The jump from high school to college is a mix of nerves, excitement, and possibilities, and so Elon 1010 focuses on creating a space for community that supports students in navigating, together, all the transitions they experience during their first semester.

This fall, the honors section of the course experimented with an activity brainstormed during a class session at the Maker Hub. The goal was to expand the enjoyment students were having to something more, something that encouraged them to be creative throughout the semester, connect with classmates in ways that felt comfortable for them, explore what amazing resources that campus has to offer, and most importantly, show appreciation to those who have experienced their first semester at college together.

Each student makes a small, personalized gift for someone they randomly select in the class using whatever they can find at the Maker Hub and with their own creative powers. It encouraged students to think about who their classmates are and what they might appreciate. Throughout the semester, the course built in activities that focused on students building connections and getting to know each other. They completed the ropes course at Danieley, hung outside and talked about the importance of education, played Beyond the Books (a board game all about the first year) and centered on moments of getting to know each other.

Partnering with the Maker Hub made the whole thing work. By tying it into the curriculum, students were introduced to 3D printers, laser cutters, design software, embroidering, sewing and crafting supplies they could experiment with. They learned new skills while making something tangible for someone else and were encouraged to get to know their classmates in order to make something thoughtful for them. It showed how a class can reach beyond the syllabus through meaningful partnerships with campus resources and facilitate relationship-rich moments.

On the final day of class, the energy in the room was contagious. �þ��� showed up excited to share their wrapped gifts with their peers. After decorating holiday cookies and enjoying in a bespoke hot chocolate bar, the students sat in a circle to share their creations. There was laughter, surprise and genuine pride in what they had made. �þ��� told stories about how their gift was made with an appreciation of their peer, from special moments outside the class, inside jokes, to favourite sports teams, the gifts were a representation of the friendships formed over the semester.

More than anything, the Elf Exchange helped students feel connected, gave them a reason to be creative and thoughtful, and introduced them to resources and people that made campus feel less overwhelming and more like home.

A faculty leader known across campus for her work in student mentoring, curriculum innovation and wellness-centered �þ��� has been named the next director of �þ���’s Honors Program.

Professor Svetlana Nepocatych from the Department of Exercise Science will bring to her new role extensive experience in �þ��� and graduate mentoring, interdisciplinary program development and faculty engagement. She begins her duties on June 1, 2026.

“An active scholar and mentor, Dr. Nepocatych’s proven leadership on curriculum committees, interdisciplinary initiatives, and her service as Faculty Fellow for Wellness and Well-Being reflect her deep commitment to faculty and student success and her inclusive, wellness-centered approach will no doubt enrich the Honors Program and its community,”  said Rebecca Kohn, �þ���’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The Honors Program offers a rigorous, four-year academic experience designed for high-achieving students from all majors. The program combines small, discussion-driven courses, close faculty mentorship, �þ��� research, and global engagement to nurture critical thinking, communication, and ethical leadership.

Honors Fellows receive academic and financial support, including significant merit scholarships, specialized coursework, dedicated living-learning communities, and grants for thesis research and study abroad.

Nepocatych’s responsibilities as director of the Honors Program will include:

• Program leadership and development
• Oversight and assessment of the Honors curriculum
• Coordination and support of the Honors theses process
• Recruitment and selection of incoming Honors Fellows
• Communication with students about Honors policies, expectations, and events
• Support for Academic Advising
• Chairing the Honors Advisory Committee

Nepocatych’s work with Honors Fellows, particularly through the senior thesis process, has been a defining part of her tenure at the university since joining the faculty in 2011. Many of her students have presented nationally or co-authored scholarly work, an accomplishment she said highlights both their achievement and the visibility of the Honors Program.

“I’m excited to step into the role of Honors Program director,” Nepocatych said. “The program’s commitment to academic excellence, �þ��� research, and mentoring creates a transformative experience for students. I’m especially looking forward to supporting Fellows in thriving both academically and personally, with a focus on wellbeing, purpose, and belonging, by partnering with colleagues across campus to strengthen a program that reflects the best of Elon’s engaged learning mission.”

