“When I was a student, there weren’t a huge number of local alumni that I was able to connect with,” he said. “I’m excited that this is a way I can highlight that staying in the community is an option.”

For Jensen Roll ’16, the path to building a business began long before he ever stepped onto a construction site. His path started with service, leadership and a long-standing connection to North Carolina. Both of his parents were born and raised in North Carolina, and summers spent visiting grandparents made it feel like a second home. So, when he began looking at colleges, North Carolina topped his list. Elon stood out almost immediately.

“I discovered Elon while looking at multiple schools and immediately fell in love with the service opportunities, the Leadership Fellows program and the deep commitment to study abroad,” he said.

The Leadership Fellows program was the primary motivation for his enrollment; he was accepted into the program before receiving his acceptance to the university.

Once on campus, Roll leaned into innovation. He designed a custom major in social entrepreneurship that bridged the gap between the business school, environmental studies and the humanities. He helped bring the University Innovation Fellowship program to Elon. This experience introduced him to design thinking and the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Silicon Valley, including visits to Google and Stanford University.

Because his self-designed major didn’t fit into a standard study abroad box, Roll worked with Angela Llewellyn, now assistant provost for academic excellence and integrity, to create a bespoke program. This journey took him to San Francisco and eventually to Cape Town, South Africa, for six months. It was there, while attending Jubilee Church through a connection from Emma Burress (then overseeing study abroad students), that he met his future wife, Mtende. After a year and a half of long-distance dating, she moved to North Carolina and today they are 50-50 partners in life and business.

While Jensen oversees the construction side as a licensed general contractor, Mtende is a licensed realtor who manages the investment and real estate side of their ventures.

“We co-own all of our companies together. Both of us have a very entrepreneurial and creative spirit,” he explained, stating that their shared vision is the backbone of their company culture.

He credits a wide network of mentors for pushing him to think differently. In addition to Leon Williams, former director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE), he points to Gary Palin, former executive director of the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, for challenging him to “be” an entrepreneur rather than just study it. He also highlights the influence of Steve Moore, a retired faculty member in environmental studies who shaped his views on urban sustainability. His growth was further guided by Phil Miller, a former lecturer in human services studies; Rex Waters, former dean of student development; and Steven Mencarini, former director of the Center for Leadership.

“The ability to work one-on-one with professors and attend national conferences gave me the confidence to launch initiatives like H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Eat),” he said.

Perhaps the most significant application of this “Triple Bottom Line” education, focusing on people, profit, and planet, is a current project Roll is particularly proud of: building seven tiny homes for Benevolence Farm. The project provides housing for women and non-binary individuals transitioning out of incarceration.

“As a construction company, not every project we take on has that opportunity to provide that triple bottom line in a meaningful way,” Roll said. “This is going to increase their capacity to serve that population.”

What’s been most rewarding, he said, is watching that impact accumulate.

“Construction is unique because the results are tangible and lasting,” he said. “Years later, you can drive by something you worked on and see how it’s become part of someone’s life.”

He credits Elon with giving him the freedom to experiment early, without the pressure of getting everything right.

“Elon was the ultimate sandbox,” he said. “It was a place to try things, take risks and even fail safely.”

He notes that while he didn’t graduate with a construction management degree, the problem-solving and systems-building skills he learned at Elon translated perfectly to the industry.

“What I spent four years learning at Elon had much more to do with the problem-solving, the engaged learning, the building of systems,” he said. “That is what we are doing in the real world.”

His advice to current students interested in entrepreneurship mirrors that mindset.

“Start now,” he said. “Spend time with business owners. Read. Build something. Use your four years to experiment while you still have that safety net. The best way to learn is by doing.”

Looking ahead, Roll is eager to take on larger, more complex and more creative projects. He thrives on unique builds and clients with distinct design visions. At the same time, he sees affordable housing as an area where his background in both entrepreneurship and service naturally converges.

“Our goal is to build a community that we want to live in,” he said. “The company is so closely aligned with the things that we care about.”

From building a tiny house as a student to shaping the built environment of his community, Roll’s journey highlights the combination of service and entrepreneurship, a foundation strengthened at Elon and carried forward through every project he takes on.

Gabriel Almario ’28, a strategic communications major with a minor in leadership studies, chose to complete the service Elon Experience, part of the Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR), that closely reflects both his personal values and long-term goals.

All Elon students are required to complete the ELR by finishing two of the Elon Experiences: internships, study abroad/away, research, service or mentorship.

“The Experiential Learning Requirement is a unique component of an Elon education that allows students to extend their learning beyond the classroom,” said Bob Frigo, assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. “�þ��� who complete the Service ELR work with nonprofit organizations, government agencies and locally owned businesses to gain the skills to become informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good.”

