51±¬ÁÏÍø and the School of Communications will welcome its fifth Emerging Journalists Program Immersion cohort to campus on Monday, June 15, to kick off 12 days of hands-on journalism instruction. The 18 high school students will arrive to Elon from eight states.

“At a moment when trust, information and news literacy feel more important than ever, it’s encouraging to spend time with students who care deeply about reporting and serving their communities,� said Kelly Furnas, EJP curriculum coordinator and associate teaching professor of journalism. “Every year, this program leaves me optimistic about the future of journalism.�

The university is funding the program, allowing another group of students to develop and enhance their skills in reporting, writing, multimedia storytelling, leadership and media management. Beyond instruction, the students will collaborate as members of a working newsroom, producing professional web content, a newspaper and a television news broadcast, as well as tracking audience engagement metrics.

The Immersion experience also features several off-campus activities. The students’ schedule includes media tours of WUNC News and WTVD-TV in Durham. They will meet with state Rep. Jay Jeffers at the North Carolina State Capitol, visit the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, and enjoy a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game.

“One of the most encouraging parts of leading the Emerging Journalists Program is getting to work with students who care deeply about thoughtful and ethical storytelling,� said Colin Donohue, EJP program director and an assistant professor of journalism. “It’s rewarding to watch them grow as journalists and collaborators, and their enthusiasm reminds me why this work matters.�

Students will earn four hours of college credit for completing the Immersion experience and be paired with an Elon student mentor, who will offer guidance and assistance as students work on their own projects back home and prepare their college applications.

The program, established in 2021, is designed to educate high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in journalism and the media industry. This year, 192 high schoolers from across the country applied to the program – a record number – and all were invited to participate in theÌıvirtual Exposure experienceÌıin the spring.

“The students who apply to EJP are already asking thoughtful questions about journalism and impact,� Furnas said. “Our goal is to give them the foundational tools, mentorship and newsroom experience to start answering those questions in their own work.�

Related Articles

• Strategic multifaith engagement shapes the Elon campus experience
• Elon students and faculty extend multifaith engagement to the community

One of the central goals of Elon’s Multifaith Strategic Plan is to “support opportunities for multifaith learning and engagement for all members of the Elon academic community,� including through academic opportunities. While many students at Elon may take a single course during their time at Elon that focuses on the study of religion or spirituality, a select group of students specializes in academic multifaith learning: religious studies majors.

Last month, 11 students graduated from Elon with degrees in religious studies, the largest number of Religious Studies majors graduating in a single year since 2012.

“The number of majors in our department has grown substantially over the last several years,� said Geoffrey Claussen, professor of religious studies and chair of the Department of Religious Studies. “Students seldom come to Elon planning to major in religious studies, but students often take courses during their first year that whet their appetite for further learning. They are able to recognize how the critical study of religion helps them to understand the world, and they appreciate the mentorship and community that our department offers.�

Religion is anything

The course that hooked Tracey McCarty ’26 on religious studies was “Religion and American Popular Culture,� taught by Andrew Monteith, and explores how religion can be found in many unexpected places in popular culture and imagined in radically different ways.

“I was taught a very specific concept: religion is anything,â€� McCarty said. “This was a game-changer for me. To understand religion not as a cohesive and strict definition, but as this conceptual ball that can be shaped in any way. Seeing religion as not an institution, but as a thing that a single person can define for themselves, was beautiful.â€�

One of the goals of Elon’s Multifaith Strategic Plan is to develop courses that “support student learning about diverse religious, spiritual, and secular traditions and identities.� In the Religious Studies department, these include “traditions� courses that explore how sets of traditions often viewed as static religions are characterized by significant diversity and can be depicted in very different ways.

Tess Trayner ’26 explored the diversity of Buddhisms in “Buddhist Traditions,� taught by Pamela Winfield.

“We traced Buddhism from its founding more than 2,000 years ago through its development across Asia and into the West, and Dr. Winfield refused to let us treat any of it as exotic or static,� Trayner said. “The unit on Orientalism and Buddhism in America helped me better understand the decontextualizing nature of mindfulness apps, yoga studios, and how to approach the version of Buddhism most familiar to American audiences. Learning to see Engaged Buddhism as both an authentic tradition and a phenomenon shaped by Western projection gave me tools I now reach for constantly – tools for noticing whose version of a tradition gets centered, and why.�

Another Traditions course, “Jewish Traditions,� taught by Claussen, featured opportunities to role-play debates about how Jewish tradition should be understood. In this class, Trayner had the opportunity to step into the shoes of thinkers with whom they sympathized and others whose views they found reprehensible.

