, Romeo.

Ryan Vet ’13

Entrepreneur, consultant, investor and instructor

Before studying marketing at Elon, Vet founded Digi Tech Studio, a multi-national marketing firm that served more 200 clients in 25 countries, focused on supporting non-government organizations in their fundraising initiatives. He ran this firm for over 10 years, including while at Elon. Shortly after graduation, he was part of the founding executive team for Anutra Medical, a venture-backed medical device startup, before becoming VP of marketing at Netsertive, a digital marketing company. In 2018 Vet founded Boon, a gig-economy and marketplace platform that equipped entrepreneurs to rapidly build and deploy full-featured marketplaces. The company was acquired by Incolo in 2020. He also co-founded The Oak House at Elon with Phil Smith in 2014 and opened a Durham location in 2019. Today, Vet spends most his time as a consultant and adviser to many startups including Peoplelogic, DentalHQ, Vint and eWedded, and an investor in several other startups. Vet is also the author of “Cracking the Millennial Code,” an adjunct instructor at the School of Professional Studies at William Peace University and a member of the Forbes Business Council. He lives in Durham, N.C., with wife Jessica ’14 and son Braeden.

Mia Ginaé Watkins ’16

Communications specialist at PlayStation

A cinema and television arts major and Communications Fellow, Watkins was involved in the Cinelon film club and WSOE radio station at Elon. She also participated in the Elon in Los Angeles program and traveled to Hong Kong with the Imagining the Internet research group. She currently works as a communications specialist at PlayStation, where she has won two company awards and contributed to several PlayStation game titles including “Days Gone,” “Knack II,” “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy,” “MLB The Show,” “Death Stranding” and “The Last of Us Part II.” Watkins has written, directed and produced several short films and music videos that have screened at more than 15 festivals and won accolades including Best Music Video at the DC Black Film Festival and Toronto Short Film Festival, and the Platinum Award at Mindfield Film Festival LA. She runs an online writers’ summit, which she created with friends and colleagues during the COVID-19 shutdown, and has led more than 20 virtual summits with industry professionals from the United States, Canada and Germany. She lives in San Diego.

Mackenzie Zendt ’15

Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health

A double major in public health and international studies, Zendt conducted undergraduate research on HIV as part of the Elon College Fellows program. After graduation, she began her career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a community health worker in rural Kentucky. When the Zika epidemic began in 2016, she volunteered to join a CDC team deploying to Puerto Rico to respond to the outbreak. She continued working on several CDC emergency response teams while pursuing a master’s degree in epidemiology at Georgia State University. During that time, Zendt also spent a semester with the nonprofit organization Partners in Health at their location in Chiapas, Mexico, working alongside Mexican doctors to build a healthcare system for the rural poor. She is currently a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., where she has served on several interagency teams working to collect, analyze and report domestic and global COVID-19 data directly to the White House’s COVID-19 Task Force. She is detailed to the U.S. Agency for International Development, working on global COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

She received the opportunity through Empowered by Bumble, a music program created by the dating app Bumble with a mission to close the gender disparity gap and grow the pool of women musicians in popular music, starting with male-dominated festival lineups. Upon selection, Alexx was invited to perform at Lollapalooza, one of the largest and most iconic music festivals in the world. When Alexx found out she was part of the lineup, she created a series of TikTok videos detailing her journey. She practiced with her guitarist, decided on outfits and worked on her stamina. A couple days before her performance, she posted one of herself getting ready — getting her hair cut, her eyebrows waxed and her nails done. It went viral with 8.9 million views, gaining her thousands of new fans. “The essence of the video was to showcase how a ‘regular girl’ gets ready for such an extraordinary opportunity,” Alexx says. “I think the video resonated because people could easily relate to my no-frills approach.”

The singer-songwriter found an interest in music at an early age. “When I was 7 years old, I apparently went up to my mom and said I wanted to be a singer,” she says. Her family lived outside of New York City, so Alexx began auditioning for musicals as a way to sing. At 13 years old she discovered Taylor Swift, who is still one of her biggest inspirations today. “It just clicked. I was like, oh, I can do pop music, I can write my own songs,” she says. “So I started guitar lessons and songwriting and that led me to major in music at Elon.”