Almario spent his summer at Camp Durant, a summer camp for Scouting America, where he served as the trailblazer director. In this leadership role, he oversaw the entire first-year camper program, �þ��� foundational scouting skills such as knot tying, first aid, orienteering and nature studies to 11 and 12 year-old scouts. As trailblazer director, Almario’s responsibilities extended well beyond instruction. He led and trained a staff team, ensuring they were prepared to deliver a meaningful and high-quality experience for every camper.

“I worked to lead my staff and train them so that our whole team could effectively put on a quality program,” Almario shared.

His role required organization, communication and mentorship, cultivated through years of involvement as an Eagle Scout, Leadership Fellow and student leader. The ELR gave Almario the opportunity to actively apply what he has learned in and out of the classroom. But the experience was not without challenges. Those moments of growth strengthened his desire to pursue leadership in his future career.

“I experienced success, shortcomings and hardships, but ultimately came out a better person,” he said. “I hope to hold a leadership position in whatever line of work I end up doing. I want to use what I learned in my ELR to make a positive impact and effective change.”

Choosing to focus on service felt natural for Almario.

“My life revolves around serving others,” he explained. “My life purpose is to always seek to serve others, so far as I am able.”

While the leadership experience was transformative, it was the community that left the greatest impact.

“I spent the summer with some of my best friends,” he said. “It was the best summer of my life.”

For students considering their own ELR journey, Almario offers thoughtful advice: “Look for an organization that reflects who you want to be. Find one that does work that you enjoy. If you go into it with an open mindset, you will grow tremendously.”

Through his work at Camp Durant, Gabriel Almario’s ELR became more than a graduation requirement, but it defined leadership in an experience rooted in service, growth and purpose.

The largest exchange program in the country, awards approximately 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study. Recent graduates and graduate students undertake graduate study, advanced research, and English �þ��� worldwide. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries.

Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, The National and International Fellowships Office supported the largest cohort of Fulbright applicants in Elon’s history: 34 applicants.

Elon students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

Those who received awards this year are:

Leah Schwarz ’24

A psychology and Spanish double major with a minor in Latin American studies, Leah Schwarz has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. She is from Hudson, Ohio.

At Elon, Schwarz was an Elon College Fellow who spent two years researching Latinx student experiences in higher education. She also served as a student representative for the Latin American Studies Board, and as a Spanish tutor. She is a member of Sigma Iota Rho and Sigma Delta Pi honor societies.
“I applied to Spain because I studied abroad in Sevilla in Spring 2023 and instantly felt at home,” she said. “I loved the Spanish way of life, the relationships I made with locals and the emphasis on working to live, not living to work. I applied to Fulbright because, while abroad, I was a student English teacher at an elementary school and had so much fun working with the students. I loved the way the children were so excited to learn English and I was blown away with how much they knew.”

In the future, Schwarz plans to pursue a doctorate in psychology to become a clinical psychologist. Steve Braye and Leyla Savloff have been Schwarz’s most influential Elon mentors.

Nellie Garrison ’24

Nellie Garrison, an English Literature major with minors in Spanish and����dz����ܲԾ������پ��DzԲ�, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. From Staunton, Virginia, Garrison was the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for her sorority, worked extensively with �þ��� Recreation and Wellness, and served as the co-president of Sigma Tau Delta, the national English Honor Society. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Garrison became inspired to pursue an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) after her semester abroad in Spain. “I applied for Fulbright because of my passion for cross-cultural education that I developed while studying and �þ��� in Sevilla. My interest in instructing English as a second language first grew after working with adults at Alamance Community College during a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course my junior year. I look forward to working in Madrid for the chance to work with a diverse community of learners,” she says.

Teaching English through the Fulbright program is the first step in Garrison’s journey to a career as a dual-language educator and potential lawyer. Regardless of what she does, her aim is to “create welcoming environments where people from diverse backgrounds can learn and grow together”—a mission that will no doubt be strengthened through her time as an English Teaching Assistant.

Garrison’s most influential Elon mentors include April Post, Jennifer Eidum and Dinidu Karunanayake.

Britt Mobley ‘24

A strategic communications and outdoor leadership and education double major, Britt Mobley has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in the Czech Republic. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

At Elon, Mobley was an Odyssey Scholar and a Communications Fellow, served as the Student Government Association Student Body President and worked as the course director on the ELOA Challenge Course. Fulbright is a natural extension of his deep involvement, and he was drawn to the program in part for its definition of holistic student success. “Honestly, I applied out of spite,” he says. “I applied to challenge my own fears and doubt about being good enough and having the most pristine academic record.”

Mobley’s strong, holistic �þ��� career has prepared him well to serve as an ETA at the Business, Hospitality and Vocational School Tabor in Tabor, Czech Republic. After his Fulbright year, he plans to attend the University of North Carolina-Charlotte to earn his doctorate in organizational sciences.

Mobley’s Elon mentors include Evan Small and Israel Balderas, who have acted as cheerleaders and advocates “for [his] academic record and what [he is] truly capable of as a student, even though [his] transcript doesn’t fully portray that.”

