51������ Assistant Professor of Finance Andrew Schwartz was featured in a recent WalletHub expert panel discussing the benefits of credit cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees and what travelers should consider when choosing a card for international use. The article, “,” brought together financial experts to provide guidance on managing spending while traveling abroad.

In the feature, Schwartz emphasized that foreign transaction fees can quickly add up for travelers, making it important to understand the full cost structure of a credit card before using it internationally. He encouraged consumers to look beyond promotional perks and focus on how a card aligns with their spending habits and financial goals.

“One common pitfall is assuming that “no-foreign-transaction-fee” means there are no additional costs when making purchases abroad,” Schwartz said. “As with any credit card, carrying a balance, missing payments, or incurring cash-advance fees can be very expensive.”

Schwartz also discussed the broader role credit cards can play in personal financial management, noting that the best card is often the one that complements an individual’s financial situation rather than simply offering the most rewards or benefits.

Carla Fullwood, director of inclusive excellence education and development, has been selected as one of the

The awards celebrate companies and individuals who have worked to establish and advance diversity and inclusion efforts in their workplaces and communities. The winners will be honored at an event on June 18 at N.C. A&T State University.

“My work is grounded in the belief that inclusive excellence is not just an ideal, but a practice. It requires ongoing learning, unlearning and accountability,” Fullwood told the Triad Business Journal. “I’m inspired by possibility. The idea that unfair systems can evolve, that people can grow, and that we can create environments where more people feel a true sense of belonging. That is what keeps me committed to this work every day.”

At Elon, Fullwood leads initiatives on inclusive excellence and is a certified coach. She is a contributor to the Carolinas chapter of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. She was the closing speaker at NASPA Region III 2024 Summer Symposium, a featured guest on the web series “Good Trouble: Inclusive Pedagogy” and a guest on the podcast “Limed: Teaching with a Twist.” She also co-authored the article “Amplifying Student Viewpoints on Inclusive Student Experiences for Inclusive Excellence in Kinesiology.”

In her nomination, it was noted that Fullwood��is consistently recognized by faculty and staff for her “highly effective and learning-centered approaches to expanding perspectives related to diversity and inclusion and developing skills for equitable practices.”

“Carla demonstrates her commitment to building capacity for empathetic human connections,” said Randy Williams, vice president for inclusive excellence. “She deliberately creates learning conditions that help people see the world through others’ eyes and act thoughtfully with kindness, regardless of identities. The Triad Business Journal wisely recognized Carla for her leadership at Elon and in the region.”

More information on the June 18 celebration is available .

Cayden Tirak ’28 and Myka Thomas ’27 are the second and third Elon students to receive the award, following Jules Levanti ’25 in 2024. Tirak is also the youngest Elon student to receive the award.

“It is really exciting to have won this grant, and the funding will be able to help me take this research project further,” said Tirak, who is an astrophysics major and Honors Fellow studying “green pea galaxies” and the black holes at their center. “Being able to say I won a research grant for my undergraduate project is a huge privilege and will help me in the future pursue my dreams of doing research as a career.”

Tirak, who is from Lincolnton, North Carolina,��is mentored by Chris Richardson, associate professor of astrophysics. Richardson says this achievement reflects her ambition.

“I am beyond thrilled for Cayden to earn this very competitive award, as it not only rewards the hard work she put into crafting the proposal, but will also enable her to create new opportunities to grow as a researcher,” Richardson said.

Thomas, an astrophysics major and minor from Annapolis, Maryland, is using the James Webb Telescope’s OutThere survey to identify and group galaxies to build a catalog of these galaxy groups and study how they evolve.

“It feels incredible. Receiving this award opens up so many doors,��from attending conferences to connecting with others in the field, and it’s validating to see how much work I’ve been putting in paying off,” Thomas said.

Zack Hutchens, assistant professor of astrophysics and physics, says earning this award is a “serious scientific achievement” for Thomas.

“Writing a proposal of this nature requires the student to carefully identify an open research question, design a feasible yet ambitious timeline and persuasively present the scientific case for answering it,” said Hutchens. “The award also speaks to the novelty of the work Myka is leading with JWST-OutThere. OutThere is one of the largest survey programs on the Webb telescope, and I am quite proud to bring it to Elon for students like Myka to engage in.”

The 12 Undergraduate Research Scholarship awardees receive $8,000 to spend on research. N.C. Space Grant is a state-wide network of North Carolina higher-education institutions, industries, government entities, educational programs and nonprofit partners with NASA-related interests. The organization works to promote, develop and support space-related STEM research, education and public outreach.