“I discovered that wrestling with viewpoints I disagree with sharpens both my disagreement and my empathy,” Trayner said. “It is one thing to read a Jewish thinker. It is another to inhabit them long enough to understand how their historical moment shaped what they could imagine.â€�

Multifaith at home and abroad

Elon’s Multifaith Strategic Plan also commits the university to developing “pathways for experiential and engaged multifaith learning,� including through study abroad courses that “support engagement with global religious communities.�

Trayner had a significant learning experience taking “India’s Identities,â€� a course taught in South India by Amy Allocco and Brian Pennington. The course “deconstructed what I thought I knew about Hinduism, and rebuilt it with a critical emphasis on vernacular practice and the lived religion of regular, everyday people. As such, the class refused the traditional classroom format. Instead, Dr. Allocco’s deep roots of connection in Chennai meant we sat in living rooms with the most incredible people.â€�

Students have also been equipped by their Religious Studies coursework to engage with communities closer to home. Alyssa Carney ’26, for example, volunteered at the Burlington Masjid, teaching English to newcomers. Experiences of working with displaced people led her to propose a new unit for her “Engaging Islam� course, taught by Ariela Marcus-Sells.

What makes this course unique is its ‘build your own path’ structure, which allows students to shape the direction of their learning based on their interests and experiences, Carney said.

“For me, it created an opportunity to connect my volunteer work with my academic inquiry. As I was working closely with migrant communities, I became particularly interested in the topic of displacement within Islam. This led me to propose a unit based on a textbook chapter, ‘Refugee Horizons,’ which focuses on the experiences of Muslims in Myanmar, particularly the Rohingya,” Carney said “Through this unit, I explored how the Rohingya negotiate their Islamic identity in the face of systemic violence and ethnic cleansing, deepening both my academic understanding and my connection to the people I work with at the masjid.â€�

Advancing Equity

The Multifaith Strategic Plan also directs Elon to “explore new modes for student learning about religion and race, especially in connection with the Advancing Equity requirement.� The Religious Studies Department offers multiple courses each semester that meet that requirement.

This spring, Trayner took an Advancing Equity course titled “Religion, Race and Resistance,â€� taught by Sheila Otieno. Through courses such as this, Trayner said, “the department has prepared me to take real questions into the world. Dr. Otieno’s course gave me a framework for connecting religious and racial construction to the systems that shape American life, and how I can become a more intentional and thoughtful participant in America’s futurity.â€�

McCarty shares that their understanding of race and religion were shaped by studying Judith Weisenfeld’s “Black Religion in the Madhouse: Race and Psychiatry in Slavery’s Wake” in the religious studies seniorÌıseminar, taught by Marcus-Sells, exploring “how racism in America not only shaped psychiatry but also how Black religion is viewed. This perspective of religion as a political force in the world made me more knowledgeable about how the current society we’re in was created.â€�

McCarty found that the department provided an inclusive space for exploring interesting and challenging questions.

“The department has always been welcoming to anyone who has joined,” McCarty said. “I’ve been able to form great connections with those in the department, and they’ve been incredibly open to accepting diverse worldviews.â€�

Carney connected her experience as a religious studies major with the larger institutional objectives found in the Multifaith Strategic Plan.

“The Religious Studies Department at 51±¬ÁÏÍø actively advances the goals of the multifaith strategic plan. It does so not through a single initiative, but through an ecosystem of mentorship, community engagement, creative coursework and genuine care,” said Carney.

Trayner emphasized the importance of Religious Studies in the current political climate.

“Thanks to this department, I’ll leave Elon with a degree in religious studies and a much harder-won inheritance: the habit of holding complexity, the conviction that ordinary people are experts on their own lives, and the trust that careful, plural study of religion is exactly the kind of preparation this fractured moment is asking of us,” said Trayner.

This story is the fourth and final in a series of stories focusing on 51±¬ÁÏÍø’s Multifaith Strategic Plan.

The article, “,” was co-authored by Jennifer Stephens, director of Academic-Residential Partnerships and assistant professor of education; Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching & Learning and assistant professor of wellness; Nina Namaste, professor of Spanish and assistant director of First-Year Seminars in the Elon Core Curriculum; and Brandy S. Propst, director of Elon 1010 and assistant director of Academic Advising.

The collaborative nature of this work is, in itself, a unique reflection of Elon’s approach to the first-year experience, as it brings together offices across academic affairs and student life to create a unified and campus-wide ethos to the first-year experience, which they argue is essential but often missing in institutional approaches to the first-year experience.

