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 to gain real-world experience while exploring the cultural and professional landscapes of their host cities, while earning academic credit through coursework.

Charlotte: Exploring sports, marketing, business and beyond 

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 Institute (SBI).

The new 10‑week SBI offers 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 Studies Ryan Kirk. Through fieldwork and urban exploration, students will examine Charlotte’s growth, infrastructure, and identity, gaining a deeper understanding of how the city became the economic and cultural hub it is today.

SBI students will balance four business courses with job‑shadowing experiences designed to connect classroom learning with real-world applications. Together, all students across both programs will take part in excursions that highlight Charlotte’s innovation, history and community.

Move‑in day set the tone for an engaging summer ahead, featuring a welcome mixer hosted by Foster Flats, orientation sessions, a city‑wide scavenger hunt, and a hands-on cooking class that brought students together.

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 Angeles Brad Lemack as they settled into their housing just minutes from major studios and production hubs.

�þ��� spend the summer interning with film production companies, talent agencies, digital media firms ���Ի���theatre companies. Alongside their internships, students take a Core Capstone course taught by Cinema and Television Arts Professor Doug Kass, examining 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.

Move in buzzed with excitement as students met their roommates, explored their neighborhood, and prepared for their first week of classes and internship onboarding. The 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 innovation 

Political Science and Public Policy Professor Safia Swimelar and Program Assistant Hailey Duartes welcomed the students to Williamsburg, a student-friendly neighborhood in the heart of Brooklyn.

�þ��� will intern across sectors, including journalism, public relations, marketing, media production and more. The Core Capstone course, taught by Professor Swimelar, complements these experiences. In the course description, Swimelar notes, “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.” �þ��� will explore the diversity of values that New Yorkers hold and examine important social, political, and religious issues at play throughout the city.

�þ��� spent their first day navigating their new neighborhood, settling into their apartments, ���Ի���exploring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

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

�þ��� were welcomed into the nation’s capital by Professor Joel Shelton, Program Assistant Abby Wright, and Ashley Pinney, Director of National �þ���. �þ��� will spend the summer living in the heart of NoMa ���Ի���interning with congressional offices, federal agencies, law firms, advocacy groups, ���Ի���more.

The coursework, the inaugural Capital Connections: Power, People and Place in Washington, D.C. spearheaded by Joel Shelton, associate professor of political science and public policy, “explores ‘the District’ as a place where politics and policy meet culture, economy and community.” Through 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-in included orientation sessions, community building activities, and preparation for the fast-paced professional environments they’ll soon enter.

“What’s something neat that happened to you today?” asked Lauren Feeley G’26. She was reflecting on a common conversation starter she had with fellow colleagues participating in the London Experience for Elon employees during the 2026 Winter Term. “And how much did we get rained on?!”

Feeley is a program assistant for student involvement and one of 22 participants in the most recent London Experience, a weeklong visit to England from Jan. 10-17, designed to give Elon employees who have limited international travel experience an opportunity for global engagement. Feeley said that the dreary January weather in London did not detract from a remarkable city with colleagues she now calls friends.

“This kind of experience shines a real big spotlight for every single person on the importance of being connected to other people on campus,” said Senior Vice President for Advancement and External Affairs Jim Piatt, who facilitated the program for 2026.

He added that the London Experience is a distinctive feature to working at Elon — an opportunity to support students as global citizens by offering employees a similar experience.

Jackie Allred ’94 serves as an administrative assistant for student life and was among those who traveled to London in January.

“From sun up to sun down, we never stopped,” she said. “If there was something we could be doing, we were doing it.”

Allred said she felt like she shared these experiences with good friends rather than colleagues, a connection reflected in moments like sitting in the choir loft during mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral with a small group from Elon.

Allred and Feeley both shared the importance of “having friendly faces to names” across campus and the ability to pick up the phone when their work aligns. They also both have a deepened appreciation for students when they have international experiences — from the enrichment of global and cultural engagement to things like jet lag and fatigue from a long trip in a different time zone.

“The experience has broadened and strengthened my networks here at Elon,” added Allred.

The group saw much of London and also ventured out to Cambridge. Employees saw staples like the Tower of London, the London Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. They were given access to the war room made famous by Winston Churchill, visited the Hampton Court Palace and participated in guided tours across the city.

Dexter Chambers, a floor tech for the university, said he wouldn’t have had the same experience in London if he had traveled there on his own.