Trevor Molin ’23

Trevor Molin, a political science major and member of the Class of 2023, has received a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Molin has spent the past year at the London School of Economics earning their first master’s degree in Gender Studies. During their time at Elon, Molin served on the Student Government Association, worked in the Gender and LGBTQIA+ Center as the inaugural Healthy Masculinities & Relationships student assistant, and coordinated and directed Elon Volunteers.

Molin was inspired to reapply for Fulbright after being named a semifinalist for a Fulbright grant to the United Kingdom last year. “In all honesty, after going through the process last round, part of my decision to apply this time was just from how useful the process itself was, especially as I was looking to apply to graduate programs anyway,” they explain. Embarking on the process a second time led Molin to Canada and Memorial University, where they are eager to engage with new scholars and explore the natural beauty of Newfoundland.

This degree from Memorial, paired with Molin’s first graduate degree from the London School of Economics, will no doubt pave the way for a promising academic career. “I hope to pursue a PhD in an interdisciplinary, theory-based program and hopefully go on to become a professor,” they say. “Who knows what will happen, but I know for certain I want to teach theory, we’ll see where that will take me though!”

Molin’s constellation of Elon mentors includes Jodean Schmiederer, Lauren Guilmette and Liza Taylor.

Eliana Olivier ’24

With majors in environmental and ecological sciences and Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies, Eliana Olivier has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Colombia. The Honors Fellow and is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Pursuing an ETA in Colombia is a natural extension of Olivier’s Elon involvement. Internationally, she spent a semester abroad in the Dominican Republic. Back on campus, she served as an environmental justice intern with the Office of Sustainability. “I applied to the program in Colombia because I was excited about the opportunity to engage with a new culture and because of my interest in the Spanish language and Latin America, specifically,” she explains. “I also applied because of all of the ecological diversity of Colombia, and I thought it would be a great place to further pursue my environmental interests.”

Olivier’s Elon mentors include Kelly Harer and Ricardo Mendoza. “I have had so many incredible professors and mentors who have helped me to succeed and grow in the past four years,” she says. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school.

In addition to these students, five seniors and alumnae have been named alternates for various Fulbright grants. 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.

Those who were selected as alternates are:

Heeba Chergui ’22

An alumna from the Class of 2022, Heeba Chergui has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Albania for the second time. Earlier this year, Chergui was selected as one of Elon’s first Rangel Graduate Fellows.

At Elon, Chergui majored in international and global studies, minored in leadership studies and was a Leadership Fellow. She dedicated her academic and experiential pursuits to the study of the Middle East and North Africa and received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Amman, Jordan, where she interned with a peacebuilding nongovernment organization. These experiences were invaluable in helping her to receive , which will train and prepare her for a career in the Foreign Service through the State Department.

Her Elon mentors include Kevin Bourque, LD Russell, Sandy Marshall and Maritza Gulin.

Bethany Marzella ’24

Bethany Marzella, a member of the Class of 2024 with a major in international and global studies and six minors (peace and conflict studies, political science, interreligious studies, geography, Islamic studies, and Middle East studies) has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright research grant to Oman. Marzella’s proposed project in Oman would be a continuation of her �þ��� research on sectarian conflict.

At Elon, Marzella was a Phi Beta Kappa Multifaith Scholar whose work focused on the Middle East. She spent a semester abroad in Amman, Jordan, which she cites as the most influential experience she had while an �þ���. In the future, she is eager to attend graduate school abroad in a field related to politics and international studies.

Marzella’s constellation of Elon mentors includes Sandy Marshall, Tom Kerr, Summeye Pakdil, Amy Allocco and Allegra Laing.

Sarah Mirrow ’24

An economics and applied mathematics double major and a French minor from the Class of 2024, Sarah Mirrow has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin in Ireland. She is from Arlington, Virginia.

At Elon, Mirrow was an Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar who pursued two years of rigorous research about how access to abortion clinics impacts female educational attainment. She chose to pursue a Fulbright grant in Ireland specifically because the country has experienced abortion legislation upheaval in the past 10 years that presents a unique research opportunity.

Mirrow’s ultimate goal is to pursue a doctorate in economics. Her most influential Elon mentors include Steve Bednar and Karen Yokley.

Claire D. Przybocki ’24

Claire D. Przybocki, a member of the Class of 2024, has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Poland. At Elon, Przybocki was a double major in international and global studies and economics with minors in Islamic studies, interreligious studies, and leadership studies. She was also a Leadership Fellow, a Multifaith Scholar, a Maryland Public Service Scholar, and served as the vice president of Elon’s Arabic Language Organization.

Pryzbocki’s time as a Multifaith Scholar, where she spent two years researching refugee resettlement in Poland, plus her experience working with international nongovernment organizations, motivated her to apply for this grant to teach English in Poland. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school to prepare her for a career in migrant resettlement. Her constellation of Elon mentors includes Brian Pennington, Amy Allocco and Sandy Marshall.