A thread of Nepocatych’s own scholarship focuses on evidence-based mentoring frameworks, and she is currently pursuing certification through the International Coaching Federation to deepen her work in student support.

Beyond her mentoring experience, Nepocatych has led academic initiatives across disciplines, serving as coordinator of a Food Studies minor, a faculty leader in the Department of Exercise Science and a Faculty Fellow for Wellness and Well-being. She has developed curricula, led assessment efforts and built programming that integrates wellness, inclusion and resilience into classroom practice.

Nepocatych’s leadership roles have included directing grant-funded research projects, chairing curriculum committees, coordinating new academic program proposals and supporting faculty through workshops and development programs.

Nepocatych will this spring shadow Professor Steve Bednar, who is concluding his four-year term as director of the Honors Program, formally stepping into the role.

A North Carolina registered dietician, Nepocatych earned her Ph.D. in human performance, a Master of Science in human nutrition, and a Master of Arts in human performance from the University of Alabama. She graduated from Wright State University in Ohio with her Bachelor of Arts in health and physical education.

I’m especially looking forward to supporting Fellows in thriving both academically and personally, with a focus on wellbeing, purpose, and belonging, by partnering with colleagues across campus to strengthen a program that reflects the best of Elon’s engaged learning mission.

– Professor Svetlana Nepocatych

Search Committee for the Director of the Honors Program

• Jen Uno, Associate Professor of Biology and Associate Director of CATL (search chair)
• Lori Hubbard, Assistant Professor of Nursing
• Katrina Jongman-Sereno, Assistant Professor of Psychology
• Brian Kremer, Associate Professor of Performing Arts
• Jane O’Boyle, Associate Professor of Strategic Communications
• Will Pluer, Assistant Professor of Engineering
• Katy Rouse, Professor of Economics

Her paper, “Numerical Simulation of Jellyfish Swimming,” is available in Volume 8 of “PUMP (Preparing Undergraduate Mathematicians for PhDs): Journal of Undergraduate Research.”

The article focuses on research that began when Jillian participated in the NSF-funded North Carolina A&T State University and �þ��� Joint Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in Mathematical Biology in Summer 2022.

Thomas continued to investigate jellyfish swimming in her Honors thesis (mentored by Professor of Mathematics Karen Yokley).

Wente’s presentation examined Steinway & Sons’ Spirio, a modern descendant of earlier mechanical instruments such as the Pianola and reproducing piano. Her research situates the Spirio within a long lineage of technologies that blur boundaries between human performance and mechanical reproduction, raising new questions about artistry, authenticity and ownership in twenty-first-century music culture. Her paper contributes to an ongoing second book project exploring intersections of music, technology, and mechanical performance, expanding on themes of embodiment, labor and the uncanny in an age of artificial intelligence.

While at the conference, Wente was delighted to reconnect with Elon Music and Honors Fellow mentee alum Kaylee Therieau ’22, who is currently in her first year of the Music Theory Ph.D. program at Florida State University.

Anna Rakes’ presentation titled “Replication Study of Magnet School Desegregation in Contemporary U.S. School Districts” shared the results of her replication of three large studies investigating the effectiveness of magnet schools on desegregation rates using several metrics. She found current data on three large school districts to replicate the studies and then shared how the metrics compared to the time periods of the studies then and now. This is part of a larger study for her honors thesis.

Bunny Ingram’s presentation titled “Sentiment Analysis of Religious Texts” shares how they used a text mining tool to analyze large religious texts. Sentiment analysis is a text mining tool often used in analyzing social media, online discussion forums, and business. Using sentiment analysis to analyze religious texts has not been done often. This project sought to see what patterns arose in analyzing texts of this sort. This is part of their honors research project.

Bunny was also awarded one of two Best Poster Awards for 2025 eUSR! Anna and Bunny’s presentation can be , along with the other presentations at the conference.

“Growing up, I was always making things for people, whether it was for profit or just out of love,” Lee said.

With her passion for creating art and her business-minded approach to expressing intellectual creativity, Elon’s entrepreneurship program encourages Lee to pursue both passions while supporting her to make her dreams a reality.

