Krause chose Elon, and across the past four years, she has taken advantage of the opportunity to marry multiple personal passions and interests in a way that has made her stand out both on campus and within the broader field of biomedical engineering. She quickly immersed herself in research and carved out a research focus that was uniquely her own at Elon while equipping herself with the skills and experiences that have put her ahead of many of the peers she will have in graduate school.

“Elon was very, very different from the schools I was choosing from,” Krause said. “I feel like I’ve been able to engage all aspects of my passions here.”

Krause is a recipient of the Lumen Prize, Elon’s most prestigious award for undergraduate research and awards scholars a $20,000 scholarship to support a chosen research project and allows the scholar to work closely with a faculty mentor on that project for two years. Each year, 15 rising juniors are named Lumen Scholars and conduct research that often produces conference presentations and publications.

In close partnership with her Lumen Prize mentor, Assistant Professor of Engineering Jonathan Su, Krause has built a unique research path as she has developed a prototype for a pulse oximeter that accounts for the color of a person’s skin when calculating their oxygen levels. It’s a project designed to address a lack of accuracy that negatively impacted people with darker skin colors during the COVID-19 pandemic, an impact she saw firsthand working with a health care worker in Alamance County communities.

She has developed a prototype of pulse oximeter that can measure a person’s skin tone and use that data to produce a more accurate reading. Along with being a common tool to measure a person’s vital signs, pulse oximeters were crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic because of their ability to see how the virus was impacting the oxygen saturation levels in a patient’s blood.

She’s been able to draw upon the expertise of Su and others in the Department of Engineering to create a project that is her own, which is very different from joining a research lab that is pursuing an existing research focus. “I have entire ownership over this project,” Krause said. “In grad school interviews, I heard from interviewers that they were impressed to see an undergraduate have this level of ownership of this sort of project.”

Research through service

At Elon, Krause has found an environment that provides her with opportunities to do more than just pursue an engineering degree and conduct research. Those opportunities are what drew her to the university in the first place.

“I do like building things, I do like math and I like science, but I also like being more creative,” Krause said. “I am really passionate about social justice. The program at Elon spoke to me because it’s very well-rounded.”

Outside the classroom, she has been deeply involved in the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, first as a student worker and later as a service ambassador. It was her desire to incorporate service into her academic experience that helped pave the way for her Lumen Prize research focus.

Through the Engineering Design for Service course she took in fall 2021, she worked with a local health care worker who regularly used a pulse oximeter regular and had notice that there was a discrepancy in how accurate the oximeter was depending upon who her clients were. Krause began researching the issue and found confirmation that pulse oximeters were less reliable when used on people with darker skin tones because they were likely to overestimate the oxygenation levels. That would reduce the likelihood that they could identify a person who was in crisis because of low oxygenation levels.

“A lot of sources theorized that the unreliability of pulse oximeters could have impacted health disparities and health outcomes during the COVID pandemic for people of color,” Krause said.

That initial work in addressing the issue would grow into Krause’s Lumen research in partnership with Su, who she first met during a visit to campus as a prospective student and who had already become a mentor to her. During Krause’s first year, Krause had a “journal club” with Su through which Krause would read various engineering journal articles and the pair would come together to discuss them. Su was impressed by her ability to process and absorb complex engineering concepts detailed in the journal articles so early in her academic career.

“It’s unusual for someone to be this independent so early,” Su said. “She came in very motivated and has been able to learn so much.”

Krause conducted a simulation to see how different skin tones absorb red light, which is used within the pulse oximeter to measure oxygenation levels. Using mathematical modeling, she was able to estimate the probability that a person’s skin tone would impact the accuracy of the pulse oximeter. By pairing an arduino, which is an open-source electronics platform with the existing sensor in a pulse oximeter and a skin tone recognition sensor she designed, she created a prototype that would automatically adjust the oxygenation reading to take into account the skin tone-based shift.

From Mentee to Mentor

Through not just her Lumen Prize research but throughout her time at Elon, Krause has benefitted from the supportive mentorship of Su. “I feel like Dr. Su has been a constant in my life at Elon,” Krause said.

If the pair gets stuck working through some aspect of the research, they’ve been able to quickly turn to external research, process it and come back together to find a solution. Krause is relatively new to electronics and programming languages, and has been able to lean on Su as well as others in the department for guidance.

“He is so helpful, especially when I get stuck,” Krause said. “It’s so helpful to have a resource like him at this point in my career.”