The piece explores how institutions should view the first-year experience as a culmination beyond first-year seminars, and that in doing so, it requires us to see this as a unique pedagogical context that differs from teaching students in their sophomore to senior years of college. The authors present a framework for faculty development in First-Year Pedagogies, incorporating CATL’s Teaching for Equity and Inclusion work, and faculty, staff, and student data at Elon. The framework asks educators to think intentionally about who they teach, what they teach, and how they teach, all within a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

The article outlines how other institutions can put this framework into practice, by sharing how over the last two years, Elon has developed specific faculty development opportunities to bring together faculty and staff from across first-year experiences (e.g., residential learning communities, gateway major courses, advising seminars). The goal of this work has been to build shared values, language, and classroom strategies focused on preparing students to be engaged, autonomous, and self-directed learners during their college degree and supporting students through the numerous transitions they experience during their first-year at college.

This work reflects why Elon has earned national recognition for the first-year undergraduate experience and emphasizes the importance of uplifting and supporting staff and faculty in order to continue to best support our first-year students.

It was through the Gender & Sexuality Living-Learning Community that Lagunes Flores discovered something more: a community that helped her realize she wasn’t “just another student,” but someone who mattered deeply to the people around her.

“It made me realize that I played a bigger role than I initially did,” Lagunes Flores said. “I thought it was just going to be, ‘Oh, another first year,’ but it made me realize that I mattered a lot more than what I thought.”

What began as a search for belonging has evolved into a commitment to help others find it, too. That transformation started the day she moved to campus.

A journey of self-discovery

Lagunes Flores’s journey began during a Phoenix Friday event, where she experienced a sense of belonging and purpose after meeting another incoming student who encouraged her to apply to the Gender & Sexuality LLC. The two would later become roommates.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, okay, at least I’ll have one friend at Elon and a roommate I know I can trust,'” said Lagunes Flores, who joined the university community through theÌıLeon and Lorraine Watson scholarship in the Odyssey Program.

What she didn’t know at the time was that the connection would help shape the foundation of her first year of college. After settling in on move-in day, Lagunes Flores and her roommates gathered the pride flags they had brought for their shared living space.

“One of my roommates was like, ‘Before putting them up, do you want to just go outside or go in the hallways and run with them?'” Lagunes Flores said.

Carrying their flags through the residence hall, she and her roommates celebrated the start of their first year and the community they had established. For Lagunes Flores, this moment meant so much more than celebrating move-in day.

“That was the first time I had actually experienced a sense of community with other queer people,” she said.

Growing up in a Native American community in Lumberton, North Carolina, Lagunes Flores had few opportunities to explore many of her intersecting identities.

“The only identity that I really got to explore before undergrad was the money struggles and things like that,â€� she said.

Elon became a springboard for self-discovery, helping her embrace parts of her identity that had remained largely unexplored. That journey included gaining a deeper understanding of her queer identity. Experiences and friendships with fellow students led her to the support and community she needed.

One of those experiences came during a Drag Extravaganza event hosted by the Gender and LGBTQIA Center (GLC), featuring drag star Stormie Daie, who invited audience members to celebrate diverse identities and encouraged them to cheer when they heard one that resonated with them.

“That was the solidifying moment where I was comfortable in my sexuality,” Lagunes Flores said. “That was when I found my label.”

Building a foundation of belonging

Beyond helping her explore her identity, the Gender & Sexuality LLC also connected Lagunes Flores with mentors who would shape her academic and professional journey. Among them were Lauren Gulimette, an associate professor of philosophy and co-coordinator of Women’s Gender and Sexualities studies, and Luis Garay, director of the GLC, who are both co-advisors of the LLC.

Through conversations with Gulimette, Lagunes Flores discovered a passion for Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and eventually added it as a minor, alongside her major in elementary education and a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Guilmette also connected her with the PACE program, which helped her secure a campus position and introduced her to opportunities she hadn’t considered as a first-year student.

Among them was an internship with Transcend Alamance, a nonprofit organization that supports transgender individuals in Alamance County. As an intern, Lagunes Flores helps write the organization’s bi-monthly newsletter.

Those who have worked closely with Lagunes Flores have noticed her growth and commitment to building community, noting that she is someone who actively creates spaces where others feel welcomed and connected.

“While Maria can at first seem shy and quiet, it has been a pleasure to watch her find community and come into their own as an active participant in the classroom and a student organizer on campus,” Gulimette said.

Garay echoed Gulimette, highlighting that Lagunes Flores’ commitment to inclusivity and building connections extends beyond the living-learning community itself.

“She brings floormates and friends outside of her residence hall to our monthly community dinners, extending our values of connection and relationship-building to others across campus,” Garay said.

