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Andrew Somers is a senior Odyssey scholar from Boca Raton, Florida. He is majoring in business management and minoring in Spanish. His legacy consists of his “commitment to the Alternative Breaks Program and his work in the Center for Leadership.” He studied abroad in Costa Rica for winter term his sophomore year. During that time he lived with a Spanish speaking family and had the opportunity to travel around the country. His favorite Odyssey memory is carving pumpkins last Halloween. Some advice that Andrew has for scholars is, “don't spread yourself too thin. Find one or two things that you are really passionate about and dig deeper into those things. The best way to figure out what you want to do after college is to find your passion here.”
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Amber Mathis is a senior Watson scholar from Asheville, North Carolina. She is majoring in middle grades education. Her legacy is her work with Campus Kitchen, a program designed by Elon University to collect donated food and make meals for the Burlington community. Amber studied abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica her spring semester, sophomore year. She states, “It is one of my greatest memories of Elon and my life. I had a wonderful semester of learning, growing and fun!” Her favorite Watson memories consists of attending the Watson dinners and hearing Dr. Danieley tell the “Watson Story.” She explains that “it makes you feel so proud to be a Watson!” Some advice that Amber has is “Live the four short years at Elon you have to the fullest because they will be over before you know it!”
Derricus is a junior Watson scholar from Charlotte North Carolina. He is majoring in finance and minoring in professional sales/marketing. When asked about the legacy that he is leaving behind, he states, "I am leaving behind a legacy of growth. I have matured and grown so much since my freshman year... Watson has helped me grow stronger a ending the Broadway show "In the Heights." He explainsthat "originally I was very skeptical about going to see a Broadway performance because I'm not typically accustom to going to see things like that; however, with a little bit of motivation from Lauren I decided to go. I had the best time of my life there and I really enjoyed the performance. Thanks to Watson, I got to experience something that I probably would have never experienced." He further explains that his "experience as a scholar has been up and down. My freshman year I struggled with becoming more adapted with the campus socially and academically. However, with the help of my cohort and meetings with professional role models such as Lauren Flinn and Leon Williams, I was able to be pointed in the right direction moving forward into my sophomore and junior year. As a Watson Scholar, I have experienced various things that I wouldn't have been able to experience as a regular college student, given my background. Watson has opened my mind to the world as a bigger whole as well as expanded my dreams for my future."
Tara is a junior Odysse
y scholar form Champaign, Illinois. She is majoring in acting and minoring in psychology. She would like to leave a legacy behind "that says it's okay to be different, and furthermore, being different enriches the lives of people around you. How would we grow as human beings if we were constantly surrounded by people exactly the same as ourselves? I hope that people branch out, make friends with someone of a different race, major, organization, sexual orientation and background. College life is about community; Elon is an overarching thing that connects us all. The people who look, talk, think and act differently from the majority should not feel isolated, but know that they are the dynamic piece of the puzzle that creates beauty and growth in the community. Nobody should be afraid to let their freak flag fly!" Tara's favorite memory of Wadssey is "going to see In the Heights in Durham. The two forty minute van rides there and back were great for hilarity and bonding. And of course the show was great too." Some advice that Tara's gives is"sometimes it is hard to commit time to the program when we are so busy in our every day lives, but know that the time you spend is precious together, and appreciate it as much as possible." She thanks the Odyssey program for allowing here to attend Elon. She states "there is no way to give the true amount of thanks that correctly represents my gratitude."
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Frank Garcia is a sophomore from Burlington, North Carolina. Before enrolling at Elon, Frank was a member of Elon Academy, a local college access program run by Elon faculty and staff. He attributes his success at Elon to the guidance he received through this program during high school. He is majoring in business management and accounting. Frank states, "let's hear it for the Class of 2012. Class of 2014 it's time to shine." Some advice that he wishes to leave for the underclassmen is to "plan ahead, but don't stress if the plan doesn't work out perfectly. Use it more as a guideline." When asked about his legacy he says he "hopes to leave behind a legacy that portrays the enjoyment of being an Elon Student, who has been able to work with such wonderful faculty and peers from Elon, as well as Elon Academy. I hope that my actions so far are those that deserve the approval of those who aid me in getting where I am. I hope my legacy inspires others to act accordingly. Along with this I hope to acquire friendships that are not only professional, but also genuine. There are so many great people at Elon so I hope to stay connected, especially with the students that join the Elon Family after me." Frank has not yet studied abroad but hopes to go to Europe next winter term. His advice to other scholars is "stay focused and look ahead. At the same time do not over stress yourself."
Stacey Crutchfield is a sophomore Odyssey scholar from Burlington, North Carolina. She is majoring in political science and minoring in history. Stacey's favorite Watson/Odyssey memory "was the sophomore trip to the Mississippi Delta to work with the Sunflower Freedom Project. The van rides there and back were so much fun and the actual work that we did was so meaningful and inspirational." Her advice is to "make sure you take full advantage of every opportunity that you have while you're at Elon! There are so many cool things to experience here and it's good to get out of your comfort zone sometimes!" When asked about the legacy that she hopes to leave behind, Stacey states "I would hope that I am leaving behind a legacy of making a difference on campus by being involved in three organizations that I am very passionate about. They are Elon Academy, Odyssey, and Sigma Kappa." Stacey is excited to study abroad in the Fall. She is going to Cape Town, South Africa. She is very excited, because she has never been abroad before.