Krause has taken her experiences with her own mentors, and is passing along what she has learned to younger students as an Elon 101 peer educator for the Engineering Fellows cohort with the guidance of John Ring, director of engineering outreach, who also serves as Krause’s academic adviser. Krause was in the initial cohort of Engineering Fellows at Elon, and has been part of the initiative to pair first-year students with older students. “That has really fostered by appreciation for mentorship and really wanting to incorporate mentorship throughout my time at Elon and my future career as well,” Krause said.

Taking home the grand prize, FLARE, an app developed by Cassidy Parrish ’26 an engineering major and Braxton Mayhew ’26 a marketing major, emerged as a crowd favorite. The app is designed to gamify how students learn about and participate in campus events. FLARE aims to boost event attendance and student engagement through a user-friendly interface, timely notifications, and prizes for attending events.

The second-place prize was awarded to Elon-I, crafted by Joshua Mason ’25 a fintech major, Aaron Satko ’25 a computer science major, and Adam Kanowitz ’24 an entrepreneurship major. This AI-based platform serves as an interactive guide to campus life, enabling students to discover and engage with various opportunities at Elon through a simple conversational interface.

Shriya Baru’s ’25 an accounting major, Kolis Elon Puzzle, which won third place, offers a campus-wide engagement strategy through a series of interactive puzzles, turning the campus into a giant game board that encourages exploration and teamwork.

The fourth place was secured by Elon Explorer Pass, an app created by Aidan Walsh ’26 an entrepreneurship major, Eli Taekla ’26 a strategic communications major, and Bryan Floyd ’25 a finance and entrepreneurship major. The app employs a points-based system to encourage and reward students for their participation in campus activities.

“Each year, I am deeply impressed by the creativity and dedication of our students,” said Alyssa Martina, executive director of the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “Their ability to envision and prototype solutions that challenge the status quo is not only inspiring but a strong indicator of the innovative future we are nurturing here at Elon.”

The challenge was made possible through the dedicated efforts of numerous individuals.

Event Chairs

• Karl Sienerth, professor of chemistry, Elon College
• Emily Krechel, director for new student programs
• Lars Heidenreich ’24 an entrepreneurship and project management major
• Owen McBryan ’26 a finance major
• Michael Genitrini ’26 a marketing major
• Isaac Feinberg ’26 a strategic communications major

Judges

• John Flynn, associate professor of law, ���������ϲ����� School of Law
• Betty Garrison, business research librarian
• Lars Heidenreich ’24 an entrepreneurship and project management major
• Emily Krechel, director for new student programs
• Alyssa Martina, executive director of the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Kim Phipps, program coordinator for the Love School of Business
• Chuom Prak L’24
• Karl Sienerth, professor of chemistry, Elon College
• Anton Wilson, president at Guidance Solutions, LTD

Margaret A. Dudley, director of the university’s Emergency Legal Services Program inside the Family Justice Centers of Guilford and Alamance counties, received the association’s Distinguished Service Award at its annual awards banquet and celebration held April 18, 2024.

“Margaret’s leadership in community organizations, her advocacy for victims of domestic violence, and her mentorship exemplify her unwavering dedication to service.”

The Emergency Legal Services Program reduces gaps and unmet needs for legal advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence.  In the last six years, Dudley and her team have assisted more than 5,000 people who visited the Family Justice Centers in times of crisis.

“Margaret A. Dudley embodies the highest ideals of the legal profession,” the GBA stated in its announcement, “and her receipt of the Distinguished Service Award is a fitting tribute to her remarkable legacy.”

A native North Carolinian, Dudley attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. for both her undergraduate and law degrees. She soon became the third Black woman to practice law in Guilford County and the first Black woman to hold the position of Deputy County Attorney in Guilford County.

During her tenure with the county, she had the responsibility of representing the Department of Social Services, the Personnel Department, the Guilford County Planning Board, the Register of Deeds’ Office, the Guilford County Child Support Enforcement Office, the Board of Adjustment, and the Guilford County Mental Health Department. She was also Counsel to the Guilford County Board of Adjustment as well as the Mental Health and Social Services Board.

Dudley achieved success as a partner at a private firm in Guilford County before setting out as a solo practitioner in 1994. Her practice has focused on civil litigation with an emphasis on family law.

A longtime educator and mentor to young people, Dudley taught Constitutional Law at N.C. A&T State University for more than two decades before joining the Emergency Legal Services Program as its founding director.

Scholarships for Elon Law Students

The Greensboro Bar Association presented and with the organization’s annual academic scholarships. Both students received $2,500.