Tibs Vance ‘29, a fellow student and friend, said that Lagunes Flores has a gift for helping others feel included.

“Maria is always really good at inviting me to events she helps organize or events she thinks I’ll enjoy,” he said. “Her understanding of others in her communities really helps her support and form impactful connections.

The sense of belonging and community that she found through the Gender & Sexuality LLC and with students, such as with Vance, now informs how she approaches leadership opportunities and her future career goals.

Looking ahead, she hopes to help students explore their identities and find community, just as she did during her first year at Elon. After graduation, she plans to teach in the classroom before pursuing a graduate degree and a career in higher education.

Her first-year experiences have shaped not only her career aspirations but also her understanding of belonging and what pride looks like in everyday life.

“Belonging means knowing you’re loved in a space and that space makes you feel welcome,” she said. “You being you is an act of everyday pride.”

Elon honors Pride Month stories

As part of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, 51±¬ÁÏÍø is sharing stories through Today at Elon that highlight students, faculty and staff who contribute to a campus environment where cultural identities and experiences are celebrated year-round. Throughout the month and year, Elon also offers resources and eventsÌıto support the LGBTQ+ community.

Polly Cornelius, associate teaching professor of music, who teaches the Summer Opera Workshop in Florence will debut the Italian premiere of the Tony-Award winning musical by composer Adam Guettel. Produced by Cornelius, the play will take place in the historic Medici Palace in Florence on June 11-12, through a collaboration between 51±¬ÁÏÍø and AEF, Elon’s study abroad partner institution.

“For years, I have dreamed of producing “The Light in the Piazzaâ€� in Florence because the story is about a mother and daughter from Winston Salem, North Carolina who travel to Florence, Italy,â€� said Cornelius. “It has never been performed in Florence. We are the first. It could have been any university or organization, but it’s Elon who has the honor do this international, site-specific premiere.â€�

Based on the 1960 novel by Elizabeth Spencer, “The Light in the Piazza� follows Margaret Johnson, a mother from Winston Salem, who travels through Florence with her daughter Clara, who falls in love with an Italian man named Fabrizio. The musical won six Tony Awards including Best Original Score in 2005 and is known for its romantic story and score.

Cornelius, who has taught at AEF since 2018 through a summer opera workshop course, has dreamed of producing the musical to be an authentic international artistic experience for students.

Two years ago, Cornelius met with Guettel about producing the play in Florence which includes 14 Elon students, one Elon alumni, faculty, and professional Italian and American singers and performers. Elon alumni Gianni Palmarini ’22 returns to play the role of Fabrizio, while Cornelius will perform as Signora Naccarelli, the Italian mother.

“It’s been crazy but manageable to produce and perform a role, but I’m happy to be performing this particular role,â€� Corenlius said. “I’m excited for the everyone involved and to bring this famous musical to the city of Florence.â€�

The creative team includes Chris Rayis, assistant professor of performing arts as music director and conductor and Jacob Brent, assistant professor of music theatre, as stage director.

“This has become a huge collaboration between Elon, AEF, and the city of Florence� Cornelius said. “Our colleagues in Florence are so excited and have been working very hard too.�

The experience offers students a rare opportunity to rehearse and perform internationally while collaborating with professionals. Students in Cornelius’ course, “Opera in Italy: The Global Citizen Artist,� also take an Italian language course.

“This first opera was performed in Florence, Italy, so it’s especially meaningful to perform and study there,� Cornelius said. “Students are meeting Italian artists, performing alongside them, and learning about the Florentine culture.�

In addition to Elon students performing in the ensemble, music theatre majors Addyson Reese ’28 will play Clara Johnson and Mackenzie Tammara ’28 will play Franca Naccarelli.

For Reese and Tammara having a role in this musical is a dream come true.

“To perform this piece in Florence alongside incredible professionals is an absolute dream come true, and I am so grateful to be part of this project,â€� Reese said. “This show has been one of my all-time favorites since I first listened to the cast album at age 14. Clara has been one of my dream roles since high school and playing her in Florence is especially meaningful to me.â€�

The rehearsal process has been unique and included in person rehearsals with cast members in North Carolina and many virtual sessions with cast members from across the northeastern United States and Italy. The entire cast will have the opportunity to rehearse together in the days leading up to the performance in Florence.

“This show is bringing together people from all different parts of the world and allowing them to share universal themes of love and acceptance,� Tammara said. “The entire show is special to perform.�

For Tammara, her part comes with a learning curve, performing her lines in Italian. Many of her lines are in Italian and involve speaking with an Italian accent when she does speak in English. This is a challenge she has gladly taken on.

