Caughell, who is currently starring as Jersey in the national tour of “Hell’s Kitchen,”  made a stop at her alma mater while performing at the Tanger Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, offering Elon music theatre students a chance to learn directly from a working Broadway professional.

Caughell’s ability to guide young performers comes from more than a decade of professional experience. After graduating from Elon in 2012, she quickly built an impressive musical theatre resumé, including national tours of “American Idiot” and “Wicked” and the Broadway companies of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” with Josh Groban.

Her extensive experience made her return especially meaningful for current students, many of whom had followed her career for years.

“I have followed Kennedy on social media since before coming to Elon, so it was super exciting to meet her in person.” Brooke Chamberlin ‘27, the first student to sing for Caughell, said.

That energy carried into Yeager Recital Hall, where students packed the space for the masterclass. Performers sat in the front row, sheet music in hand, while observers opened their laptops and notebooks, ready to absorb all that they possibly could.

Ten students performed for Caughell: Aubee Billie ‘26, Nate Kromer ‘26, Brooke Chamberlin ‘27, Ella Davison ‘27, Victoria Martinez ‘28, Leilani Miranda ‘28, Treasure Capers ‘29, Laney Gaston ‘29, and Grace Santo ‘29. After each performance, Caughell offered individualized feedback, adjusting her approach to meet each student’s artistic personality.

“It was clear each person who participated in the masterclass had different needs and different styles of learning, and yet Kennedy was able to cater to all of us in such an effective way,” Chamberlin said. “She had such a calming, grounded presence that cured my nerves as soon as I stepped on stage. Her gentle and kind demeanor also helped each of the performers feel safe to push out of our comfort zones, which can be a very scary thing to do when performing in front of your faculty and peers.”

Leilani Miranda ‘28 echoed that sentiment: “Singing for Kennedy was so incredible,” she siad. “I learned and retained so much from this masterclass. She is such a joy to work with!”

Miranda said the class gave her concrete tools to improve her technique, including “how to support a high mix belt and shape vowels while singing.” With Caughell’s guidance, she applied each correction in real time, watching her piece shift and strengthen as they worked.

Moments like these reflected the larger lesson Caughell brought to campus: dedicated preparation, proper training, and courage when it counts can take you from the audition room to the Broadway stage.

“The clinic experience is intentionally designed with the student and employee in mind, saving them as much time as possible,” said Madelyn Pastrana, community health manager in Campus Recreation and Wellness. Pastrana has been an Elon community member for 12 years and plays an integral role in organizing the annual vaccine clinics.

The vaccination process is designed to be quick and hassle-free. With an appointment, a bit of registration paperwork and an insurance card, you can complete the entire process in less than 10 minutes. This streamlined approach helps ensure that getting vaccinated is as convenient as possible for everyone. This effort is vital for maintaining the health of the campus community, which, in turn, supports the smooth operation of academic schedules, campus activities and personal endeavors.

In addition to the student/employee clinics on Sept. 24 and throughout October in Alumni Gym, two other clinics will be held: one at the Greensboro Law campus on Oct. 14 and another at the Francis Center on the Elon main campus on Oct. 8.

For more information about the vaccine clinics and how to register, visit the RecWell website.

After practicing for many weeks, the club basketball teams traveled 40 minutes to the home of the Blue Devils to compete in the tournament. The day and competition proved to be challenging with the men’s division having 15 teams from 14 universities and the women’s division having 11 teams from 10 universities. “I think it was great that they got to play against some opponents they would not have seen normally in other local tournaments,” Gentz said about the tournament. “They were definitely exhausted by the end of the tournament, but it is because they gave it all they had against some really tough competition.”

Additionally, Zobel-Williams had the opportunity to represent 51������ on the court as one of 21 officials from 18 universities tha were selected from a large pool of applicants.

Gentz remembers attending these tournaments as an undergraduate and is grateful to take part in bringing Elon students to opportunities like these. From networking, bettering RecWell as a program, or reigniting passion about their future career, opportunities provided beyond the oaks allow both professional staff and students to better their skills and themselves. “Every tournament I attend, I see people I met because of these tournaments and even people who were and still are mentors to me. If I am attending these events and still learning something, the students are getting so much more. I truly believe it is one of the best and most unique opportunities out there,” said Gentz.

The relationship between Gentz, Zobel-Williams and the club basketball teams transferred into the weekend and made lasting impacts back on Elon’s campus. “I learn something new every time I have a conversation with our students,” Gentz said. “Usually, it is a new perspective on our programming. I push myself to find new ways sport programs can serve the community because of them. I am better off personally and professionally because of our students.”