“Scholarship awards not only provide financial support but also serve as a testament to the recipients’ outstanding abilities and potential,” the GBA stated in its official announcement. “By investing in the education of promising law students, these scholarships play a vital role in fostering the next generation of legal professionals.”

Mercury earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Service Management from and is completing her Elon Law residency-in-practice at the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law, where her focus revolves around pioneering initiatives and conducting research dedicated to reproductive health.

Pool earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from and has expressed interest in criminal defense, alongside a broader engagement with civil litigation matters. He worked in 2023 with the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission and plans to intern this summer at Legal Aid of North Carolina.

���������ϲ����� hosted the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Track & Field Championship May 10-11, a two-day event featuring 58 events, including trials and finals with close to 1,000 athletes, coaches and staff across up to seven venues. Included within that number were scores of Elon student-athletes, who had the opportunity to compete for a championship at their home track.

How does Elon manage such a massive slate of events? Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Elliston says it takes “an all-hands-on-deck” effort.

“It really gives the visiting teams and athletes, as well as their fans, peace of mind knowing that if it’s a championship event at ���������ϲ�����, it will run well and will be first-class,” Elliston said.

First-Class Preparation

With great preparation, Elliston said, coaches can focus on competition and have the peace of mind that other logistics will be well-run. For this championship at Elon’s Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Track and Field Complex, preparation began one year ago with the resurfacing and repainting of the running track surface, as well as new piping and drainage to mitigate and prevent standing water.

“Hosting a conference championship is an outstanding testament and accomplishment for what a university can do, and it takes a lot of people,” said Sports Turf Manager Michael LaPlaca. “It takes a lot of hard work, and we get it done.”

Leading up to the event, LaPlaca and his crew managed a punch list of smaller and larger items to assure that facilities were ready. The list included maintaining the health of the grass in the weeks prior and mowing in the days before, draining and cleaning the steeplechase pits, painting the lines for the javelin competitions and so much more.

LaPlaca and his crew even went to automotive services to weld a long-jump push-off board. Why automotive services? “We go where the expertise is,” LaPlaca said, and at Elon, automotive services has welding expertise.

Putting together a top-notch championship is a point of pride for those involved. “It’s a showcase for our campus to have all of those folks and their parents and their friends coming to Elon and, hopefully walking away–maybe not with a championship, we’d like to have that–but walking away saying, you know, that was a great experience,” says Faith Shearer, senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator. “That’s important to us.”

Shearer oversees seven athletic programs at Elon, as well as equity and inclusion work, gender and equity monitoring and more. She says that track and field is particularly unique because of the technical expertise involved across so many different events.

A Diverse Display of Talents

“One of the things that I personally love about track is that you’ve got all of these different events, and you’ve got all these different types of athletes,” Shearer said. “So you’ve got shot putters and people who throw the hammer; and you’ve got these distance runners, and the sprinters and jumpers and different physical demands different body types, usually kids from all kinds of backgrounds. Track and field is a sport that It doesn’t matter if you’ve got money or you don’t have money. Track is something that most people can participate in and have access to.”

Those organizing the events must make sure all the right people are in the room signing off on the smallest details across a swath of events, including making sure the lines are precise on the track and runners are running correct distances, and that volunteers of the event understand their assigned operations, like lifting the high jump every time a new round begins.

“Our plan is always that our coaches are able to just coach their teams on the day-of and not worry about whether or not the hurdles are set up at the right time,” Shearer said.

“I have so much trust in every single person organizing these events. They know what needs to get done and it all comes together,” says Robert Stewart, assistant athletics director for event management, facilities & capital projects.

“There are so many people on this campus that are really, really good at their jobs and everyone really cares and wants to help. That plays a big role in making sure everything comes together.”

When Elon hosts visiting teams, Stewart often hears praise for the beauty and aesthetics of Elon’s campus and aims to emulate that in his own work. “It shows that campus takes a lot of pride in how it presents itself and how it looks, and I try to model that when we host events and games–that we are taking pride in how we put on our events or championships or games to reflect the high standards that campus has,” Stewart said.

Elliston appreciates the opportunity to compete at home and offer a showcase to local communities during this free two-day event. He says much went into making this event a success and that it’s great to witness. “It offers a positive outcome all-around,” Elliston said.

This was only the second time this season the team competed at home. “We want our student-athletes to have the opportunity to compete at home – basketball has 15 home games, baseball around 30, but track and field is different,” Stewart said.

For the Town of Elon

As much as the track and field championship is a showcase of athletic excellence at Elon and in the conference, it is also a showcase of the people who make Elon the community that it is. The people who recognize that our athletes, our fans, our coaches deserve nothing short of the best. And a recognition that this is as much a community event and space as anything else.