“We’re proud to assist these undergraduate students as they begin their research,” said Sandy Canfield, assistant director of NC Space Grant. “Increasingly, we are seeing students integrate AI and machine learning into their��work, which echoes emerging NASA and industry priorities.”

The report, , published on June 9, spotlights Elon for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction. Specifically, this means the program is preparing aspiring teachers in all five components of scientifically based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, and avoids many instructional practices that research has shown to be ineffective or counterproductive for teaching children to read.

A child’s ability to read proficiently in the early grades shapes everything that comes next in school and in life, yet according to , four in ten fourth graders in North Carolina cannot read at a basic level. Teacher preparation is one of the most direct levers available to change that, but only if it is aligned to the research-based instructional methods that have been proven to help most students become successful readers.

Elon’s program in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education is part of a growing group of teacher preparation programs nationwide, helping transform how future teachers are trained to teach reading.

“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but 51������ is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”

NCTQ’s methodology is informed by a panel of reading experts, teacher preparation faculty, reading advocates, and measurement experts. To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, background reading materials, class assessments, assignments, and opportunities to practice instruction in required literacy courses for elementary teacher candidates at 51������.��

To earn an “A,” programs needed to demonstrate that coursework for future elementary teachers includes all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction and avoid teaching more than three instructional methods that are unsupported by the research on effective reading instruction. To earn an A+, programs needed to exceed those targets and not teach any instructional practices that are unsupported by research.

See NCTQ’s report, , for more information about 51������’s coverage of the science of reading and to see how 51������ compares to other programs in North Carolina or across the country.

51������ NCTQ

The National Council on Teacher Quality: NCTQ is a nonpartisan research and policy organization on a mission to ensure every child has access to an effective teacher and every teacher has the opportunity to be effective. We believe a strong, diverse teacher workforce is critical for providing all students with equitable educational opportunities. Fore more information about NCTQ, visit .

The series connects two significant milestones in American history — the nation’s 250th anniversary and the 161st anniversary of Juneteenth — through opportunities to explore the ongoing pursuit of freedom, equality and justice.

“This series offers our community an opportunity to reflect on the diverse significance of two historical celebrations during a complex contemporary moment. As we commemorate 250 years of American independence, it is a joyous yet complicated time,” said Carla Fullwood, director of inclusive excellence education and development. “Many communities, particularly historically marginalized communities based on race, have not experienced our nation’s principles of freedom, equality, and justice in the same way across the past 250 years. That is evident in the significance of Juneteenth, which marks the moment enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were notified of the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been signed years earlier. And that declaration on June 19, 1865 does not account for the many enslaved people who remained in bondage across the South, and in several Union states,��for months after.

Summer Race, Reflection & Discussion

Faculty and staff participating in the Summer Race, Reflection & Discussion series will gather June 9-18 for facilitated conversations inspired by “The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing” by Anneliese Singh.

Through the lens of racial healing, participants will explore how race and racism have shaped Americans’ experiences of foundational democratic ideals and consider what concepts such as freedom, equality and justice mean in their own lives and communities.

Registration for the Summer Race, Reflection & Discussion series is now closed. Registered participants should have received their copy of “The Racial Healing Handbook.” Additional details will be shared directly with participants.

Juneteenth Commemoration Activities

The Inclusive Excellence Summer Development Series culminates June 18 with a day of educational experiences, reflection and celebration.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum & State Historic Site Tour

From 9 to 11:30 a.m., faculty and staff can visit the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum & State Historic Site, home of the historic Palmer Memorial Institute, a pioneering educational institution for African American students in North Carolina. Participants should begin boarding the bus at 8:45 a.m.; transportation will depart campus promptly at 9 a.m. from the Elon sign near the Inman Admissions Building.

Freedom Footprints

Beginning June 8, members of the Elon community can explore Black history, activism and achievement at Elon through . The self-guided experience includes campus walking tour stops marked by lawn signs featuring QR codes that connect visitors to additional historical information.

On June 18, Shaunta Alvarez, interim coordinator of University Archives, Digital Collections & Systems Librarian and associate librarian, will lead a guided version of the tour. Weather permitting, participants will depart from Lakeside 213/214 at 1:45 p.m. following the Summer Race, Reflection & Discussion session. No registration is required.

Emancipation Celebration

The day concludes with Together@Elon’s Emancipation Celebration from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in McKinnon Hall within Moseley Center. Community members are invited to enjoy a Juneteenth exhibit, music, sweet treats and games while celebrating freedom, resilience and community. Participants can compete in a Spades tournament for prizes or join casually to learn or teach the game. Individuals and teams of two are welcome to

The Inclusive Excellence Summer Development Series is a collaborative initiative supported by Belk Library, Black Lumen Project, the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE), the Committee on Elon History and Memory, 51������ Archives and Special Collections, HealthEU Initiatives, the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development (OIEED), the Office of Leadership and Professional Development (OLPD), Together@Elon/Staff Advisory Council and other campus partners.