FIT EXPO 2024 was hosted by East Carolina University and had over 50 universities attend for the weekend along with 51������ and the 10 representatives Campus Recreation and Wellness sent consisting of personal trainers and group exercise instructors.

Julia Ashbrook ‘24 has been the group exercise team leader for the past two years and was one of the nine RecWell students represented at FITEXPO. While at the conference, Ashbrook and others spent time taking classes, participating in lectures and observing other professionals in the field including Assistant Director of Fitness Programs Jody Sobel.

Jody Sobel was welcomed to the Campus Recreation and Wellness community last July, making this her first FIT EXPO with Elon. Although admittedly nervous, Sobel took the opportunity to present this year at FITEXPO. After being accepted to present, Sobel’s research and preparation began. With over 560 participants, her presentation on personal trainers’ relationships with clients reached an audience well beyond her team of student employees at Campus Recreation and Wellness.

The relationship between Sobel and student employees like Ashbrook has provided valuable real-world applications, experiences, and mentoring. “This has been my most stress-free year as a team leader so far,” Ashbrook said. “Having such an amazing relationship with your professional staff allows for security going into my future after college. Knowing that Jody and the other professional staff have my best interest at heart makes me feel secure going into my future career.”

The weekend of the FIT EXPO provided Sobel with opportunities to grow her network and skills in addition to connecting with her students outside of the Elon setting and providing them with a support system that will last far after the end of the FIT EXPO. “The weekend taught me so much about how much I can trust them, and the capacity they have for what they can do,” Sobel said.

Linares has been the assistant director of the ELOA program since January of 2023. Through his direction and education of the ELOA program, Linares opened the door for students to attend COALS, where he spent the weekend learning hands-on hard skills, developing soft skills and building networks with current and future outdoor world professionals.

Fourteen years ago, the North Carolina Schools Outdoor Program Committee, a committee dedicated to all universities across North Carolina with outdoor programs, created the very first COALS to bring students across the state and various programs together for professional development in an introductory setting for a low cost. This year, Elon students attended this career-building opportunity at no cost. One of this year’s greatest takeaways and talking points at COALS was accessibility and diversity, equity and inclusion within the professional outdoor community.

“Historically, outdoor recreation has always been dominated by CIS gender, white males, so having conversations about how to make the profession more open and accessible is incredibly important for the next generation to know,” Linares said.

Linares credits COALS with providing a space annually that is dedicated to the betterment of the student’s professional lives and also the cultivation of mentorships between Linares and his employees. COALS allowed Linares to understand students and their needs for their current education, while providing them space to discover what their future aspirations are after 51������ within the outdoor com

munity Linares pointed out. “I want to give them a space to not only build their network, but also really get to see firsthand what their future could look like as an outdoor professional. Seeing those lightbulb moments where we’re in a workshop and you see something click for a student and it all begins to make sense for them is amazing to watch- almost magical.”

Next year, Linares will be taking another group of future outdoor professionals to COALS hosted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Are you interested in a future career in the great outdoors? Get involved with COALS by contacting Daniel Linares, Assistant Director of ELOA and Co-President of the NCSOPC and talk to staff members in the ELOA office about their experiences with COALS.

Contact Daniel Linares at dlinares2@elon.edu.

This past fall, 47 new hires were welcomed into the department in programs including Operations, Experiential Learning and Outdoor Adventures, Fitness, Student Wellness, and Sport. This spring, RecWell will continue the hiring process for the 2024 Spring Semester.

Maddie Battinelli ‘23 has been involved with Campus RecWell since her sophomore year as a group exercise instructor, teaching Barre, and Pilates, and focusing on holistic exercises. Battinelli describes Campus Recreation and Wellness as a “space to express herself” and credits RecWell for helping her find confidence and develop leadership skills in professional environments. “I now have a network of people. And although we are a large group, we are connected and there is a place for you at RecWell.”

As Battinelli looks towards the future, she feels confident in herself and the skills she has cultivated at Elon Campus Recreation and Wellness.

Carter Stoke ‘24 is the Satellite Facilities Programs team leader and has been on the RecWell team since the fall of his first year. Stoke states that his time employed at RecWell has provided him with skills he takes into the classroom. “I’m a student who knows how to manage time and be organized because of RecWell,” he said.