“A major part of my job is to help faculty start to understand how leadership can be integrated into any academic field, beyond leadership studies. I also help faculty recognize that we have all this student energy around wanting to learn and engage in leadership – so how do we pull that into the classroom? How do we build some good synergy there?” said Ghoshal, an associate professor of sociology.

One avenue for achieving this goal is through the Faculty Scholars Program, which provides workshops and programs for faculty to enhance their syllabi and integrate leadership education into their courses. The program selects five faculty members from different disciplines who are each awarded a stipend to attend six workshops throughout the academic year. Throughout the program, faculty members work on incorporating leadership education into their classes, identifying opportunities to infuse leadership principles into their syllabi and �þ��� methods. At the end of the year, faculty members showcase their revised course materials and share their experiences with colleagues.

Another avenue that Ghoshal’s goal is achieved through is fostering partnerships with university stakeholders, such as the and the Leadership Studies Minor Advisory Board, to ensure that they are in sync and working to promote each other’s goals. Through these efforts, Ghoshal aims to further the university’s commitment to nurturing well-rounded leaders equipped with the skills to thrive in a diverse and dynamic world.

Ghoshal’s journey into this role as the faculty fellow for leadership education stems from his background as a sociology professor. With nearly 15 years of experience in the field, his primary research focus has been on race and class inequality in the United States. This background helps him bring a unique perspective to the study of leadership.

“I think that sociology has a lot to bring to the study of leadership. Sociology is all about human relations and how people work together and how people fit together,” Ghoshal expressed.

In recent years, there has been a growing need to incorporate DEI principles into leadership education, considering the social climate. Additionally, societal shifts have required greater awareness and accountability. However, Ghoshal’s expertise positions him as a valuable resource, offering insights and strategies for implementing inclusive leadership practices.

“Organizations have rightfully become more attentive to understanding human differences and inequalities in the last five years or so. Artificially restricting leadership to one small, homogeneous set of the population and expecting everyone else to follow them is not a recipe for continued success. Having somebody with a background in  how people of many different backgrounds can work together made sense for bringing in some tools and approaches from social science disciplines that hadn’t been featured as prominently before,” Ghoshal said.

However, these practices and principles influence far beyond the classroom. This ideology is embedded in the very root of university culture. Elon prepares students to become active and engaged citizens by equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world. Through experiential learning opportunities, such as community-based projects and internships, students can apply their leadership skills in real-world contexts, making meaningful contributions to society while honing their abilities as ethical leaders.

“The idea of being a leader carries some currency in our culture. If we can share with students what has been learned in the past 70 years of leadership studies, it can help students more quickly move away from some of the dysfunctional and destructive versions of leadership that held sway in earlier decades,” Ghoshal said.

Another way Elon provides opportunities for leadership education is through the Leadership experiential learning requirement (ELR). Undergraduate students are required to complete two ELRs to graduate through one of the five Elon Experiences, which includes leadership. Faculty can submit a proposal to teach classes that have a leadership education component, or students can submit a proposal to have a course approved to fulfill the ELR requirement. Ghoshal discussed some examples of courses that achieve the leadership ELR requirement.

Assistant Professor Pratheep Paranthaman teaches a course in collaborative video game design. “His focus on leadership education is on students working in teams within the class through a structured set of exercises, learning different collaborative processes for video game design that may be relevant in workplaces if they end up working in programming or working as game designers,” Ghoshal stated.

As initiatives such as the Faculty Scholars program and the Leadership ELR continue to thrive at the university, Ghoshal and other campus partners actively measure their effectiveness through different key performance indicators, such as the number of faculty applying to participate in the scholar’s program, the number of applications for the leadership ELR, and the number of students participating in the leadership experience.

Ghoshal has recently launched two projects aimed at expanding Elon community members’ access to leadership education initiatives and resources. The first is a series of talks called “Leading for Equity,” a collaboration between Leadership Education, the Provost’s Office and the Office of Inclusive Excellence that features speakers on topics at the intersection of leadership, equity, and pedagogy. The first two events took place this semester, with the series planned to continue in the 2024-25 academic year.

Ghoshal is also working to expand leadership education resources available online to faculty. He has built a library of resources, including class activities and video interviews with Elon leadership educators, and plans to roll out those resources this coming summer.

Looking ahead, Ghoshal expressed hope that his initiatives to bring leadership education into conversation with equity and to make resources more widely available continue to bear fruit in the years to come.

“I want it to be as easy as possible for faculty who want to learn more about leadership education to access resources,” Ghoshal said. “Having an array of easily usable resources in a single place will help faculty members learn how to bring leadership education into their classes much more quickly. And effective leadership absolutely involves thinking carefully and creatively about equity and diversity. These topics should continue to get significant attention in leadership learning.”