The events offered through this summer series give us an opportunity to explore that complexity with honesty and care,” Fullwood said. “The Summer Race, Reflection & Discussion series creates space to unpack our understanding of these complexities through dialogue and storytelling. The Freedom Footprints tour and Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum tour center narratives about Black experiences that are often untold or minimized in the context of American history. Closing the series with the Together@Elon event allows us to root all of this learning in community-building. We are proud to offer Elon faculty and staff opportunities to learn, reflect, and heal together.”

Norfolk Southern is beginning preparatory work along the rail line through Elon as part of the Carolinian Piedmont Passenger Rail Improvement Project. This effort is in advance of full rail line replacement work scheduled to take place in August.

Over the next several weeks in June – and perhaps into early July – this preparatory work will result in intermittent, temporary closures at rail crossings. Based on information shared by the Town of Elon, closures are expected to occur Monday through Thursday and may last from one to several hours at a time. More than one crossing may be closed simultaneously. The following rail crossings may be affected:

• Williamson Avenue
• Church Street
• ��������������Գܱ�
• York Road
• Gilliam Road

Specific closure dates and times have not yet been provided. NCDOT will place detour signage at affected locations, and motorists should plan for possible delays and follow all posted detour signs to avoid work zones.

Elon Campus Safety and Police will share information about specific closures through E-Alert as soon as we learn of them. The university��strongly encourages everyone to familiarize themselves with alternative routes to and around campus that avoid rail crossings. One recommended route is University Drive to Haggard Avenue. Planning ahead will help avoid delays.

“When you are someone who naturally wants to help others, like you do in the PA profession, you’re drawn to finding the need and fixing it. We’re trying to help in the best way we can,” Lytton said. “You don’t take on a title to do this; it simply comes from the heart, and it comes from an intention to be good for others. It’s very rewarding to have the benefit of knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life.”

The��AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. The Humanitarian Service��award��recognizes��a PA or group of PAs that��demonstrates��clear, lasting dedication to expanding access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations, and/or populations in crisis.��Lytton, who works in pain management in Alaska, is the president of the Alaska Academy of PAs and has made significant efforts to address the state’s opioid crisis.

“I see a lot of opioid addiction and chronic opioid dependency from high use opioid levels, but unfortunately, even in Alaska today, there are very high levels of opioid use disorder. It was very evident when I arrived in 2020, in the heart of the pandemic,” she said. “You see the escalating death rate nationally, and also here in Alaska, and that really prompted my heart to do something.”

Lytton partnered with Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian organization, leading a 12-member team to create 1,200 Narcan kits, helping to save over 300 lives. According to Lytton, two individuals specifically credited kits from their distribution site with saving a neighbor and a family member.

In addition to responding to the opioid crisis, Lytton has worked to improve access to healthcare services for Alaskans who face persistent barriers to care.��She is��a volunteer��with Remote Area Medical,��a nonprofit organization that provides mobile medical clinics delivering free dental, vision, and medical care to underserved and uninsured individuals��in Alaska. Lytton supported��screenings��for��more than 700 uninsured Alaskans.

As Chair of the Associate Board of Ambassadors for the American Cancer Society of Alaska,��Lytton has played a key role in advancing cancer awareness and support across Alaska.��Through coordinated events and sponsorship initiatives, she��has��helped raise��more��than��$100,000 for cancer patients. She��serves��on the Serve Alaska Board, supporting AmeriCorps programs in rural and urban communities, ensuring funding reaches vulnerable youth and families.

Her path to Elon started while she was working as a nurse assistant in North Carolina. When she expressed a desire to become a PA, a patient encouraged her to apply soon, and she took the advice. Lytton applied to eight schools, and Elon jumped at the opportunity to interview her for its inaugural Physician Assistant Studies cohort.

“You just felt alive on campus, and I knew in my heart this is where I wanted to come,” she said. “The PA profession is the right balance for me because I ultimately wanted to have a family of my own, I wanted to provide care to patients, and I wanted to be able to change specialties and have that versatility.”

Elon’s Physician Assistant Studies program continues to grow. The 2026 cohort was the largest in the program’s history. Elon doubled the size of its physician assistant class from 38 to 76 students, growing its capacity to prepare clinicians for communities across North Carolina and the Southeast. A PA program on the university’s Charlotte campus is expected to launch in January 2027.

