The Elon alumna was awarded the $8500 fellowship for her commitment to academic excellence and community engagement.
Mira Fitch ’26 is one of 40 recipients of an $8500 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship that will help the recent Elon University alumna pursue legal studies at Wake Forest University School of Law in the fall.
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi currently awards 40 Fellowships of $8,500 each, six at $15,000 each and two at $35,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study. Each active Phi Kappa Phi chapter may select one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the Society-wide awards.
Established in 1932, the Fellowship Program annually provides funding to first-year graduate students who are pursuing post-baccalaureate degrees across all academic disciplines. Endorsed by their local chapter, Phi Kappa Phi Fellows go on to study at some of the nation’s top graduate schools.
While at Elon, Fitch earned the Lumen Prize, the university’s top research award, for her research focused on commonalities between juvenile offenders who are tried as adults, including factors like age, type of offense, and race.
“The relationships with faculty and staff that I formed at Elon were a standout part of my experience,” said Fitch, who earned a degree in political science and statistics. “From classwork to advice to letters of recommendation to a connection for housing during law school, my many faculty and staff mentors gave so much so freely. I am deeply grateful to all of them and to Elon for making it possible for me to build these incredible connections.”
Fitch’s work as a direct support professional, providing in-home care for an adult with disabilities, also helped inspire her future law career. She continued working with disabled individuals at Elon, through work with the It Takes a Village Project, Elon Buddies and Peacehaven Community Farm.
“Through this difficult but deeply rewarding work, I have gained a much deeper understanding of the immense effort and knowledge required to navigate the systems that are intended to support disabled people and their families,” she said. “This has inspired me to pursue a career path in estate planning with a focus on special needs trusts.”
April Post, president of Elon’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter and associate teaching professor of Spanish, says it’s Fitch’s scholarship and commitment to serving others that set her apart.
“The Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship recognizes students whose achievements and potential place them among the nation’s most promising future leaders, and Mira embodies those qualities in every aspect of her work,” Post said. “Elon’s chapter of PKP is proud to celebrate this remarkable achievement and look forward to the impact she will make through her legal career.”