After a highly selective application and interview process, students are awarded $5,000 annually to support research and study in global contexts connected with religious diversity and multi-religious societies. �þ��� who show great potential as academically curious and socially engaged leaders committed to their own ongoing development and the enhancement of their local and global communities are selected each Spring.

Sandy Marshall, an associate professor of geography, served as interim director of the Multifaith Scholars program this year while Professor Amy Allocco has been on a Fulbright-funded research sabbatical in India. “We had an exceptionally strong applicant pool, and I am excited about the diversity of backgrounds and research interests represented in this new cohort,” Marshall said. “Their topics span a range of time periods and regions, including Africa, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Likewise, their proposed research combines diverse interdisciplinary perspectives from history and politics, to computer science and theatrical design. We are excited to work with these students and their mentors over the next two years to facilitate their scholarly development and personal growth.”

In addition to pursuing their faculty-mentored �þ��� research projects and undertaking academic coursework in religious studies and interreligious studies, the scholars will extend the program’s ongoing community partnership with the Burlington Masjid. Through the partnership, scholars participate in youth and social events with the local Muslim community, join community garden workdays, volunteer with the food pantry, and take part in potlucks and iftar meals during Ramadan.

The 2024-26 Multifaith Scholars:

Alyssa Carney

Majors: International and Global

Studies / History

Minors: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics / Geography / Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Sandy Marshall (Geography)

Project Title: Echoes of Al-Andalus: Islamophobia and Migration in Spain

Proposed Research: Carney’s research will examine the lived experience of Muslim Arab migrants in Spain and the contested memories of Islamic Spain and the Spanish Reconquista within the context of growing right-wing populism.

Owen Hayes

Major: History

Minors: Political Science / Interreligious

Studies

Mentor: Brian Pennington (Religious Studies)

Project Title: Catholic Missionaries and Indigenous Peoples of Australia

Proposed Research: Using archival research and interviews, Hayes will examine contentious encounters between Catholic missionaries in Australia and Aboriginal peoples.

Hasan Khan

Major: Computer Science

Minors: Data Science / Leadership Studies / Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Pratheep Paranthaman (Computer Science)

Project Title: Exploring Multifaith Engagement through Video Game Representation

Proposed Research: Based on visual and narrative analysis of popular video games as well as interviews with gamers themselves, Khan’s research aims to critically examine depictions of religion in video games with the goal of producing guidelines for game designers to improve religious representation.

Olivia Novak

Majors: Religious Studies / Theatrical Design

Minor: Entrepreneurship

Mentor: Toddie Peters (Religious Studies)

Project Title: Abortion in Context: Historical Influences on 21st Century Abortion Discourse

Proposed Research: Novak’s research will examine the historical roots and religious discourses that influence today’s political debates about abortion and reproductive rights. With the goal of producing traditional scholarly outputs as well as a theatrical performance to share her research.

Jesse White

Major: Religious Studies / International and Global Studies (Middle East and Africa concentrations)

Minor: Islamic Studies

Mentors: Waseem Kasim (History) and Mussa Idris (Anthropology)

Project Title: Mahdism and Sudanese: History and Memory of an Islamic Movement in North America’s Diasporic Sudanese Communities

Proposed Research: White’s research combines historical textual analysis of archival resources with ethnographic research with Sudanese diaspora communities to examine the history of the Mahdi revolt, the role of Sufism therein, and how it is remembered today in light of contemporary politics and conflict in Sudan.

The Elon junior, who serves as managing editor at The Pendulum, was recently named a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow, a prestigious fellowship program that selects and finances talented journalists to report on critical and underreported stories. As part of her investigative reporting project, Sloan will return to northern Europe to examine an underreported policy in Denmark that leaves inmates released with crippling debt to the state. She first encountered the topic while taking a criminal justice class during her study abroad experience, and she relishes the opportunity to bring attention to the situation.

“Criminal justice is an important topic no matter where you are in the world,” Sloan said. “I was surprised, excited and honored to receive this fellowship, and I look forward to exploring this subject more.”

�þ��� has a longstanding relationship with the Pulitzer Center, serving as a partner in its network, an educational initiative that brings Pulitzer Center staff and journalists to Elon’s campus twice a year.

With Elon’s membership in the consortium, students have the opportunity to work with the center on developing international reporting projects, which have been featured on the center’s website and can be disseminated through media partners. In 2023, highlighted the dangers of migration in Latin America. And the year prior, reported on orphanages in Ghana, producing multimedia stories about how organizations dealt with the pandemic.

Sloan said she feels prepared to tackle an in-depth investigative project thanks to her experiences on campus. She has been a prolific student journalist, noting in a recent LinkedIn post that she has written nearly 200 stories for Elon News Network. Additionally, she praised Glenn Scott, associate professor emeritx of journalism, for his Reporting for the Public Good course and the lessons she learned from his instruction.