As a team leader of the Satellite Facilities Programs, Stoke has developed confidence and leadership skills that he will take with him into future professional settings. As he goes into his senior year, Stoke expects his experience at RecWell to influence what he wants out of his future career path.

Three years ago, Ari Tristani ‘23 applied to RecWell in the Operations department. Today, she is a Koury manager and hiring chair for Campus Recreation and Wellness. As a sports management major, her experience with RecWell gave her the confidence and work ethic needed in high-pressure situations. “Everyone has a great work ethic and the people that I am around motivate me,” Tristani said. “Come ready to make friends. It’ll [RecWell] give to you what you give to it.”

Her employment at Campus Recreation and Wellness has opened doors for Tristani professionally. “I had the opportunity to intern for the Red Sox last summer because of the connections I made at RecWell,” she said. “My manager knew someone who used to work in my position and got us in touch. Now she is my boss.”

The RecWell community will continue to expand this spring! Job applications will open on Thursday, Feb. 1, and close on Friday, Feb. 16. For more information, visit the Campus Recreation & Wellness student employment opportunities website.

Allen Fleming ’24 is the current team leader of the personal training team and has been a part of the RecWell community since his sophomore year. Growing up, Fleming found himself enveloped in the world of cross country and quickly made up his mind to continue his path of fitness into college.

Through this passion and dedication, he sought to continue his path of fitness by becoming a personal trainer, specializing in cardio and resistance training. Through his time spent at RecWell, Fleming found interest in training himself as well as others. Last April, Fleming set a goal to compete in a powerlifting competition in the fall. This fall, Fleming reached his goal and received first place in the under 90 kilos, ages 20-23 division at the competition.

The interest in competing at a powerlifting competition sparked Fleming last November, and he began training for the event in April 2023.

Fleming spent 20 weeks preparing for the competition and went into it with the mindset of gaining experience and trying something new.
Once competition day arrived, Fleming recalls the environment as being “one of the most positive atmospheres I have ever been in.”

Fleming added, “I think it’s an interesting component of fitness-based sports because everyone is competing with each other, but they are also competing against their own standard at the same time.”

Admittedly, he walked into the event nervous, and credits Victoria Hagen, his friend and RecWell personal training coworker, for keeping him grounded in the loud and intense atmosphere of a powerlifting competition.

Fleming’s nerves quickly dissolved into adrenaline-filled enjoyment after his first lift. Fleming ended the competition placing first in his division. He credits RecWell with creating a positive work environment, which allowed him to carry that mindset into his experience at the powerlifting competition.

Fleming is currently on the accelerated track in the physical therapy program here at Elon.

“The combination of my academics feeding into my job, feeding into my hobby has given me a wealth of knowledge that I can also pair with firsthand experience,” he said.

Fleming will continue to train and pursue this newfound passion of his and plans to compete again in the future.

Josie McWhorter ’24 has been involved with RecWell and intramural sports since her sophomore year and has since earned the role of team leader. At the beginning of this year, McWhorter visited the University of Georgia where she participated in a regional officiating workshop for flag football.

The fast paced, two-day workshop was filled with classes and hands-on experience on refereeing for flag football. As one of seven female participants in her class of 35, McWhorter honed skills that have not only helped her on Elon’s fields but also in leading the rest of the intramural sports team here at RecWell.

As a part of intramural sports, refereeing was not new to McWhorter, yet the training program sharpened her skills and knowledge so that she was able to come back to Elon and train her staff. McWhorter viewed the officiating workshop as an opportunity to show her team here at Elon that it is okay to be in uncomfortable situations. “I wanted to show up and show out for my staff.”

McWhorter credits her experience refereeing flag football at Elon and her time with RecWell with her ability to communicate with both players and fans effectively while developing the confidence to do so.

After the workshop, McWhorter carries the knowledge that she learned not only into her own refereeing endeavors but also with her staff at RecWell.

“While refereeing, you hear things that you should not, and you should not have to put up with it either. This year, we have been better at holding ourselves and each other accountable. We have been able to enjoy our jobs more,” she said.

McWhorter continues her referee training and plays on the women’s club rugby team. She notes that she has found that her cross-training has not only made her a more skilled referee but also has given her a deeper understanding of being a more mindful player on the field. “The confidence that I’ve gotten from refereeing as well as the confidence I’ve gotten from playing helps to make me better.”

McWhorter is currently on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in exercise science, and a plan to be a physical therapist for spinal cord injury patients and amputees.

“My interest wasn’t born out of my being athletic, however, my academics and my education inform one another — like a cycle,” she said.