Lee is originally from Waldorf, Maryland, where a friend of her mother’s recommended she consider �þ��� for soccer. From there, she booked a campus tour, where she immediately fell in love with the campus, the town and the people who lived there. On her campus tour, Lee was introduced to the scholars in the Odyssey Program as well as Honors Fellows. She would later apply to and earn a place in both programs.

“Once I heard everything the Odyssey Program had to offer, it made me want to be a part of Elon even more.” She notes the strong connection with her future Odyssey mentor, “sealed the deal” on her desire to come to Elon.

At Elon, Lee is now pouring her artistic and driven energy into the campus she loves so much. On top of being an Honors Fellow and a scholar in the Odyssey Program, through the Leo M. Lambert Odyssey Program Scholarship, she is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honors Society and a member of the President’s Student Leaders Advisory Council. She is the president of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and a member of Elon’s Track and Field team. In her free time, she enjoys expressing her artistry, turning to drawing and painting as well as listening to music and journaling.

“Both scholarship programs have awarded me with experiences that helped cultivate me in ways that the classroom can’t,” she said.

Through her hard work and numerous opportunities for involvement, Lee was able to continue her studies while still expressing her passion for creativity she’s had since she was a child. Being a scholar in the Odyssey Program allowed her to make the most of the opportunity to study in Florence, Italy, where she has been able to express herself through painting, a dream since she was little.

“I couldn’t believe I was there without having the financial burden,” she said. “It was an amazing opportunity for me to continue my passion for art. I made it a mission to tap into that side of myself while I was abroad.”

As a result of her experiences abroad, she now works as a part of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center as a student coordinator and ambassador.

This extracurricular growth continues with her recent research on the enhancement of black Entrepreneurs within Alamance County, and making sure they’re receiving the proper recognition and support they deserve.

“My research has definitely helped me prepare myself for what I see in the future with my career, as I love helping people,” Lee said.

These extracurricular experiences have led Lee to be a well-rounded student and future employee. As a result of her hard work in optimizing her opportunities at Elon, she was able to develop and maintain a promising relationship with Ernst & Young, one of the four largest and most influential professional services networks globally. She earned two summer internships with Ernst & Young and eventually secured a full-time offer as a Technology Risk Consultant under the Assurance Practice.

During her time with Ernst & Young, Elon alumni Lisa Kelly and Regan Glembocki became her unofficial mentors. This overwhelming amount of success and prosperity Lee worked for at Elon makes her feel unstoppable.

“I feel like I can literally do anything,” said Lee. “I stepped onto this campus, accomplishing my dreams that I genuinely didn’t think would happen until years and years later. It makes me emotional.”

Lee has been able to see the Odyssey scholarship affect her family in a full-circle way. As she is preparing to graduate at the end of this year, she is hopeful to leave a legacy with her younger brother, who is now enrolled as a freshman.

“As the years have gone on, I’ve grown in more appreciation of the scholarship and especially seeing the benefits it has on my little brother, even though he just got here, it’s been amazing to see.”

Her little brother, Carlos Lee Jr., is now enrolled at Elon with the same Odyssey scholarship she is so grateful for.

“When I experienced it, I couldn’t help but think, I want this for him when he gets to college, and the fact that he has it is more than what I could ever ask for,” Lee said.

Due to this full circle of opportunity for her family, Lee has made it a goal to one day donate in the same way to help another underfunded student achieve their academic and personal goals.

“I’ve been set up for so much success that it pours into generational success within my family,” said Lee. “I can’t wait to give somebody else an Odyssey Scholarship in the future. That’s how much this program has impacted me.”

Baris Kesgin, associate professor of political science and public policy, and Elon alum Katherine Graham McCormick ‘24 published an article in “, one of the publications of the American Political Science Association.

This work is an important contribution to the at-a-distance study of political leaders and gender studies, and in fact illustrates a rare connection between the two. The authors present systematically developed profiles of multiple contemporary American women political leaders and an average profile (in contrast to the many existing ones that are predominantly male). Kesgin and McCormick project that the dataset will be used, invite conversations and receive critique, be updated by others, and this manuscript will inspire other similar undertakings.