“During the championship, we close down the track to the community during preparation, set up and for the meet, and we don’t take that lightly,” Shearer said. “We try to make sure that we limit it to the shortest amount of time that we need, because there are people who are over here just about every morning getting their morning run in or their morning walk.”

How do you assure a safe and efficient championship that balances the needs of community and competitors, safety and inclusion and facilities and campus beauty? It is all about assuring that all hands are on deck and that we leverage the many people on this campus that are really, really good at their jobs.

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 teaching 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. To begin the Fulbright application process for grants in 2025-26, prospective applicants should visit the Fulbright Application Process, sign up for a mandatory information session, and submit an Intent to Apply Form by June 1 to Ann Cahill, director of National and International Fellowships, and Nicole Galante, assistant director of National and International Fellowships.

Those who received awards this year are:

Nellie Garrison ’24

Nellie Garrison, an English Literature major with minors in Spanish and Communications, 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 Campus 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 teaching 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 SGA 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 undergraduate 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 Periclean Scholar 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 undergraduate 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 undergraduate. 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.

Leah Schwarz ’24

A Psychology and Spanish double major with a minor in Latin American Studies, Leah Schwarz has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. Schwarz was an Elon College Fellow who spent two years researching Latinx student experiences in higher education.

Schwarz was motivated to apply for an ETA to Spain after spending a semester studying abroad in Sevilla, where she “instantly felt at home.” She also served as an English teacher at a Spanish elementary school, which no doubt prepared her to be selected as an alternate for this Fulbright grant.

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

Irazú was electrified as folks sang their hearts out and the crowd cheered them on. There were a total of 15 performances with nine languages represented (French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Italian, German, Japanese, and Portuguese).

Zoe Gehtland, who performed a song in French, remarked that it was “a super fun environment because I didn’t feel like there was any pressure on the singers even though there was a competition aspect, and the crowd was really engaged and interacted with the singers a lot, which made it a lot more welcoming.”

Bonnie Baffoe-Bonnie, who sang in Japanese, shared their experience, saying “It was nerve wracking but I want to get better at singing in front of a crowd so I’m glad I did it. Exposing people to different cultures is a beautiful thing!”

A panel of judges was responsible for deciding the top three acts from the competition, then members of the audience, through an online poll, were the final determinants for the winner.

In third place was Linghong Zhou, who sang beautifully in Chinese and received a basket of international candies and snacks. In second place were Alyssa Alpaugh and Lexi Mulholland, who sang a duet in Korean and won an even bigger basket of global goodies.

Taking home the gold trophy, and more snacks of course, was Hyemin Im, who sang ‘Energetic’ by the K-pop group Wanna One, which is a perfect description of the event itself! The energy from the audience was indicative that you need not understand a song to enjoy it, as long as you can feel the rhythm and feel the passion from the performers.

Thank you to the WLC and Global Neighborhood for collaborating on this event. We can’t wait until next year!

This article reveals his experience teaching students Sri Lankan literature, as it’s an area that is largely underrepresented in most college curricula. Karunanayake stresses not only the importance of foregrounding marginalized histories in everyday discussions and lectures but also the enthusiastic response he has received from students taking his classes. He highlights how, even though most students are not familiar with the country or its history, culture, and politics, they find ways to relate and empathize with the readings.

Karunanayake recently offered insights into his article and his opinions regarding the subject of Sri Lanka and how young scholars can help push it into everyday consciousness. To each question, he offered insightful and rewarding answers that provide a clear pathway for a future in which Sri Lanka and its literature are widely regarded and known by scholars and everyday citizens alike.

Can you expand on your statement, “at a time of shrinking ethnic American studies programs across the United States—a phenomenon that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic—interdisciplinary disciplines like English make a welcoming environment for Sri Lankan literature”?

Karunanayake emphasized how there is often a tendency to rank humanities programs below professional programs. “As studies point out, nationally there is a trend to prioritize STEM programs over humanities. But we should not lose track of the humanities education which fills a gap left out by other programs,” he said. By giving equal value to humanities programs, schools are building the next generation of well-rounded, creative individuals.

How do you think people outside of an academic background can begin to educate themselves on Sri Lankan history? What do you think could make it more accessible?