“The guide, the itinerary, everything was impressive, and that was a joy,” he said. Chambers made the most of the sites and foods that England offers and saw much of the city by foot with a small group of others, including one day that he estimates he ran four miles.

Chambers recalls calling his son and a number of his friends during his runs to share his excitement and disbelief of the places in London he was visiting. Now back at Elon, he continues this excitement when he sees participants on campus, who, he says he loves to wave to and reminisce on the shared
experience.

Feeley is finishing her Master of Arts in Higher Education degree from Elon this spring and joined the London Experience, in part, to satisfy her international study away experience.

“Because such a large population of our students here at Elon have some sort of study away experience, it’s really meaningful for me to have my own,” she said. “Elon places such an emphasis on students being global citizens that it’s important that faculty and staff model that as well.”

Jenny Gonzalez, Elon’s assistant director of interior design, said the program underscores Elon’s commitment to global education for the entire campus community, not only for students. “One of the best parts is getting to know people from across campus and build connections,” Gonzalez said.

The application for the 2027 experience will open soon and be advertised through email. “If you’re considering applying for this experience, do not hesitate, just apply and be open to the experience,” Allred said. “Do everything you possibly can during the experience.”

The program is offered to Elon employees for a fee of $350, which includes passport, airfare, lodging, certain ground transportation, admission to various attractions and occasional group meals. Previous participants have generally incurred additional expenses for souvenirs, personal meals, and a tube pass as it suited them.

Sixty-eight percent of American adults say they are proud to be American, and 79% agree the United States plays a uniquely important role in world history. At the same time, 69% believe the signers of the Declaration of Independence would feel more disappointment than pride about modern American democracy.

The survey of 1,000 adults in the United States, conducted April 30-May 4, 2026, explores how Americans view the nation’s past, present and future as the country prepares to commemorate its semiquincentennial.

“As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Americans have complex and diverse feelings about America 250,” said Jason Husser, director of the �þ��� Poll and a professor of political science and public policy. “We found several points of optimism among Americans, including pride in being American and belief that the United States has a uniquely important role to play in world history. At the same time, many Americans expressed significant concern about the health of American democracy today, and the country is split on its outlook over the next 50 years.”

More than half of Americans (52%) say the United States is unsuccessfully living up to its founding ideals, while only 30% say the nation is successfully living up to them. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) rate the overall health of U.S. democracy as only “fair” or “poor.”

The survey also found widespread concern about political instability and civic division:

• 68% believe elected officials today are worse than leaders of the past
• 80% say they at least sometimes feel no political party or movement represents their views
• 70% say the country is more turbulent than average compared with other periods in U.S. history
• 64% say they have little or no confidence that U.S. political institutions will make mostly good decisions over the next 50 years
• 68% predict America will become more politically divided by 2076

Americans are also pessimistic about the country’s long-term future in several key areas. Majorities predict that by 2076 the nation will have less freedom, less economic equality, a lower standard of living, and more pollution. More Americans also believe technology will create more harm than benefit over the next 50 years.

Despite those concerns, the poll found Americans still hold strong connections to the nation’s democratic ideals and history.

When asked which event best represented American democracy at its highest ideals, respondents most frequently selected the Civil Rights Movement and World War II. Abraham Lincoln was named both the historical figure who best exemplified democratic ideals and the greatest president in U.S. history.

The survey also revealed broad bipartisan resonance for many historic presidential messages when respondents were not told who made the statements. More than three-quarters agreed with quotations from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, while large majorities also agreed with statements from John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Looking toward the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations, Americans expressed greater interest in reflection than pageantry. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) said America250 should focus more on reflecting on U.S. history and values than simply celebrating national achievements, and 71% said smaller local events would feel more authentic than large national celebrations.

The survey found Americans entering the anniversary with mixed emotions. The most common feeling was pride, cited by 38%, followed by gratitude at 17%. But 21% said they have no strong feelings, 12% described themselves as conflicted, while others reported disappointment or frustration.

The margin of error for the �þ��� Poll survey is +/- 3.95%.

Poll Methodology

Access the poll topline and methodology at: www.elon.edu/elonpoll. The survey was developed by the �þ��� Poll and fielded by the international marketing and polling firm YouGov as an online, web-based survey, self-administered with online panels. Between April 30 and March 4, 2026, YouGov interviewed 1,077 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. These respondents were then matched down to a sample of 1,000 to produce the final dataset.