“I have spent a lot of time working on my lines since they aren’t in my native language,� Tammara said. “This is definitely the hardest score I have ever sung. It has tested my musicianship, vocal technique, and artistry. I have grown immensely.�

In May, the local cast members spent several days participating in a ‘bootcamp’ to rehearse and stage the show.

“My favorite part of this experience so far has been getting to work with the professional artists in the show during the bootcamp,â€� Reese said. “Jill Gardner, who plays my mom, Margaret Johnson, and Gianni are both incredible people and performers, and I have had the best time working on this material with them. I am learning so much from them and I can’t wait to keep learning once we start rehearsals in Italy.â€�

Gardner performed the opera house debut of this show with Piedmont Opera Company and is thrilled to reprise the role of Margaret in Florence.

Reese and Tammara are both honored to represent Elon in this international production.

“Elon has given me the opportunity to immerse myself in a world very different from my own, adding so much truth and variety to my craft,� Tammara said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience and I am so grateful to be living out my dream.�

For Cornelius, one of the most rewarding parts of the project has been watching Elon students engage in a global artistic experience with a dream cast.

“Seeing the excitement from the students, creative team, and colleagues in Florence makes me so excited,â€� Cornelius said. “So many people have supported this project, and after working on it for two years, it is incredible to finally see if come to life.â€�

Before they could create communications campaigns, students in Professor Julie Lellis’ Senior Seminar in Health Communications spent time listening.

They listened to physicians and midwives. They listened to expectant mothers. And they listened to the stories behind the data as part of a partnership with Cone Health’s program that challenged students to address real-world maternal health communication needs.

Those conversations and observations laid the foundation for the students’ semester-long projects. Working with the Cone Health Center for Women’s Healthcare at MedCenter for Women, students developed strategic communications campaigns aimed at increasing enrollment, improving retention and expanding awareness of the program among patients and healthcare providers.

As part of the partnership, students worked directly with healthcare professionals, including Dr. Kim Newton, founder and lead physician of Mom+Baby Combined Care, and Virginia Smith, CenteringPregnancy coordinator. Several students also attended the North Carolina and Virginia Centering Consortium, gaining firsthand insight into the impact of group prenatal care on maternal and infant health outcomes. During Finals Week, students presented their campaigns to Newton and Smith, who visited Elon’s campus.

CenteringPregnancy is an evidence-based model of group prenatal care that combines health assessments, education and peer support. Research has shown the approach can improve maternal and infant health outcomes while helping reduce disparities in care. At the MedCenter for Women in Greensboro, many participants are covered by Medicaid, and the clinic serves uninsured and underinsured patients throughout the region.

“The Elon students were a great part of our team,” Newton said. “They took the time to understand and engage with CenteringPregnancy and really captured how the group care feels different and meets people where they are. Their presentations were impressive to say the least and also provided our team with a roadmap for how to ensure our work to expand Centering feels cohesive and genuine.”

For Emmy Beauvais ’26, a strategic communications major with minors in health communications and business administration, the project demonstrated how classroom learning can translate into community impact.

“Participating in the Health Comm Senior Seminar class – and working with Virginia and Dr. Newton – was one of the most meaningful experiences of my time at Elon,” Beauvais said. “Unlike classroom projects, this project gave us the opportunity to develop and present a real communications campaign for an actual client. We did this through research-backed goals, objectives and strategies, and tangible deliverables that could be implemented in practice.”

Beauvais said attending the regional consortium early in the semester helped shape the team’s work and deepen her understanding of maternal healthcare challenges and opportunities.

“Overall, this experience showed me what it looks like to create work that extends beyond the classroom and truly can make a meaningful impact on a community,” she said.

The course also received a Community Partnership Initiative Grant from Elon’s Kernodle Center. The grant helped Centering providers purchase educational supplies for participants, while students assembled Baby Go! Bags filled with diapers, wipes, burp cloths and other newborn essentials for expectant mothers.

Lellis, who directs the health communications minor, said the partnership allowed students to see both the personal and systemic dimensions of healthcare communication.

“Students experienced everything from the joy of hearing a baby’s heartbeat to the heartache of exploring the realities of health disparities in maternal care,” Lellis said. “They learned how Centering is changing outcomes and making a direct impact on the lives of pregnant women in our local area.”

Lellis explained that the experience challenged students to translate research and data into actionable communications strategies for a community partner.

“Students learned how to generate insights based on data and turn those insights into creative strategies that inform audiences and motivate them to act,” she said.

These were the questions centered in the fictional case analyzed and argued by 116 first-year Elon Law students in the school’s 19th Annual Intramural Moot Court Competition, held May 27 and 28.

