Class of 2024 Profiles

Grace Ackermann

Major: Human Service Studies

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Grace’s Elon experience was deeply rooted in the community at and beyond Elon. She was a Periclean Scholar, president of Students for Peace and Justice, director of Campus Kitchen for Elon Volunteers! and an admissions tour guide. Grace identified human service studies as a path toward uplifting communities by helping individuals transform their lives. Planning a career counseling people who are incarcerated or struggling with substance abuse, Ackermann enrolled at Boston College this fall to pursue a Master of Social Work. She was the first senior selected to deliver a Message of Appreciation at Elon’s commencement in May 2024, a testament to her wise perspectives on her classmates and their place in the world. She was also recognized with the Chaplain Richard McBride Vision Award from Elon Volunteers! last spring.

Major: Engineering, Biomedical Concentration

Hometown: Amman, Jordan

A Lumen Scholar and Rhodes Scholarship finalist, Ayesh is planning a career in biomedical engineering. Under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Engineering Jonathan Su, his Lumen Prize research prototyped and examined the performance and durability of biodegradable heart stents. He also participated in the collaborative research team modeling the human immune response to COVID-19 under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Mathematics Hwayeon Ryu. Ayesh and that team presented at the 2024 National Conference for Undergraduate Research last spring. Ayesh plans to pursue advanced degrees in engineering or medicine following a year of research with the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Majors: Applied Mathematics, Computer Science

Hometown: Bethel, Connecticut

An Honors Fellow selected for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship her junior year, Danielle was deeply involved in research throughout her four years at Elon. Her first year included a collaboration with Wake Forest University focused on modeling the economic impact of COVID-19 intervention strategies, and she participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates project at Indian University-Purdue University Indianapolis aimed at optimizing treatment for transplant patients. Under the Mentorship of Professor of Mathematics Karen Yokley, her Honors Fellows thesis examined obesity rates in the U.S. to develop mathematical models and data-driven strategies to improve health. She is employed as a data analyst with CVS Caremark and in 2025 plans to enroll in an advanced degree program in data analytics.

Majors: Anthropology and Journalism

Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina

John Luke’s trajectory changed when he enrolled in Associate Professor of Anthropology Mussa Idris’ research methods course, learning of the professor’s ethnographic scholarship of businesses founded by African refugees. Their research explored ways to support clients of the Triad Refugee Business Center, with John Luke assisting microenterprise owners in establishing online marketplaces and increasing their revenue. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, John Luke discovered a passion to aid refugees and immigrants in establishing lives in the U.S. He enrolled the Santa Clara University School of Law this fall and plans a career in immigration law.

Majors: History, German Studies

Hometown: Huntersville, North Carolina

A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, Blake took advantage of programs within the college to complete undergraduate research through the Department of History and to complete an independent major in German Studies. Mentored by Professor of History Charles Irons, Blake’s research paper — “‘Upon the Encouragement Given of Having Land by Purchase’: Proprietary Policy and the Bath County Land Rush of 1705 to 1711” — was published by the North Carolina Historical Review last spring. He was a leader in Elon’s Mock Trial team, received the Department of History and Geography’s Outstanding Graduating History Major Award, and studied abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. Blake is pursuing a juris doctor at the Georgetown University Law Center beginning this fall.

Majors: Art History, Arts Administration

Hometown: Maplewood, New Jersey

An Elon College Fellow and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, Madeleine discovered a passion for art history at Elon and took advantage of Elon’s study abroad programs to pursue internships and scholarship in Italy. Her Fellows thesis project under the mentorship of Professor of Art History Evan Gatti involved curating an interactive, multifaith religious art exhibit in the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, challenging classmates to engage with religious objects and reflect on the juxtaposition of different faiths. She plans a career in museum curation. Madeleine enrolled at Syracuse University’s Master of Arts in Italian and Renaissance Art History as a Florence Fellow this fall.

Major: Public Health Studies

Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts

A Lumen Scholar, Naz quickly rose among Elon’s Public Health Studies majors as her drive to engage with the field outgrew the classroom. In her sophomore year, she was a founding student researcher with the Health Equity and Racism Lab (H.E.R. Lab), co-founded by Associate Professor Stephanie Baker and Assistant Professor Yanica Faustin to identify and dismantle barriers to healthcare. Her Lumen Prize research with Faustin investigated inequities in prenatal care and pre-term births among Middle Eastern North African women. Her senior year, she presented on a panel at the American Public Health Association annual meeting alongside doctors and Ph.D. students. Naz was awarded a Rotary Foundation scholarship to pursue a Master of Science in Women’s Health at the University College of London beginning this fall. She intends to earn advanced degrees in public health and medicine with plans to become an obstetrician.

Major: Biochemistry

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

An Odyssey Scholar and biochemistry major, Genesis was exceptionally engaged in undergraduate research within the Biochemistry Program. With mentor Justin Clar, associate professor of chemistry, she investigated how nanoparticles from surface coatings enter the body in a $125,000 materials-testing study with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Additional research tested the transfer and inhalation of metal nanoparticles from sparklers. She presented at the 2024 National Conference on Undergraduate Research and the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society among others. Genesis studied abroad in London, interned at Bona, and was active in the Black Student Union and Student Government Association. Selected for the National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship, Genesis will spend the 2024-25 academic year as a full-time researcher at the NIH before pursuing advanced degrees and a career with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.