“The class focused on not only reporting but storytelling and showed me that it is important to dig deeper for stories,” Sloan said.

Prior to her appointment as The Pendulum’s managing editor, Sloan served as a multimedia reporter, a copy editor and the politics editor. The Apex, North Carolina, native is minoring in leadership studies and political science.

After a highly selective application and interview process, students of this multidisciplinary program are awarded $5,000 annually to support research and study in global contexts connected with religious diversity and multireligious societies. �þ��� who show great potential as academically curious and socially engaged multifaith leaders committed to their own ongoing development and the enhancement of their local and global communities are selected in the Spring of their second year.

Amy Allocco, an associate professor of religious studies, has directed the Multifaith Scholars program since it was established in 2016. She notes that this year’s class brings additional strengths and diversity to the cohort. “In an exceptionally strong pool of applicants, these aspiring scholars impressed the selection committee with their diverse, promising, and quite timely research projects. We are excited to work with them and their mentors over the next two years to facilitate not only their projects and academic growth, but also to help them integrate their experiences and learning.” In addition to pursuing faculty-mentored �þ��� research and undertaking academic coursework, the scholars will extend the program’s ongoing community partnership with the Burlington Masjid.

The 2022-24 Multifaith Scholars

Ashley Burnett

Major: Political Science

Minor: Religious Studies

Mentor: Kathleen Crosby (English)

Project Title: Festivals: Exploring the Culture Between Religion and Politics

Proposed Research: Burnett’s research will analyze the religious aspects of various global festivals and how the respective cultures impact secular politics and social relations.

Daniel Scheff

Majors: Political Science, Religious Studies

Minors: Leadership Studies, Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Amy Allocco (Religious Studies)

Project Title: Gender and Caste Identities in the Revitalization of Andal Worship

Proposed Research: Scheff’s project will identify the ways gender identity and caste politics have influenced the depiction, expression, and worship of Andal, the eighth-century South Indian Tamil poet-saint—the only woman among the Alvar poet-saints who were instrumental in the vernacularization and subsequent democratization of Hindu devotion.

Andy Walter

Major: Religious Studies

Minor: Music

Mentor: Andrew Monteith (Religious Studies)

Project Title: Self Erasure: Colonialism, Christianity, and Indigenous Support for Cultural Genocide

Proposed Research: Walter will investigate the native voices subjected to American colonialism, focusing on the indigenous peoples who accepted Protestant missionaries and experienced cultural genocide as a result.

Beth Marzella

Major: International and Global Studies

Minors: Peace and Conflict Studies, Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Sandy Marshall (History and Geography)

Project Title: Iraq’s Intrareligious Background

Proposed Research: Marzella’s project will assess how the intrareligious tensions within Islam inform or shape Iraq’s national politics.

Claire Przybocki

Majors: International and Global Studies, International Economics

Minors: Leadership Studies, Interreligious Studies

Mentor: Brian Pennington (Religious Studies)

Project Title: Rising Catholic Nationalism in Poland

Proposed Research: Przybocki will incorporate fieldwork to investigate the historical and political influences on Catholic nationalism promoted by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party.

These students join the current senior class of Multifaith Scholars, who will spend this year completing data analysis, presenting at academic conferences, and developing scholarly publications. Information about the seniors or the Multifaith Scholars program, in general, can be found on the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society website: /u/academics/csrcs/multifaith-scholars/.

“SJ McDonald served as one of the most active and effective student leaders ever to take the reins of �þ��� for Peace and Social Justice,” said Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies L.D. Russell. “She left the organization much stronger, broader, and deeper than it was when she came on board. Her �þ��� research in religious studies, drawing on her peace and conflict studies course work, rooted in her interests in social justice initiatives in Tanzania, and concentrated on the plight of international refugees here in North Carolina, was clearly argued and urgently relevant. In a time when traditional forms of religion and Christianity in particular are becoming less relevant in Western culture, SJ embodies the very best of the Christian tradition: a passion for social justice, compassionate intervention on behalf of those less fortunate, and a joy in living so genuine that it spreads to those fortunate enough to spend time in her presence.”

McDonald is a member of Theta Alpha Kappa, recipient of Omicron Delta Kappa’s Ella Brunk Smith Award, the Anne Cassebaum Outstanding Student Award for Commitment to Social Justice and Activism in the Peace and Conflict Studies program, and served as president and vice president of �þ��� for Peace and Social Justice. Recently, she was awarded a U.S. State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship to study Swahili as she pursues a career in humanitarian aid working with East African refugees.

Tell us about your research experience.

I researched East and Central African refugee integration into Greensboro, N.C., and the role of religious community in the integration process. I selected this because I wanted to combine my study abroad experience in Iringa, Tanzania, with my academic studies and learn more about refugee communities, something I have been passionate about through visits to the US-Mexico border and internships involving refugee resettlement. I presented at the American Academy of Religion’s Southeastern conference, National Conferences for Undergraduate Research and Elon’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum.