A deaf small-business owner applied for a loan from an online lending company and was offered a 14.25% interest rate. After his twin brother — who shared nearly identical financial, educational and employment credentials but did not have a disability — received a 6.25% rate for the same loan, he suspected the lender had considered his disability when evaluating the application.

The business owner sued under the ADA, arguing that the online lender discriminated against him based on his disability. A federal court dismissed the case, finding that the lender’s website was not a place of public accommodation covered by the ADA and that the law regulates access to lending services, not the terms of the loans offered.

The business owner appealed the ruling to the fictional U.S. Court of Appeals for the 15th Circuit, which regularly hears cases represented by Elon Law students.

Members of the Class of 2027 comprised the largest group ever to compete in the spring event, with 58 teams appearing before volunteer judges that included local judges, attorneys, Elon Law alumni, and law school faculty and staff.

All first-year students were introduced to the case in their Legal Method & Communication courses as the basis for graded oral arguments this spring. Each student presented two oral arguments, one for appellant and one for appellee, and was scored on preparation, speaking ability, argument structure and responses to judges’ questions.

Top 10 Oral Advocates in the 2026 competition (with ties)

• Gabrielle Brown Roycroft
• Aarya Deshmukh
• Zaria Hanchell
• Adelaide Anne Zahren
• Avery Vidt
• Michael Iafrato
• Grant Paramore
• Rachel Wilson
• Jacqueline Gardner (tie)
• David Bryant (tie)
• Megan Chen

“This competition was a reminder not to let fear of failure keep me from trying,” said Gabrielle Brown Roycroft L’27, from Salisbury, North Carolina, who is interested in family law, estate planning and civil litigation. She graduated from Catawba College with a degree in politics. “It’s worth it to push through the nerves and use them as fuel to perform your best. You can’t memorize your way through oral advocacy. You have to think on your feet and respond in the moment. When you’ve done the work in advance, you can trust your preparation and focus on having a conversation with the judges.â€�

Selections for membership on the Moot Court Board will be announced this summer before the board hosts the 17th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition on Oct. 22-24. Moot Court Board members will also compete in a slate of national moot court competitions during the 2026-27 school year.

Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, director of Elon Law’s Moot Court Program, praised the Moot Court Board for its professionalism and hospitality in running the spring competition.

The annual event sees the Elon Law community step up to provide an exceptional experience for first-year students. This year, Elon Law was honored to host more than 50 volunteer attorneys and judges, including over 20 Elon Law alumni, as well as a current justice and former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court participate as judges.

“Moot Court is a great experiential learning opportunity, and I was excited to see so many students take advantage of this experience to strengthen their advocacy skills,� Woodlief said. “Our Moot Court Board did an exceptional job coordinating the school’s largest-ever competition, and they could not have done it without the great support from our student body, faculty, and staff, as well as the many Elon Law alumni, attorneys, and judges who contributed to the success of the competition.�

Alumni judges reflect: ‘It helped me find my voice’

The annual Intramural Moot Court Competition — along with the graded Legal Method and Communication Program’s graded oral arguments held the week before — is also a homecoming of sorts.

Alumni return to campus each spring to hear arguments, offer feedback and help first-year students develop the advocacy skills they will use throughout their careers. ÌıThey have clear memories of standing at the podium themselves and how meaningful it was to their development to receive feedback from legal professionals.

April Franklin L’25 said oral arguments helped her overcome her nerves and discover a passion for advocacy.

“It gave me confidence. It helped me find my voice that I didn’t know that I had,â€� said Franklin, who is pursuing practice in wills and estates, health care or corporate law. “Elon gave me the support that I needed to progress in this career path, and I want to be able to give that same support to the next generation of Elon Law students.”

Landon Eckard L’25, who will begin a federal judicial clerkship in Detroit this summer, said moot court taught him to think on his feet and respond to difficult questions from judges.

“It’s the most spontaneous kind of advocacy there is in the legal profession,� Eckard said. “You can have a rough script before you get there, but one minute into the argument, that script goes out the window. It made me a better litigator and a better attorney.�

Thomas Harvey L’22, a criminal defense attorney in nearby Rockingham County, North Carolina, pursued law as a second career. He returns because he remembers exactly what it felt like to stand at the podium as a student and believes the experience helps shape better advocates.