While at Elon, Alexx honed her craft as part of Sweet Signatures, Elon’s oldest all-female a cappella group, and the Techtronica and Elon Electric Ensemble music groups. “Those were the first times I got to hear my songs with full instrumentation, not just me and my guitar in my bedroom, and that really inspired me to continue because it just felt right,” Alexx says. “It felt like where I was meant to be and what I was meant to do when I was hearing my music fully fleshed out in that way.” She credits Senior Lecturer in Music Clay Stevenson and Associate Professor of Music Todd Coleman for helping guide her down this path.

After graduating, Alexx moved to Nashville and was hired as a content creator with Big Machine Label Group, Swift’s previous record company. Alexx initially thought she might be satisfied with a life working on the industry side of music. However, she still felt a strong pull toward singing and songwriting. “I couldn’t drop my love for it, so I decided to go all in. With some time and hard work, I’ve been able to sharpen my songwriting, grow my online presence, and rise up in the Nashville pop scene,” she said. Currently, Alexx is releasing singles off her forthcoming third EP, which is slated for spring 2022 and will feature six songs focused on her family and her roots.

During their time at Elon, Jordan Thompson ’14 L’17 and Karl Bostick ’15 were football teammates, fraternity brothers and close friends. Now, they utilize their passion for football and synergize their legal and marketing prowess to help up-and-coming athletes elevate their careers. Both alumni work for Element Sports Group, an NFL agency that provides athletes with everything from legal counsel for contracts to marketing experts for public relations, outreach and branding. The agency represents more than 100 clients across multiple divisions — from media talent and TV personalities to coaches and professional and collegiate football players, including Pro Bowlers, Heisman Trophy winners and top draft selections.  Because Element is a full-service agency, Thompson, an agent and legal counsel, and Bostick, director of branding and partnerships, collaborate daily to provide the best service to their clients.

After graduating from Elon, Thompson, a political science major, was accepted into Elon’s School of Law but deferred his enrollment to pursue his dream career working with an NFL staff. One month later, the Detroit Lions offered him a position. “Ironically, for someone who had just deferred law school, the president and the general manager at the time were both attorneys,” Thompson says.

Thompson interned at Element Sports Group after his first year of law school. After his second year, he worked in the salary cap department of the Washington Football Team, and then at Wall Street’s oldest BigLaw law firm representing all 32 NFL teams, where he gained invaluable negotiation and legal experience. Upon graduating, Thompson continued in the law firm’s sports law and global litigation groups, before landing back at Element years later.

Bostick, a business marketing major, broke his leg right before his senior season started. “At that point I really had to do some soul searching in understanding who I was as a person now that football was being taken away from me,” he says. Bostick gravitated toward sports marketing because it allowed him to still be part of the team. “Being able to go to the facilities and connect with my teammates and talk about ideas to promote the team gave me a sense of pride,” Bostick says. He developed a love for storytelling from the athlete’s perspective, which landed him a job at NASCAR working on brand partnerships. He expanded his repertoire working for Bleacher Report, where he developed integrated marketing campaigns for multiple Fortune 500 brands.  He continued to build his perspective on athlete marketing through experiences at Roc Nation Sports before joining Element Sports Group.

After a few years apart building their respective careers, Thompson and Bostick reconnected to talk about their futures and career goals. “We felt like it was the right time in our respective journeys to see if there was a way we could work together, leveraging his experience on the representation side and what I do from a brand-building perspective,” Bostick says. When a brand partnerships position opened up at Element, Thompson immediately thought of his former teammate. “I knew Karl was super talented and I was calling him every day to get him here,” Thompson says. “He’s one of my closest friends, fraternity brother and former teammate, so I already knew we would work well together.”