The matched cases were weighted to the sampling frame using propensity scores based on age, gender, race/ethnicity, years of education, and home ownership. The margin of error for this poll (adjusted for weights) is +/-3.95%.

About the �þ��� Poll

Established in 2000, the �þ��� Poll conducts national and North Carolina surveys on issues of importance to voters and residents. Information from these polls is shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed public policy making through the better understanding of citizens’ opinions and attitudes. The poll is fully funded by �þ��� and operates as the neutral, non-biased information resource.

The �þ��� Poll is a charter member of in 2014 to educate polling firms on ways to better share how they collect and interpret their information. The Elon Poll’s voluntary participation in this initiative signifies a willingness to clearly state in its reports how questions were asked, in what order, who funded the poll and then conducted it, and a definition of the population under study, among other details.

Performers can either do karaoke, sing an original song, or lip sync — the one stipulation is that it must be in a language other than English. This year, there were 14 performances with songs in 10 different languages: French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, and Old French/Latin.

Global Vision was inspired by the Euro Vision Song Contest, which has been hosted since 1956. However, the event at Elon is for languages across the globe, not only languages spoken in Europe.

Elon’s performers were rated in the categories singing, language skills, and performance by Sandy Marshall (Global Neighborhood), Bethanny Sudibyo (World Languages and Cultures), Trudy Arling (Polygot LLC RA), and Joel Thomas (�þ��� Safety and Police).

There were three prize baskets for the winners filled with international candies, snacks and drinks. In addition to the sweet treats, the first-place winners also went home with a trophy!

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• 1st place – Vee Brown performed in Italian
• 2nd place – Emma Arruda performed in French
• 3rd place – Tamar Kalisher performed in French/Latin

Elon’s sixth Global Vision Song Contest is scheduled for Spring 2027.

“I always thought, ‘This is home,’ and right now I’m leaving, and think, ‘Am I leaving home?’ It’s the same feeling I had when I left home (Afghanistan) years ago,” said Tahiry, a computer science major and the first recipient of the Commitment to Democracy Scholarship, dedicated to refugee students.

Tahiry was one of about 20 graduating international students, along with their families, who planted their oak sapling in the international student tree grove on May 21, an Elon tradition now celebrating 10 years. When new students arrive at Elon, they receive an acorn and, when they leave, they are gifted a sapling at Senior Baccalaureate. Because international students usually cannot take the sapling home, they have planted their trees in a grove by the Harden Clubhouse.

Denise Teeters, director of international student services, welcomed the students and reminded them of the symbolic nature of the sapling, representing their growth from a first-year student to a graduate.

“Over the last several years, you have grown academically and personally. You learned how to navigate differences, how to build friendships across cultures and languages, and how to speak with courage. Some of you didn’t speak much when you got here, and then, all of a sudden, you grew, you built that courage to speak and also embraced the Elon community,” said Teeters. “Through all this, you’ve seen how growth takes time, just like saplings take time to grow.”

Before students planted their saplings, President Connie Ledoux Book also noted how, just like an oak tree, Elon is also built on connection.

“It’s the root systems that are so critical,” Book said. “You have to have a grove. You need other oak trees for an oak tree to prosper. And that is true about the Elon network.”

Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers, graduate students, and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. �þ��� and alumni interested in the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office. The deadline to notify the office of your intent to apply for Fulbright in this upcoming cycle is June 1, 2026. Rising seniors are required to work with the National and International Fellowships Office to apply for Fulbright, and alumni are highly encouraged to do so.

Those who received awards this year are:

Azul Bellot ’26

Azul Bellot, a double major in psychology and sociolinguistics with a minor in TESOL, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. She is The Elon Commitment scholar in the Odyssey Program and a student scholar with The Center for Engaged Learning.

Bellot has been preparing for an experience like Fulbright long before she arrived at Elon. Reflecting on her early years, she says, “Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I was my family’s translator from a young age. I navigated formal systems, adult conversations, and bureaucratic spaces in both English and Spanish long before I had the language to describe what that experience was doing to me. It gave me a deep understanding of what it means for language to be a gateway, and what it costs when that gateway is closed.”

These formative years laid the groundwork for her time at Elon, where she developed her own independent sociolinguistics major, volunteered as an English tutor for children and adults, and conducted research on meaningful mentoring relationships. To Bellot, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain is “the most honest intersection of everything [she’s] been working towards: language, identity, education, and community.”