“I am so grateful to Elon because they truly invested a lot in us. They gave us opportunities to not only do volunteer work in the community but also invest in the community,” she said. “My learning experience started like a seed, and it blossomed over the years.”

The Health Professionals Scholarship Program also provided Lytton with a financial path to her goals. The HPSP award pays a participant’s school tuition and required fees as well as a monthly stipend to help with living expenses and an annual book stipend for instructional materials.

HPSP recipients incur an active-duty service obligation based on the number of years of scholarship support received. Following graduation and commissioning, recipients are assigned to a military installation where they serve as active-duty officers until their service commitment is fulfilled.

Lytton says her military service, along with her family, faith and Elon’s commitment to service learning, helped instill values that have guided her throughout her PA career.

“Leadership begins with recognizing where help is needed and stepping forward to serve. I would advise anyone seeking to become a leader in their profession to look for unmet needs in their community and work to address them,”��Lytton said. “Even if the job seems somewhat small, the skills that you learn from community service and from community coming together and collaborating, they will foster in you this confidence that you take into your profession and become a natural part of who you are.”

June was officially recognized by the U.S. government as Pride Month in 1999 when President Bill Clinton proclaimed June “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.” Learn more about the history of the month��.

The GLC also hosts a Pride Month Community Coffee event on June 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Irazu Coffee. Attendees can get one medium iced or hot drink. .

Resources at Elon

• Gender and LGBTQIA Center��(GLC) in Moseley 209 provides support to LGBTQIA students, provides confidential support for survivors of gender-based violence, and presents on gender and LGBTQIA-related topics. The GLC is open during the summer, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on holidays. Feel free to stop by the office, email (glc@elon.edu) or call at 336.278.6228
• The Gender and Sexuality Living Learning Community��is a residential community open to any student wishing to explore topics around gender and sexual orientation.
• ��is a queer-straight student alliance ensuring a safe space for all queer people, existing for over 20 years.
• OutLaw��is a social and educational organization that fosters a supportive and accepting environment for LGBT students, faculty, staff and professionals at Elon Law.
• LGBTQIA Alumni Network celebrates��and connects LGBTQIA alumni by fostering belonging and advocating for our community.
• The Spirit and Pride Initiative��is a grant-funded initiative supported by The Carpenter Foundation and in collaboration with the GLC and Truitt Center to support LGBTQIA students of faith.
• RISE, a QTPOC student initiative, supports LGBTQIA students of color through affirmation, celebration, and elevation.
• CLEAR��(Coalition of Learning, Empowerment & Anti-violence Resources) is a��student-directed initiative supervised by the GLC that coordinates events and presentations on gender-based violence awareness and prevention.
• The GAP Fund��provides financial support to currently enrolled Elon students who are supported by the mission and programs of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center. The GAP Fund is made possible by generous donations to the GLC from LGBTQIA alumni, allies, faculty, staff, current students, and community members.

Community Resources

• ��is a nonprofit organization serving the LGBTQ communities of Alamance County by organizing an annual Pride festival.
• ��provides support for families and friends of LGBTQ people through educational materials and advocacy against harassment and bullying.
• ��is a community-led initiative created to form opportunities that inspire a sense of belonging for LGBTQIA+ and gender expansive people of any age, race and ability in Alamance County.
• ��(Greensboro) creates unity through programming and philanthropy that advances equality and inclusion for LGBTQ communities.
• ��works to to serve, empower, and advocate for the well-being of our diverse LGBTQ+ communities.
• ��supports LGBTQ+ people through services, programming, resources, and support networks that center their wellbeing and allows them to thrive.

Allyship Tips from the GLC

• Connect with any of the organizations in this article.
• Give��to the Gender and LGBTQIA Center to provide financial support for LGBTQIA students who are experiencing food insecurity, to have access to gender-affirming clothing and to make educational experiences financially accessible.
• Learn the history of the LGBTQIA communities from The Society for Human Rights to the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot and to the Stonewall Riots and subsequent Pride Parades.

Reach out to the staff at the Gender and LGBTQIA Center about other ways to get involved or if you are interested in volunteering with the GLC.

The competition gave students the chance to showcase their point-of-care ultrasound skills, compete with other students, and learn from ultrasound experts across a variety of medical specialties.

The team was comprised of students��Aria Keyser G’27, Varenna Minshull G’26, Trevor Minshull G’26, Sukriti Rai G’26, James Whitham G’26 and Chris Gentilella G’27.

Students��Varenna Minshull ’26, Trina Phan ’26 and Brooke Hall ’27 also competed in a “Challenge Bowl” competition and entered the second round.