College is the beginning of many new experiences. Challenges such as living on your own, sharing a room, deciding a major, and meeting new friends aren’t always as easy as they seem. By scrambling over rocks on an 8.8 mile hike, canoeing six miles down a river, and helping preserve and maintain trails in the Shenandoah River State Park, 20 incoming students chose to jump start their college experience in a positive way.
Elon’s Discovery Program, a first-year summer experience program of the Office of New Student Orientation, familiarizes incoming students with Elon’s campus and helps them develop leadership and team-building skills before they begin in the fall. This year, the program was led by student facilitators Thomas Berry ’13 and Emily McLaughlin ’12, advised by Emily Ivey, director of New Student Orientation, and Kathryn Wheet, international programs adviser.
On June 20, within minutes of arriving on campus, the students quickly learned how to trust and depend on one another while participating on the Elon low-ropes course. Here, they learned concepts that would bring them together for a positive, unified week.
The Discovery program traveled to Luray, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley and conquered the trails of Old Rag Mountain. Accompanied by their student facilitators and advisers, the group hiked nearly nine miles, working together through a rock scramble to a 3,291 foot summit, where they encountered some of the most beautiful scenery Virginia and the East Coast has to offer.
Participants also strengthened teamwork and communication skills during a 6 mile canoe ride down the Shenandoah River and explored the history of the local Luray Caverns.
Amidst developing leadership and teamwork skills, the Discovery Program served the local community, maintaining and cleaning up trails in the Shenandoah River State Park. Students spent a day and a half creating new trails and grooming trails which were overgrown. The students took this opportunity to serve the community they joined for a week.
Beyond adventures through the wilderness and service, upperclassmen facilitators guided new students on discussions, ranging from involvement opportunities, the Elon Honor Code, academic rigor, and being an active contributor in the Elon Community.
Despite only spending one week with each other, the students gained trust and formed friendships that will last forever. Determination, and pushing through obstacles, helped each participant realize that even though college is a significant transition, they have peers who will be a support during their transition.
For these 20 first-year students, getting ready to start a new chapter in their life, Discovery helped ease worries about roommates, friendships, and learning about academic expectations before coming to Elon. In a way, their first glimpse at college life was a discovery, through leadership, service, discussion, and teamwork.
Discovery participants were: Sophie Clements, Rachel Corby, Emily Delaplane, Ian Durham, Bryant Edwards, Katie Hadobas, Mach Hamilton, Anna Harris, Michael Hart, Tessa Jones, Ben Kashdan, Connor Keenan, Meaghann Ligori, Nick Margherita, John Parker, Lisa Picklesimer, Baden Piland, Anna Schwarz, Greg Sutton and Liv Varney.