After Fulbright, Bellot plans to pursue more international fellowships before returning to academia to earn her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her Elon mentors include Archie Crowley, assistant professor of English; Nina Namaste, professor of Spanish; and Sylvia Muñoz, assistant dean of students and director for the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education.

Anya Bratić ’26

Anya Bratić, a double major in international & global Studies and public policy with a minor in public health, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Vietnam. She is an Elon College Fellow, a Periclean Scholar, and the Student Government Association Student Body President.

To Bratić, Fulbright represents the intersection of her two greatest passions: global engagement and �þ���. She found ways to blend these passions during her time at Elon. As a Periclean Scholar, she had the opportunity to study abroad in India to understand what mutually beneficial relationships look like in practice, not just in theory. As a student consultant with the Center for Design Thinking, she developed a love for �þ��� and facilitation, specifically the challenge of guiding others through the structured process of finding meaningful solutions to “wicked” problems. Serving as an English �þ��� assistant will allow her to refine her intercultural and �þ��� skills while strengthening diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam.

After Fulbright, Bratić is interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy or global social impact. “Simply put, I want to work at the intersection of people, policy and purpose,” she says. Bratić’s constellation of Elon mentors includes Amanda Tapler, associate �þ��� professor of public health studies; Safia Swimelar, professor of political science and public policy; Sean McMahon, professor of entrepreneurship; and Danielle Lake, director of design thinking and associate professor of human service studies.

Molly Moylan ’26

Biochemistry major Molly Moylan has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain.

At Elon, Moylan took every opportunity to foster and blend her passions for STEM research, �þ��� and service. As a researcher, Moylan worked with chemistry professor Dan Wright to study trace metals within medicinal herbs and spices. She refined her �þ��� skills by serving with America Reads, the Village Project, the CityGate Dream Center, and more. Most notably, Moylan found a way to combine her passions by co-founding Imagine Science, a program designed to address declining student engagement in science education by bringing hands-on experiments and activities to local after-school programs.

In Spain, Moylan will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Galicia, a region that is especially interested in promoting students’ scientific thinking skills. This Fulbright year will serve as crucial preparation for Moylan as she applies to medical school. The language and cultural skills she will gain in Spain will allow her to better serve Spanish-speaking patients in the future.

Moylan’s most influential Elon mentor has been Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dan Wright. “Dr. Dan Wright has been instrumental in my success at Elon,” she said. “Through his continued support, my confidence in both my personal and professional capacities has grown immensely, and I am extremely grateful to have had him as a mentor.”

Madison Powers ’25

Madison Powers, who graduated in 2025 with a degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. At Elon, Powers was a communications fellow and a 2023 Pulitzer reporting fellow. Since graduating, she has served as an editorial intern at Garden & Gun Magazine in Charleston, South Carolina.

Powers has long had her sights set on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain. During her �þ��� years, she spent a semester in Sevilla and fostered her dual passions for cross-cultural exchange and global education. Eager to return, she applied for Fulbright in last year’s application cycle and was named a semifinalist. She remained so committed to the value of a Fulbright experience that she chose to reapply this year, and her hard work and persistence paid off.

Powers will serve as an English �þ��� assistant in Madrid. She is excited to live and work in a large, diverse city while improving her Spanish language skills and forming connections with her community. Serving in Madrid will also allow her to work closely with students on Global Classrooms/Model UN projects, which are important to the development of their critical thinking and cross-cultural skills.

This Fulbright year will serve as a bridge between Powers’ current and future journalistic work. Upon returning to the U.S, she plans to work as a journalist reporting on and working in Spanish-speaking communities. Her Elon mentors include Kelly Furnas, associate �þ��� professor of journalism; Jan Register, administrative assistant for the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; and Pablo Celis-Castillo, associate professor of Spanish.

Aryanna Vindas ’25

Aryanna Vindas, a graduate of the class of 2025, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in South Korea. She graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography and a minor in Asian studies.

Serving as an English �þ��� assistant in South Korea is a natural extension of the work Vindas began at Elon. She completed a two-year �þ��� research project about Korean Buddhist mindfulness, studied abroad for a semester in South Korea, and undertook a rigorous course of Korean language study. Simultaneously, she developed her �þ��� skills by serving as a volunteer English teacher, tutoring Spanish, and leading and assisting dance classes.