What are you proudest of when you reflect on your time at Elon?

I am most proud of my research experiences and how I have grown as a person, scholar and advocate. Through the Multifaith Scholar program, I have reached an advanced Swahili speaking level and have formed an important connection with a refugee church in Greensboro that has taught me so much. I will use what I have learned through Multifaith Scholars for the rest of my career in refugee and migrant advocacy.

I am also incredibly proud of my Common Good project with Leadership Fellows where I studied Elon’s archives and presented on Elon’s history of protest and considered how we remember the past and the impact of protesting on the future.

Were there professors who had a significant influence on you?

I have been incredibly lucky to be supported by multiple mentors through my time at Elon. Whether it was my first-semester global instructor Mark Dalhouse (director for global educational initiatives), who made an effort to keep in touch and support my studies, L.D. Russell (senior lecturer in religious studies) who advised �þ��� for Peace and Social Justice and has supported me through all four years at Elon, or my mentors and bosses at the Truitt Center who have endlessly loved me, taught me about engagement with difference, and been a home for me.

I feel so lucky to know and have learned from each member of the Department of Religious Studies in and outside of the classroom as mentors and friends. I especially want to express my gratitude to Dr. Mussa Idris (associate professor of anthropology), my research mentor and Dr. Amy Allocco, (associate professor of religious studies and director of the Multifaith Scholars). Finally, I want to thank Melanie Bullock, Alonzo Cee, and the entire Center for Leadership team for supporting my leadership journey.

I have learned that Elon prioritizes relationships and I cannot express how grateful I am to each and every person who has impacted my journey here. Above are just a few people who have shaped my journey and loved me throughout it, but I could go on and on about all of the people who have made Elon home for me.

What are your plans after graduation?

I will be participating in the State Department’s Critical Language Scholarship program for Swahili this summer, then moving to Baltimore, Maryland, to work for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service as a part of the outreach team. I’m incredibly excited to begin a career in migration and cannot wait to learn more with LIRS.

What advice would you give future Elon students?

I would encourage students to prioritize relationships and spend time getting to know faculty, staff, and other peers as they are what makes Elon so great. Take advantage of all of the wonderful opportunities that Elon has to offer — whether it is a cohorted experience, a club, an event, or meeting with a mentor. Elon is what you make it!

What’s your favorite Elon tradition?

My favorite Elon tradition has to be the annual Sand Mandala creation and destruction by Tibetan Buddhist monks in the Truitt Center. My first year I met Geshe Sangpo at lunch and created a friendship that lasts to this day! It is a beautiful demonstration of faith and I love that participants get to take home a piece of the auspicious sand to display.

Since 1977, Elon’s Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa has recognized students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership skills while maintaining high academic standards. The Circle’s core components include academics, multicultural experience, athletics, campus and community service, social and religious activities, campus government, creative and performing arts, and journalism, speech and mass media.
Exemplary achievement and service are also being recognized this spring during several individual school ceremonies.

2021 Omicron Delta Kappa leadership award winners

Student Media Award – Rachel A. Cifarelli

This award is presented to the student who has contributed the most to advance communications on campus during the current academic year.

Leadership Studies Award – Chandler Alexis Vaughan

The Leadership Studies Award is awarded annually to the senior Leadership Studies minor who has best exemplified the study of leadership as an academic discipline through excellence in related coursework, research and/or other scholarly contributions.

Hilaire Pickett ’08 Leadership Grant – Angy Nicoll Aguilar & Darsev Kaur

The endowed scholarship, the Hilaire Pickett ’08 Leadership Grant, is awarded to students that participate in the Leadership Education and Development at Elon. Awards are granted to support students in their junior or senior years to pursue leadership internships or legacy efforts. The students must demonstrate a significant commitment to their organizations and academics and be active in contributions that have a positive impact on the Elon community.

The PERCS Outstanding Ethnography Award – Sydney Rey Hallisey & Madison Eleanor Gray

This award recognizes the student who has conducted the most outstanding ethnographic research project at �þ���, judged according to the quality of both the process and product. The award is given by PERCS: The Program for Ethnographic Research and Community Studies.

Katharine duPont Weymouth Scholarship – Lauren Cassidy Willingham

This scholarship is awarded to outstanding juniors in the social sciences and given in honor of alumnus Frank Lyon ’71.

W.L. Monroe Christian Education and Personality Award – Connor Finnegan Jenkins & Srija Dutta

Recipients of this award demonstrate citizenship and a strong desire to help others improve themselves. A trust created by the late W.L. Monroe Sr., who attended Elon in 1917, provides cash awards to the recipients.

Truitt Center Reconciliation Award – Caroline E. Penfield

This award is presented to a student who best exemplifies the vision of Douglas G. Noiles and Edna Truitt Noiles ’ 44, who endowed the program in the Vera Richardson Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life “to enable Elon students to learn about their own and other faiths and to live lives of reconciliation.”