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was standing right where they are. Believe it or not, the judges are all rooting for you individually,â€� Harvey said. “It’s such a joy to come back and be a part of Elon Law.â€�

2026 Intramural Moot Court Competition student leadership

Overall Chairs of the Competition: Isabel Craige L’26, Elizabeth Gregory L’26, Sierra Watkins L’26

Judge Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Emma Farrell L’26, James Galipeau L’26, Cayla James L’26, Bailey Langford L’26, Renata Navarro L’26

Bailiff Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Madisyn Butler L’26, Erin Carleton L’26, Megan Eldredge L’26, Cameron O’Neil L’26, Tyler Sesker L’26

Scoring Committee Chairs: Brittany Balis-West L’26, Jackie Rullman L’26, Rebecca Vairin L’26

LMC Oral Argument Coordination Chairs: Daulton Hadaway L’26, Courtney Maxwell L’26

The “Elon Dance Team Send-Off� video, directed and edited by Peter Sillitto ’26 and produced in collaboration with the Elon Dance Team, received a Sports Video Group (SVG) College Sports Media Award for Outstanding In-Venue Video – Collegiate Student Championship. The award was presented May 27 in Atlanta during the 18th annual SVG College Sports Media Awards ceremony.

The honor came just weeks after the Elon Dance Team captured two national titles at the 2026 National Dance Association College National Championships, winning the Division I pom and Division I hip hop competitions. The back-to-back victories marked a historic achievement for the program, including Elon’s first national championship in the pom category.

Produced for the team’s trip to nationals, the video took a more narrative approach than previous send-off productions.

“Producing a send-off video is something we do every year, with the final piece being shown in the Schar Center and shared across social media,� said Sillitto, a cinema and television arts major. “This year, we wanted to take a more story-driven approach by focusing on the team’s journey to nationals. Our goal was to showcase not only their performances, but also the hard work, dedication and experiences that led them there.�

In addition to Sillitto, the student production team included Kristen Pearson ’27 and Meghan McGarrigle ’28 as producers; and Zack Golub ’26 and Colin Dorroh ’27 as creative producers and camera operators.

across multiple locations, capturing both cinematic visuals and authentic moments from practices, workouts and team activities.

“One of the biggest challenges was making sure we told the team’s real story, which meant being present and ready to film during genuine moments,� Sillitto said. “Capturing those authentic interactions and experiences was an important part of the creative process and helped make the final video feel more personal and meaningful.�

For Sillitto, the award reflects months of collaboration and effort from both the dancers and the production crew.

“I’m proud of the project because every year our goal is to create the best video possible, and we have a lot of creative freedom to experiment with new ideas and push ourselves creatively,� he said. “The final video represents months of hard work from both the dance team and the production crew, so we’re excited and grateful that the project has been recognized.�

Sillitto graduated from Elon in May and recently accepted a position with Booz Allen Hamilton as a videographer and social media content creator.

Sillitto and Dorroh attended the 2026 SVG College Summit in Atlanta alongside Anthony Bamford ’25, coordinating producer for Elon Sports Vision; Patrick Cunningham, director of live broadcast production for Elon Athletics; and students/recent graduates Philip Doherty ’26, Anthony Eppolito ’27 and Joey Marinello ’28.

This year marked another strong showing for Elon at the national competition – the university won its first-ever award in 2025. In addition to the winning Elon Dance Team send-off video, four other Elon productions were recognized as finalists in the Collegiate Student Championship division: “Football: Elon vs. North Carolina A&T,� “Strength Beyond the Game – Brodie Carroll,� “Win The Moment – Asher Cunningham� and “What It Takes – Elon Men’s Basketball Halftime Hype.�

This year’s students will spend the summer interning in fields ranging from media production to public policy, environmental research, business innovation and community development. At the heart of this experience is the opportunity toÌıgain real-world experience while exploring the cultural and professional landscapes of their host cities, while earning academic credit through coursework.

Charlotte:ÌıExploring sports, marketing, business and beyondÌı

As students arrived in the South End of Charlotte, they were welcomed by Director of Elon Charlotte Karen Neff and Program Assistant Emma Hash. This summer marks an especially exciting chapter for the Queen City site, as it hosts Study USA students while also launching the inaugural Summer Business InstituteÌı(SBI).

The new 10‑weekÌıSBIÌıoffers Elon students the opportunity to earn a Business Administration minor in a single summer through an immersive blend of coursework, professional development, and experiential learning.

Study USA students will pair their internships with a dynamic geography course taught by Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental StudiesÌıRyan Kirk.ÌıThrough fieldwork and urban exploration, students will examine Charlotte’s growth, infrastructure, and identity,Ìıgaining a deeper understanding of how the city became the economic and cultural hub it is today.

SBIÌıstudentsÌıwill balance four business courses withÌıjob‑shadowingÌıexperiences designed to connect classroom learning with real-worldÌıapplications.ÌıTogether, all students across both programs will take part in excursions that highlight Charlotte’s innovation, history and community.