Karunanayake stressed that “Sri Lanka is not a blind spot in academic programs anymore, but in the public consciousness it is still marginalized. Popular cultural texts can help make a culture more accessible.” This is already in motion, as the new generation of Sri Lankan writers are claiming a space in both American literature and Asian American literature. In this way, they highlight how their transnational identities are split between the West and the ancestral homeland. Understanding this dichotomy of identity can help readers learn more about both Sri Lankan history and the lived experiences of Asian Americans.

In your eyes, what work still has to be done to ensure Sri Lanka and its culture and literature hold a place in students’ general understanding of postcolonial history and politics? What do you think instructors might be lacking in doing to foster such awareness?

“I think literature pedagogy should constantly challenge and go beyond the Western canon to make space for global and non-Euro-American stories, experiences, and histories,” Karunanayake said. “Canons are always in formation, so it’s important to be cognizant of what is missing from our scope even when we focus on marginalized experiences as well. Our pedagogy should go hand in hand with changes on the ground. There is always something new to learn about a culture or history. Nonetheless, we should always be doing our best to stay aware of narratives that are not part of the everyday pedagogy.”

How do you think high school and middle school teachers should approach integrating underrepresented Asian cultures, such as Sri Lanka, in their curriculum? Do you think that would help students have more of an awareness of Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka and its geography should be taught before high school, or even middle school, as Karunanayake believes. “A curriculum should always be global. Literature is a window to a culture and its history that we’re not familiar with. Disciplines like geography, history, and political science teach us about contexts, but literature often goes beyond their social scientific parameters. As postcolonial writers point out, literature does history.” Karunanayake also explained how most ethnic American curricula are centered on geopolitical contexts with direct encounters with America such as Japan and Vietnam. This leaves spaces like Sri Lanka out.

If you could design a course completely centered on Sri Lankan history and literature, how do you think students would respond in comparison to other Asian and Asian American literature courses you have taught? Additionally, would you approach the course any differently? What would you want students to take away from the course?

“I think students would respond with equal interest,” Karunanayake said. “Sri Lanka is not standing alone. I would situate it within the larger postcolonial global, regional history, and literary landscape. Global Sri Lankan studies has a lot of potential as a disciplinary field even though it is often overlooked in the classroom.” A course revolving around Sri Lankan literature would not only be a breath of fresh air, but an interesting perspective to learn more about other Asian histories and geopolitical contexts.

For anyone interested in adding Sri Lankan literature to their personal libraries, Karunanayake recommends the following: “Funny Boy and The Hungry Ghosts” by Shyam Selvadurai, “Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew” and “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” by Shehan Karunatilaka, “Bodies in Motion” by Mary Anne Mohanraj, “Marriage of a Thousand Lies” by SJ Sindu, “Noontide Toll” by Romesh Gunesekera and “Anil’s Ghost” by Michael Ondaatje.

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

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

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

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

“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 teaching 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.”

The annual competition challenges participants to integrate AI with human-focused research to address complex workplace issues. It marked the second consecutive year that Akben triumphed in the contest.

“This year’s competition pushed us to the limits of what’s possible with AI in organizational settings. Working with Aaron, who brings a fresh perspective and a great amount of enthusiasm to our team, has been a highlight of this journey,” said Akben. “Together, we worked on challenges that many professionals in the field find daunting.”

The team excelled across four challenging areas: assessing empathy in managerial feedback, mimicking interviewer responses, evaluating company policies for fairness, and determining the clarity of survey items. They presented their winning solution at the SIOP conference in Chicago.

Their innovative approach to measuring empathy in feedback, which used an ELO rating system to rank the emotional content, was particularly innovative. “Our solution to assess empathy through AI highlighted the nuanced understanding AI can bring to human interactions, setting new interesting insights in the field,” Akben said.

Akben and Satko competed against 18 teams this year at the competition. SIOP, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, is a professional association that promotes the science, practice, and teaching of industrial and organizational psychology to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings.

Satko, a computer science major from Lewisville, N.C. and co-chair of the Generative AI Club, described the impact of the competition on his educational and career trajectory. “Joining the competition was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “It was a chance to apply what we’ve cultivated in the AI Club to real-world problems. While my future might not be in programming, the analytical skills and strategic thinking I’ve honed here are invaluable for any path I choose, including my growing interest in the medical field.”

Their presentation was met with enthusiasm and sparked discussions among attendees about the practical applications of their AI solutions. “The interest and feedback from the audience was affirming,” Satko added. “It showed us the real-world impact our research could have.”.

Akben said he is already looking to the future by expanding his team and continuing to break new ground in AI and management research.

“We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible,” he said. “I’m excited to welcome new members to our team who are as passionate about transforming the workplace with AI as we are.”