According to the authors, although women leaders assume prominent national offices in the United States (and the world), one of the well-established specializations in political science and psychology (i.e., leadership studies) is inundated with male-centric benchmarks. Their article suggests a remedy and introduces a women leaders comparison group for operational code analysis, which is a quantitative approach measuring leaders’ beliefs about politics. The manuscript and its associated dataset give scholars in the field a more appropriate quantitative benchmark for effectively comparing specific female leaders to a larger female norming group.

Kesgin and McCormick gathered American women leaders’ speeches from the Iowa State University Archives of Women’s Political Communication. Using an automated content analysis, they developed a comparison group exclusively for American female politicians in national politics. The authors’ findings indicate noticeable differences and suggest similarities with the existing male-dominant comparison groups; notwithstanding, they note that they aspire to initiate a conversation and hope that more data will follow and shed more light on women leaders. Kesgin and McCormick hope that their manuscript and the dataset will provide an illustrative example to bridge leadership and gender studies in advancing the study of women leaders in the United States and beyond.

Kesgin published multiple manuscripts on political leaders of India, Israel, Turkey, and small Pacific Island states. McCormick graduated from �þ��� with a degree in political science and public policy, with minors in peace and conflict studies and public health. Currently, she is a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Priyal Sanathara ’29 was at her home in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, this past spring when her family’s landline rang; assuming it was a spam call, she didn’t pick up. Then, it rang again.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a little weird. Why is the same number calling our landline twice in a row? Then, they called my cell phone,” she said.

On the other end was �þ��� President Connie Ledoux Book, who told Sanathara that she earned the William R. Kenan Jr. Scholarship, which provides a four-year, full-tuition grant for the top Honors Fellow entering Elon each fall. Recipients will have extensive enrichment opportunities, including leadership development, service-learning experiences, study abroad, research stipends and internships. The scholarship was established in 2003 through a grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust.

“I hung up and started crying. I was so happy,” said Sanathara. “It was a huge relief to know that this was an option for me. This was really good news for my family because college was looking like it was going to be really expensive, and I have a younger sister too, so I was trying to be cognizant of money in this moment.”

Sanathara chose Elon for the sense of community she experienced during her campus tour, along with the smaller class sizes. She plans to double major in astrophysics and political science, two unrelated subjects that are indicative of her wide array of interests. Her love for astronomy began when she was searching for an 8^th-grade class project idea, and the idea of astronomy sounded interesting. The project allowed her to connect with a college student studying in the field and get hands-on experience at a young age.

She continued her astronomy work while also becoming interested in political science, specifically policy change and international relations. Seeing the value of local politics and community building, Sanathara became involved with several community and social-justice organizations, including Youth4Unity!, �þ��� Against Sixers Arena and an internship with the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance. She was also a member of the Student Government and her school’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council (JEDI).

“I love giving back to my community and surrounding myself with people,” she said. “All the work that I did in JEDI was mainly focused on bettering my school policies and making it a better, cooler place for everybody, and making it so everybody can get the best out of their experience in high school.”

Sanathara hopes to continue that work at Elon, specifically focusing on policy changes that can help protect underrepresented individuals in the STEM fields. Her path to Elon also went beyond STEM, helping relaunch her high school’s newspaper and eventually earning the National Scholastic Press Association’s Leadership Award in Scholastic Journalism with her classmates.

These accomplishments were given a special acknowledgment at New Student Convocation Under the Oaks on Aug. 23, 2025. Sanathara was one of four students from the Class of 2029 who were spotlighted by Randy Williams, vice president for inclusive excellence and associate professor of education.

“It was a really special moment for my family,” she said. “I didn’t need the shout-out, but I’m happy it happened because my family got to have a little moment of celebration. I’m glad they were there to see it.”

While Sanathara describes her past experiences as “random side quests,” they have all led her to this moment at Elon, and one she is prepared to take on.

“I am most excited for the study abroad opportunities and to keep making memories with the people here,” she said. “I’m excited for it to start slowly, get the semester rolling, immerse myself here, find my people and really see what Elon has to offer me.”

Merrie Byers ’26 is not doing a traditional research project for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE); the cinema and television arts major is exploring differences through a self-produced documentary.