Because her grant does not begin until January 2027, Vindas has chosen to go above and beyond to prepare. She will spend this summer in South Korea completing intensive language study at Yonsei University in Seoul, which will help her integrate more successfully into her future host community and build more meaningful relationships with her students.

After Fulbright, Vindas plans to enroll in graduate school to continue the research on Buddhist mindfulness she began at Elon. Vindas’ Elon mentors include Renay Aumiller, associate professor of dance; the “wonderful” dance staff; and Pamela Winfield, professor of religious studies and associate director of international & global studies.

In addition to these students, one senior has been named an alternate. Alternates are still in the competition and have the chance to be promoted to finalists (recipients of the grant) up until the official start of the grant period. We will update this story as we continue to hear news of their progress.

Rebecca Lovasco ’26

Rebecca Lovasco, a psychology major with minors in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and neuroscience, has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright study/research grant in Taiwan to earn a master’s degree in Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at Taipei Medical University.

Lovasco is an Elon College Fellow who went on to win the Lumen Prize. Her research, which integrates cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and philosophy of mind, explores how anxiety and depression affect reinforcement learning and conscious visual perception. Outside of her research, Lovasco is proud to have served as a law enforcement crisis counselor with the �þ��� Alamance program.

Lovasco’s Elon mentors include Kristina Krasich, assistant professor of psychology; William Schreiber, associate professor of psychology; Kim Epting, professor of psychology; Alexa Darby, professor of psychology; and Jill McSweeney, assistant director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and assistant professor of wellness.

In Alamance County, the class raised funds for the Al-Aqsa Clinic’s emergency fund, hosted by the Burlington Masjid. Throughout the semester, the scholars organized several restaurant profit-sharing events and other fundraising efforts, generating more than $1,000 in donations. These funds will help the clinic purchase food and personal care items for its Halal food pantry.

The scholars have also continued their partnership with Sarvodaya — Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest non-governmental organization — to promote sustainable and equitable development in rural communities. Working alongside Sarvodaya staff, the students are helping expand consumer markets for locally produced trade goods. Later this summer, a group of scholars will travel to Sri Lanka to continue this work in the country’s south and east, focusing on creating new market opportunities for producers in areas frequently visited by foreign tourists.

The Periclean Scholars Program is a three-year, cohort-based learning experience centered on building mutually beneficial partnerships both locally and globally. As the centerpiece of Project Pericles, the program is dedicated to advancing civic engagement and social responsibility across the university community while also fostering close, supportive relationships among cohort members and faculty mentors.

Undergraduate students may apply to the program during their first year at Elon. Selected students complete a sequence of academic courses during their sophomore, junior, and senior years, totaling 18 semester hours. The experience culminates in the development of a social justice-focused partnership designed and implemented by the student cohort under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Past and current partnerships have included supporting equitable and sustainable community tourism initiatives in Sri Lanka, producing a documentary focused on lived experiences in Cuba, collaborating with leaders on the Pine Ridge Reservation to strengthen communication and advertising efforts, and partnering with a local organization in Ghana to promote youth leadership and development.

To learn more about the Al-Aqsa clinic and Sarvodaya, visit:  ���Ի���

During the next three years, the Periclean Scholars Class of 2029 will work with faculty mentor Vanessa Drew-Branch, associate professor in the Department of Human Service Studies.

During an event on April 30 in Sato Commons, Drew-Branch, welcomed the Class of 2029 by introducing the cohort’s theme of food sovereignty at �þ��� and in St. Kitts and Nevis. Drawing connections between local and global food systems, Drew-Branch encouraged Scholars to think critically about issues of food insecurity, food apartheid, justice, dignity and sustainability. She highlighted how colonial legacies, climate change and inequitable systems continue to shape access to healthy and culturally appropriate food while emphasizing the importance of community-centered, sustainable agricultural practices. Through her remarks, students were challenged to approach this work with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to building authentic partnerships rooted in reciprocity and social justice.