Move‑inÌıday set the tone for an engaging summer ahead, featuring a welcome mixer hosted by Foster Flats, orientation sessions, aÌıcity‑wideÌıscavenger hunt, and a hands-on cooking class that broughtÌıstudentsÌıtogether.

Los Angeles: Launching creative careers in the entertainment capital

Arriving in the heart of the entertainment industry, students were warmly welcomed by Director of Elon Los AngelesÌıBrad Lemack as they settled into their housingÌıjustÌıminutes from major studios and production hubs.

StudentsÌıspend the summer interning with film production companies, talent agencies, digital media firms andÌıtheatre companies. Alongside their internships,Ìıstudents take a Core Capstone course taught byÌıCinema and Television ArtsÌıProfessorÌıDoug Kass,Ìıexamining how visionaries and innovators have transformed Los Angeles, and how the cycle of invention and reinvention continues to shape the city’s commerce, creativity and cultural diversity.

MoveÌıinÌıbuzzedÌıwith excitement as students met their roommates, explored their neighborhood, and prepared for their first week of classes and internship onboarding.ÌıThe following day included an orientation session at The Preserve, where students will have class each week, followed by an afternoon exploring The Getty, the Grove and L.A.’s Farmers Market.

New York City: Immersed in media, business and cultural innovationÌı

Political Science and Public PolicyÌıProfessor SafiaÌıSwimelarÌıand Program Assistant Hailey Duartes welcomedÌıthe studentsÌıto Williamsburg, a student-friendly neighborhood in the heart of Brooklyn.

StudentsÌıwill intern across sectors,Ìıincluding journalism,Ìıpublic relations, marketing,Ìımedia production and more.ÌıTheÌıCore CapstoneÌıcourse, taught by Professor Swimelar,Ìıcomplements these experiences. InÌıtheÌıcourse description,ÌıSwimelarÌınotes, “to call New York City a microcosm of the global community is not exaggeration… This course uses New York City as a microcosm to model and understand the diversity and complexity of global humanity.â€�ÌıStudentsÌıwill explore the diversity of values that New Yorkers hold and examine important social, political, and religious issues at play throughout the city.

Students spent their first day navigating their new neighborhood, settling into their apartments, andÌıexploring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Washington, D.C.: Engaging with policy, advocacy and public serviceÌı

StudentsÌıwere welcomedÌıinto the nation’s capitalÌıby Professor Joel Shelton,ÌıProgram AssistantÌıAbby Wright, and Ashley Pinney, Director of National Campus.ÌıStudentsÌıwill spend the summerÌıliving in the heart ofÌıNoMaÌıandÌıinterning with congressional offices, federal agencies,Ìılaw firms, advocacy groups, andÌımore.

TheÌıcoursework, the inaugural Capital Connections: Power, People and Place in Washington, D.C. spearheaded by Joel Shelton, associate professor of political scienceÌıand public policy, “explores ‘theÌıDistrict’ as a place where politics and policy meet culture,ÌıeconomyÌıand community.â€�ÌıThrough engaging walking tours, museum visits, and cultural experiences, students will gain a firsthand look at the decision-making processes that shape the intersection of power, culture, economy, and identity in the nation’s capital.

Move-inÌıincludedÌıorientation sessions,Ìıcommunity building activities,Ìıand preparation for theÌıfast-pacedÌıprofessional environmentsÌıthey’llÌısoon enter.

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.â€� Learn more about the history of the monthÌı.

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 CenterÌı(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 CommunityÌıis a residential community open to any student wishing to explore topics around gender and sexual orientation.
• Ìıis a queer-straight student alliance ensuring a safe space for all queer people, existing for over 20 years.
• OutLawÌıis 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 celebratesÌıand connects LGBTQIA alumni by fostering belonging and advocating for our community.
• The Spirit and Pride InitiativeÌıis 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.
• CLEARÌı(Coalition of Learning, Empowerment & Anti-violence Resources) is aÌıstudent-directed initiative supervised by the GLC that coordinates events and presentations on gender-based violence awareness and prevention.
• The GAP FundÌıprovides 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

• Ìıis a nonprofit organization serving the LGBTQ communities of Alamance County by organizing an annual Pride festival.
• Ìıprovides support for families and friends of LGBTQ people through educational materials and advocacy against harassment and bullying.
• Ìıis 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.
• Ìı(Greensboro) creates unity through programming and philanthropy that advances equality and inclusion for LGBTQ communities.
• Ìıworks to to serve, empower, and advocate for the well-being of our diverse LGBTQ+ communities.
• Ìısupports 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.
• GiveÌıto 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.