What do you do with the gift of an oak sapling when you can’t bring it back to your home nation after graduation? You plant it in a campus grove that celebrates your achievement.
There’s a collection of oak trees on Elon University’s South Campus where it doesn’t take long to spot those first planted in 2017 – they’re toward the back with lush foliage in late May – and which of those have been added in recent years.
As of this spring, the newest saplings stand no more than three feet tall with green tape holding them to a bamboo stake and a mat of coconut grass surrounding the base. You can count on both hands their number of leaves.
What does every tree have in common in that emerging grove next to the university’s golf driving range? Each was carefully placed by an international student on the eve of graduation to signify their growth from “acorns” to “oaks.”
Established eight years ago, the university’s annual International Tree Planting celebrates the achievements of graduating international students, many of whom are prohibited from transporting plants across borders when they return home at the end of their collegiate studies.
That includes the university’s traditional gift of an oak sapling given to every graduate during Commencement week.
Fifteen students from around the globe were joined on the breezy morning of May 22, 2025, by family and friends when planting their saplings under a mostly cloudy sky. In attendance were landscaping crews and Hanna Smith, the university’s botanical garden coordinator, who instructed students on best practices for planting their saplings.
Opening remarks before the plantings described the grove’s history and the symbolism of the oak tree at Elon University.
“As we come together to celebrate this milestone, you are marking more than the end of an academic journey,” said Denise Teeters, director of international student services in the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center at Elon University. “You plant the beginnings of something lasting and you’re leaving your legacy on campus. Each tree stands on its own, yet it thrives because of the support and connection it shares with those around it. It’s a beautiful symbol of community.
“Our international community is much like a grove. Our community has brought together individuals from across the world, each unique yet growing side by side.”
Our international community is much like a grove. Our community has brought together individuals from across the world, each unique yet growing side by side.
– Denise Teeters, Elon University’s director of international student services
Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book also reflected on the purpose of the tree planting and the legacy international students leave on campus.
“I hope you have a sense of how much we have enjoyed and valued your decision to study here at Elon and how much you brought to us,” Book said. “I also hope that in your future you tell stories about your time at Elon, that you return to campus, and that your future families and friends hear about the experiences you had.”
As students walked toward the grove from a nearby parking lot, saplings in hand, they faced a question: Where should we plant our saplings?
Some headed for the back of the grove, while others veered toward open space. A few selected spots in coordination with friends. Such was the case for Ichan Matsumoto ‘25, a dual-degree international student from Kansai Gaidi University in Japan, who planted her sapling three meters from where Rinka Nakamura ‘25 had dug already a hole in the soil for hers.
“It’s nice to leave something at Elon as we’re about to leave the country for home,” she said.
Francesco Valente ‘25 of Italy and his roommate from Germany, Eric Steiner ‘25, also planted their saplings just meters apart as families captured their smiles on video. Valente described a desire to easily locate his specific tree years from now. “Since we’re international students we don’t know if we’ll be back soon,” he said. “Planting our roots – literally! – is crazy!”
Diego Coello de Portugal Magallon ‘25 of Spain summarized the mood for many of his fellow students: “After all my classes I get to plant a tree here, which makes me feel accomplished,” he said. “Maybe in a few years I’ll be able to get back and find it!”