Matt Zobel, director of client marketing at Element, helps Bostick manage marketing and branding endeavors and praises the attention his colleagues have garnered in the competitive, niche industry of athlete representation. “Both these guys hit the ground running when they got out of school,” Zobel says. “They are definitely two of the most respected people in our business. It is an honor to work with both of them in the same office.”

What made you want to transition from being an athlete to coaching? 

Coach Red Wilson gave me the opportunity to be an undergraduate assistant and coach the freshman football team at Elon, which included handling all the scouting duties. This helped solidify my choice to become a head coach.

Did your experience as an Elon football player impact your coaching style?

Yes. While playing under Coach George Tucker and winning the Carolina Conference my freshman year, he seemed to always get the most out of his players. I knew I felt the same passion for winning.

What did it feel like to be inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame?

When I began coaching, I never focused on breaking records or receiving any honors; I was just wanting to win the next game in front of me. So receiving this national recognition after all of those hard-fought years was definitely one of the biggest highlights in my career.

You are also the winningest high school football coach in North Carolina history with 413 wins. How did you lead your teams to this momentous achievement?

Both of these achievements were possible by surrounding myself with great assistant coaches and very dedicated players. Breaking the record was extra special for not only myself but also my staff, players, school and community because it was against our bigger rival, Swain County, on their home turf.

What inspired you to continue coaching for so long?

Before retiring this year, my biggest inspiration was being able to work with my players on a daily basis in hopes of impacting their lives in a positive way on and off the playing field.

How has coaching shaped you as a person?

Coaching has taught me to be a leader and a team player. Football is a team sport and coaching has taught me to look at the big picture, which is to always look for what is in the best interest of all included, not just the individual.

By Jasmine Turner ’15

When I think of the phrase “always in your corner,” Marilyn Slade immediately comes to mind. Mentorship and friendships can be the foundation of a successful college experience. A support system can help you through every high and low. Ms. Marilyn, or “Mama Marilyn,” as she is known to many, has been a constant in my life for the past decade.

As a first-year student, I would quietly sit at the front of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, formerly known as the Multicultural Center, waiting for weekly meetings. One day we started talking, and the rest is history.

We have shared moments of vulnerability but also had plenty of laughs. It was often the highlight of my day to walk upstairs in the Moseley Center, turn the corner and see Ms. Marilyn sitting at the front desk of the CREDE. It brought a sense of relief. She is a safe space and the embodiment of the pillars of the university’s honor code: honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.

Always a listener and a supporter, you could count on Mama Marilyn to be there if you invited her to support a concert for Gospel Choir, a fundraiser or your wedding day, years after graduation. Even her local church family embraced students, her “Elon babies,” as we would attend services throughout our time in school. To this day, it means so much more than she will ever know to get messages on holidays and birthdays or to see a post on social media congratulating us on life accomplishments. It is proof of a bond and support system formed at Elon that has lasted well beyond my time as a student there.

As Elon Day 2021 was approaching, I was reflecting on my time in school, scrolling through old photos in an effort to put into words what my four years meant. I came across a moment captured on camera of Ms. Marilyn and me hugging after I received my diploma and couldn’t help but smile. I immediately sent it to her and felt such a sense of gratitude. No matter the years that have passed, no matter the distance, I can rest assured Marilyn Slade will always be in my corner, and I will always be in hers as well.

Jasmine Turner ’15 is a three-time Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter for NBC 12 News in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. In addition to life in local news, she is a wellness educator, certified in teaching yoga and meditation.

Depro has two decades of experience in economic consulting and spent many years conducting research on the economics of environmental justice. The premise of environmental economics, he says, is to use an economist’s way of looking at behavior to try to understand and solve environmental problems. Through real-world applications, interdisciplinary readings and research projects, the class exposes students to the ever-growing array of topics that economists study.

Depro’s favorite aspect of Markets and Environmental Justice is the interdisciplinary approach applied throughout the course. “It allows me to think about the discipline I am trained in but also look at the blind spots economists have,” he says.

During the course, students develop a plan to explore other Elon courses that examine environmental topics from a non-economics perspective to compare and contrast how different disciplines analyze complex issues. “Students understand where the differences lie in terms of assumptions and viewpoints,” Depro says.