Ella Brunk Smith Award – Sarah Jane McDonald & Samantha Chessen

In honor of Ella Brunk Smith, wife of former Elon President Dr. L.E. Smith, a cash award is presented to a female student in the senior class who has made significant contributions to the religious and moral life on campus.

Martha Smith Award for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies – Jay Damian Tiemann

This award is given in honor of Martha Smith, one of the founding mothers of the women’s, gender and sexualities studies program at �þ���, to recognize the achievements – both academic and activist in nature – of a graduating senior Women’s, Gender and Sexualities Studies minor.

Iris Holt McEwen Community Service Award – Talia N. Gallo

This award is presented to a student whose service to Elon and the larger community exemplifies the generosity of spirit and dedication to philanthropy of Iris Holt McEwen.

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award – Jubitza Figueroa, Yannick Twumasi & Sandra Lynn Reid

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award is an award presented to graduating seniors, alumni and community members of selected colleges and universities in the Southern United States for excellence of character and service to humanity.  At Elon, two graduating seniors and one faculty or staff member are recognized annually for their honesty, morality, ethics, integrity, responsibility, determination, courage and compassion.

Newman Civic Fellows Award – Anna Lee Gillespie

The �þ��� Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award is a national award that recognizes students who inspire and engage others through their work to provide long-term solutions for social issues in their communities. This award is made in honor of Dr. Frank Newman, one of �þ��� Compact’s founders, who was a tireless advocate for the role of higher education in preparing students for active and engaged citizenship.

John W. Barney Memorial Award – Meghan Eun-Seon Murray & Emily Marie Guyton Lange

This award recognizes the senior(s) with the highest cumulative ­GPA. Colleagues, former students, and friends of the late John W. Barney established this award in his honor. Mr. Barney graduated from Elon in 1910 and was a member of the faculty for more than three decades.

William Moseley Brown Leadership Award – Eukela Little

Presented by Elon’s Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, this award is presented to the student who consistently demonstrates the highest ideals of Omicron Delta Kappa: scholarship, service, integrity, character and fellowship, including providing distinguished leadership to his or her peers. The award is named in honor of a former Elon faculty member and one of the original founders of the national chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Leupold, Isabella Cannon Leadership Professor and Faculty Fellow for Law and Leadership, has published a chapter in a recently published book, “.” The chapter, titled “,” focuses on how to understand trust within the nation’s cultural context.

“Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures” address the idea of trust through the lenses of seven cultural perspectives from around the world. Leupold’s chapter delves into a decline in trust in the U.S. for government, media and other institutions. Leupold argues that a lack of trust in the U.S. can be attributed to a society that has become less homogenous and a political system that has become more polarized over the years.

“My hope is that people, and leaders particularly, will see this and realize there are levers that they can pull that help develop trust.”

— Professor Chris Leupold

Leupold uses the discussion about U.S. trust to turn the reader’s attention to a discussion of the role trust plays in the workplace. Leupold is an industrial-organizational psychologist who studies how organizations operate in terms of training, hiring and culture. In his book chapter, Leupold highlights the importance of trust within an organization – both between employees and supervisors and employees and overall organizations. As Leupold explains, trust is essential to the success of any workplace.

“It’s where most people spend a good portion of their lives, and people are always more productive and satisfied and committed to their organizations if there is trust,” he said.

Leupold explains that trustworthiness within an organization is defined by a trustor’s (the employee’s) assessment of the trustee (the employer) based on the ABI Model. The model shows an employee can only trust a supervisor or employer if the employee believes the supervisor displays ability, benevolence and integrity.

In the ABI Model, ability refers to an employee’s confidence that their employer is knowledgeable; benevolence relates to an employee’s ability to trust that an employer has their best interest in mind; and integrity refers to the employee’s belief that their employer is inherently good and would only ask them to carry out tasks that are within moral boundaries. Leupold says each aspect of the model is critical for employees, who spend large portions of their time in the workplace. Without the presence of these components of organizational trust, employees will be much less likely to follow directions and do their part, Leupold says.

“Research shows that people who do trust in their leaders and their organizations are more productive, happier and committed, and they do extra work they aren’t asked to do,” he said. “It just creates a more productive organization.”

While Leupold doesn’t believe trust in organizations has declined at the same rate of trust in other U.S. institutions, he says there are still important steps organizations need to take to maintain the trust of their employees. In the book chapter, Leupold offers a number of recommendations to help organizations build trust like involving employees in the decision-making process and being transparent.

“My hope is that people, and leaders particularly, will see this and realize there are levers that they can pull that help develop trust,” he said. “And if they do that, trust will increase and they’ll create a better work environment.”

“Trust and Trustworthiness across Cultures” was edited by Catherine T. Kwantes and Ben C. H. Kuo and is part of the  book series.