The documentary focuses on the reverends of two churches in Burlington, North Carolina, with a deep, complicated and connected history. During U.S. slavery, according to Byers, members of Union Ridge Church owned members of Union Chapel United Church of Christ. Now, the reverends of each church, which sit across the street from one another, have developed a close relationship.

“They are using their friendship to combat this prejudice and hosted a committee where 10 members of the church from each side got together and talked about these differences,” said Byers, who is from Wake Forest, North Carolina. “It really made a difference in how these churches have blossomed into a bonded community.”

Byers, an Honors Fellow, was introduced to both churches through the Place and Placemaking course, connected to Elon’s Power + Place Collaborative, a community partnership that works to capture and share untold stories of communities in Alamance County.

In the course, Byers says, faculty members Sandy Marshall and Danielle Lake discussed the significance of Christianity in Black and white communities, and how those communities worship. Byers was tasked with creating a mini-documentary about another reverend, but when reviewing the work of other students about her current documentary subjects, she had an idea.

“When I watched the footage, it just felt like these stories should have been brought together,” she said. “It was really fascinating to me to see the way that this friendship has connected the two of them.”

Byers is working alongside Nicole Triche, associate professor of cinema and television arts, on the documentary, which she will present in a poster presentation at SURE on June 24 in the Snow Atrium of Schar Hall.

Nearly 60 students will present at the annual research symposium, which provides an opportunity for students to work with faculty and gain meaningful research experience over the summer, without the pressure of other courses during a typical semester. �þ��� apply for the opportunity, which usually takes place during the summer before the junior or senior year.

“Professor Triche is genuinely one of the most understanding, yet professional, people that I’ve worked with,” said Byers. “I really appreciate her approach to education which stood out when I took her COM 2200 class.”

Even though her documentary won’t be displayed at the poster presentation, Byers still hopes people will take away an important message.

“I want to bring hope,” she said. “That’s been such a common theme with the two interviews I’ve had. Anything that can shine a light on the fact that this history is timeless and always needs to be talked about. Oral histories are important, and you can learn so much from someone else’s perspective.”

“I was going to battlefields with my dad at 5 years old. So even as a young child, I always thought history lived in DC,” said Anderson, who is double majoring in history and sociology.

Anderson is interning with the Lincoln Archives Digital Project, a public service initiative aimed at increasing the digital accessibility of records related to Abraham Lincoln. Her role is to help digitize Civil War draft cards of the American Indian Home Guard, a group of Native Americans who fought with the Union Army. The information collected by Anderson will then be given to the Cherokee Nation so they can use it for their own purposes.

As a rising sophomore, this is Anderson’s first internship, and the intensive workload has surprised but excited her.

“Sometimes you think you’re just using a scanner to take fancy pictures, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the back end for each picture you see of the end product,” said Anderson. “The average person may go onto some database for this type of digital records and say, ‘Oh, it’s just a quick picture,’ but each picture takes me a good couple of minutes just for each side.”

Getting to achieve her dream of living in Washington, D.C., specifically through Elon’s Study USA program, Anderson says she is in a constant state of “awe.”

“There’s these moments where I’ll be working and I look around and realize I’m in the National Archives,” said Anderson, “I’m sitting next to professors and researchers and down the hall from the National Archivist and there’s this amazing feeling and this full circle moment of accomplishing this dream that I’ve had since I was 5 or 6 years old. It’s very indescribable.”

Internships are one of the five Elon Experiences – students are expected to complete at least two before graduation. Anderson, after just completing her first year, is getting a strong start. She chose Elon for the Honors Program and the ability to get close mentorship without breaking the bank.

“Elon created the best environment for me where I could get mentorship programs and great opportunities that would open up for me through those connections,” she said. “It was also financially feasible for me. Other schools were like $70,000 a year, and that was just not in the cards for me.”

Now that Anderson has experience with an internship, she feels more prepared for her next three years at Elon and for more internships to come. She hopes to eventually work in archiving, museums or higher education.

“This internship felt like it was a way for me to connect to both the history and the people who preserve it in a really unique way that I wouldn’t be able to do in other places,” she said.