Depro sees an opportunity for students to recognize environmental economics as a relevant topic that allows for critiquing assumptions economists often make. “It’s both self-critiquing the discipline but also applying it to an area many people do not think economists consider or study,” he says. His main goal is to provide a lens for economics students to think about environmental issues they might not be exposed to in a traditional bachelor-level setting.

Although Markets and Environmental Justice is a 300-level course, the only prerequisite is the intro-level economics course offered in Elon’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. This unique aspect allows students in any major who are interested in current environmental problems to learn about and dissect approaches to combating these issues.

Because the class is heavily application-based, Depro hopes students will take the practicum beyond the classroom and into the workplace and use it to guide future conversations and decisions surrounding environmental economics. “I want to make sure students understand economists’ arguments beyond a superficial level so they can more successfully state their concerns and challenge those arguments,” he says.

51������ the Professor

Brooks Depro joined Elon’s full-time faculty in 2017. His research focuses on environmental regulation, housing choices, environmental health risks and teaching economics. He currently serves as faculty adviser of Elon’s B.S.B.A. in Economic Consulting.

Recommended Materials

“Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility,” by Dorceta E. Taylor

When our plane descended into the Kabul airport in 2011, the dazzling beauty of the striated mountains surrounding the tarmac gave way to the reality of entering a war zone. Old memories and mounting anxiety washed over me as we made our way through the barren airport. I was five years out of the Marine Corps, where I served in Iraq in 2005.  My colleague and I were alone now, hailing a taxi outside the airport, just a pair of Westerners in a sea of Afghans, eager to shed light on a forgotten war.

We arrived at the International Security Assistance Forces headquarters to abandoned machine gun positions still smoldering from an intense firefight. After being spirited into relative safety behind barriers, we linked up with personnel who assigned us to embed with troops in Garmsir, a small district situated in the south in Helmand Province.

En route, I ran into four Marines with whom I previously served. One, a gunnery sergeant on his fifth tour, told me of his recent divorce and how the strain of the relentless deployment tempo became too much for his wife and family, another casualty of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We arrived at our remote forward operating base in Garmsir at dusk on an Osprey, an aircraft notorious for mechanical failures but capable of making tactical vertical landings and takeoffs like a helicopter. Our brief by the commanding officer was quick and austere: The day before, a Marine left the compound to retrieve a bottle and was killed by an improvised explosive device as his peers looked on from a rifle tower.

Tiny outposts dotted one of the only roads in and out of Garmsir; many bases had no running water or sanitation. Malnourished and exhausted, Marines told me of bartering goods at local markets in exchange for fresh fruits and vegetables. Taliban intimidation abounded as we patrolled surrounding areas, but the Marines’ morale was still high—and they were so young, many born shortly before the start of the war.

I nearly wept when we arrived at a school that recently opened after being shuttered for six years by the Taliban. The Afghan military manned a rifle tower while children filed into the compound, its classrooms nothing more than a concrete space with secondhand desks. I met teenagers there, just 18, who told me they were sixth graders because they had not been to school since they were 12 years old. I asked if they knew about 9/11 or Osama bin Laden; their vacant looks confirmed what I suspected. I knew then the American mission in Afghanistan had run past its expiration date.

The hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan is reminiscent of the rush to invade in 2001. Little was known about the country, particularly the centuries-old tribal strife and years of corrupt leadership, let alone a dearth of command of the languages spoken there.

Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, underscores historic attempts to change entrenched ways, and until Afghans, should they desire, come together to shape their future, the Taliban will reinstitute its draconian grip on the country. It is a blow to progress on women’s rights, education and human rights.

It is time to leave Afghanistan and to many, including me, we must now live with its aftermath and the unnecessary deaths of Afghans and American service members who stepped up so the majority did not have to.

Alex Luchsinger is an assistant professor of journalism at 51������ and continues to work as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. He served as a U.S. Marine from 2002-06 and received the Purple Heart.