The newly inducted members of the Periclean Scholars Class of 2029:

• Melanie Alarcon
• Katherine Banker
• Autumn Boyce
• Kimara delRosario
• Willow Evans
• Travis Greene
• Simone Lewis-Abdeen
• Mason Marks
• Tia Nelson
• Jazline Rogel Sanchez
• Ally Rotenberg
• Kylie Rukavina
• Gabriella Shew
• Hazel Silverstein
• Shukri Siraji
• Caleb Slosberg

The Periclean Scholars Program provides students with a distinctive three-year educational experience focused on global engagement, interdisciplinary learning and ethical community partnership. Each cohort studies a specific country or region, collaborating with local and global partners to gain a deeper understanding of complex social challenges and develop sustainable, justice-centered initiatives.

Throughout the program, acholars complete 18 semester hours of coursework during their sophomore, junior, and senior years under the guidance of their faculty mentor. Through these courses and experiential learning opportunities, students explore best practices in community engagement, examine the critical distinction between charity and partnership, and learn to approach social change through collaboration, reciprocity, and long-term relationship building.

As the Periclean Scholars Class of 2026 prepares to graduate, the induction of the Class of 2029 reflects the continued legacy of student leadership, ethical partnership, and community-engaged global learning that defines the program.

Mathew Gendle, director of Project Pericles and professor of psychology, has been selected to serve as a co-director of the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative, an international network of educational institutions and community organizations. The Collaborative advances best practices in community-based global learning and research for more just, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

In this work, Gendle will join The Collaborative’s three other co-directors: Sarah Stanlick, associate dean of the Global School and associate professor of integrative and global studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Sam Brandauer, associate provost and executive director of the Center for Global Study and Engagement, Dickinson College; and Carolina Bolaños Palmieri, director of programs at Child Family Health International.

Community-based global learning is a term developed by academics and researchers who are also practitioners. It therefore is defined by a set of seven practical components: community-driven learning and/or service; development of cultural humility; global citizenship; continuous and diverse forms of critically reflective practice; ongoing attention to power, privilege, and positionality throughout programming and course work; deliberate and demonstrable learning; and safe, transparent, and well-managed programs.

Learn more about the work of The Collaborative: 

Those who knew Allison Keill remember her passion for education and mentoring and how she touched the lives of every student she encountered in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education.

That legacy will live on in the Allison E. Keill Memorial Global Engagement Endowed Scholarship that has been established by Keill’s husband, Chad Esposito, of Burlington, North Carolina, along with gifts from dozens of friends and family members who have come together to honor her memory.

Keill, 50, served as director of the Curriculum Resources Center and associate librarian in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education before passing away March 25, 2026.

“Allison brought light and love to all in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education,” said Dean Ann Bullock. “Her genuine, welcoming spirit and boundless sense of adventure make this scholarship a fitting tribute to an educator who impacted lives far beyond the classroom.”

The scholarship will assist students with financial need in the Watts Williams School of Education who are pursuing study abroad or Study USA opportunities.

Esposito remembers his wife as a woman of extraordinary grace, strength and heart who loved her family deeply.

“Allison was selfless and giving in every sense of the word—always putting others before herself and offering love, comfort and kindness so freely to everyone fortunate enough to know her,” he said. “She had a way of making people feel seen, cared for and important, and her beautiful smile could light up even the darkest room. Allison will be remembered for her positivity, intelligence, resilience and unwavering spirit.”

Keill was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2024 yet refused to let the disease define her, Esposito said.

“Even in the face of unimaginable hardship, Allison remained inspiring, strong, thoughtful and full of love,” he said. “She met life’s challenges with courage and dignity, and she taught those around her what it truly means to live with purpose, gratitude and grace. Her family was the center of her world, and she poured her heart into every moment spent with them. She also understood deeply that nothing in this life is guaranteed, and because of that, she embraced each moment with love, laughter and intention.”

Esposito hopes the scholarship will inspire students to embrace education and global exploration.

“Endowing this scholarship ensures that Allison’s legacy continues in a way that reflects who she was—a compassionate educator, an inspiring mentor and someone who saw the world as a classroom without borders,” he said. “Allison had a genuine love of learning, not only through books and �þ���, but through experiencing the world firsthand. She believed that understanding different cultures and perspectives made people better educators, better thinkers and better human beings.”

Born in Summit, New Jersey, Keill grew up in Westport, Connecticut, and Brunswick County, North Carolina. After graduating high school from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, she earned her bachelor’s degree from UNC-Greensboro, and a master’s degree in library science from East Carolina University.

Make a Gift

Anyone interested in donating to the scholarship may contact Brian Baker, associate vice president of university advancement, at (336) 278-7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.