Odyssey Program alumni Dinora Guadarrama Flores ‘21 and Yousaf Khan ‘20 reflect on how the support of the Odyssey Program assisted them in their post-graduate journeys.
As Elon University welcomes its new cohort of Odyssey Program scholars for Odyssey Week on July 12-19, several alumni in the merit-based scholarship program note how transformative the opportunity was for them and their future.
“When I first came to Elon, first-generation students meant ‘minimal guidance and you were making it all happen on your own,’” said Dinora Guadarrama Flores ’21. “My definition now is making sure that the ones who come behind you, that are also first generation, have some guidance.”
Flores received the Leon and Lorraine Watson Scholarship, funded by an estate gift from the late Leon “Doc” Watson, a 1925 Elon graduate, and his wife, Lorraine.
Set up for success
As a first-generation college student from Lumberton, North Carolina, Flores ‘21 knew her experiences would be different from some of her fellow Elon students. While she was looking for financial support, Flores also wanted a sense of community and guidance through her college journey. Odyssey Program alumni, who graduated from Flores’s high school, told her of their great experience in the program and inspired her to take a chance with Elon.
Housed in Elon’s Center for Access and Success, the Odyssey Program includes some of the university’s largest endowed scholarships made possible by generous donors. The program gives students access to mentorship, community building, leadership development, service learning and more. In addition to tuition assistance, the scholarships provide a stipend for books and supplies, and a $4,000 Elon Experiences grant, which will be used for global experiences. Students admitted to the program come from a variety of backgrounds, including first-generation college students, Federal Pell Grant recipients and/or those who have achieved success despite hardship or other challenges.
Flores earned a degree in finance and international business, and as a scholar in the Odyssey Program, she enjoyed the financial workshops and out-of-state professional trips offered. The older Odyssey alumni were also always willing to help Flores and made sure that she was set up for success.
“The Odyssey Program was something that set you up for success because you did not have to worry as much about the financial burden of college, so you could focus on your studies and what you’re actually interested in,” Flores said.
Bravery and support
Flores works on the Business Conduct Investigations team at Microsoft, based in Seattle, Washington, where she investigates allegations of business misconduct and policy violations, including allegations relating to fraud and corruption. Through a rotational program, Flores was able to test multiple positions and figure out which one best aligns with her passions and skills.
She also had the opportunity to work abroad in Microsoft offices stationed around the world; most recently in the Czech Republic. Flores credits her ability to be flexible and brave about working in a new environment due to her study abroad experiences at Elon and teachings from the Odyssey Program.
“Without that study abroad experience at Elon, I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to sign up for a Microsoft six-month-long program in Prague and be successful at it,” Flores said
She believes that even after graduating, her Odyssey family is still thriving as she is connected on social media with fellow scholars in her cohort, and they still plan yearly trips to visit one another.
“I think the Odyssey family network is beyond the four years, and it makes me so happy that our friendships span beyond what we had in undergrad,” Flores said.
Flores’s cousin, who is also the first in her immediate family to go to college, will be a part of the Odyssey Program class of 2029, and Flores wants them to take advantage of the opportunities offered.
“I hope that the Odyssey Program continues to serve students, grow and build those relationships and support systems for students, especially for those with a different background from the traditional Elon student,” Flores said.
The Golden Gate
Currently living in Hawaii, Yousaf Khan ‘20 was a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient and was already accepted as an Odyssey Program scholar when he was deciding on colleges. Khan, who is originally from Pakistan, immigrated to the United States when he was five years old. Everything was a first for him, and college was no exception. When he visited Elon, he was told by an older Odyssey Program scholar how fulfilling and accepting the Odyssey community was.
“I did not know what to expect other than going to classes,” he said, “but having people you know on campus from the very start, it inspires confidence to jump right into your studies and goal planning.”
Khan received The Mac Mahon Family Scholarship, endowed by former Elon Trustee Tom Mac Mahon and his wife, Sally Mac Mahon. He remembers the experiences during Odyssey Week, where he was able to make his first friends and be a part of the Odyssey family. MetLife representatives also visited Elon to connect with Odyssey Program scholars, like Khan, because of the relationships they had built with current and past Odyssey alumni employees. This networking opened the doors for Khan to begin working for MetLife as an intern during his sophomore year, and then as a full-time analyst, following graduation.
“Odyssey represents the golden gate,” he said. “It opens up the door to the job, to education, to the network. I’m so proud that a program like that exists at Elon because it was like your own internal network that not everyone can get in, but you were already in it.”
Khan now works as a cloud architect for Green Project Technology, a company that helps other organizations find new ways to cut carbon emissions through analyzing their supply chain, communicating with suppliers, and offering support on environmental sustainability. In his work, he helps write and build systems that help companies track their carbon accounting, for example, excess oil use or truck emissions.
“I’m excited because I get to work in a field that uses AI technology, and it intersects with climate sustainability,” he says. “There is a lot of work happening behind the scenes to get bigger companies to become more green and efficient, and I get to be a part of that.”
From starting off as an engineering major, to taking business and finance classes, and finally settling on computer science and applied math, the Odyssey Program gave Khan the chance to try out many career paths without worry. He wants more young adults from his hometown in Newark, New Jersey to learn about Elon and the Odyssey Program because it is not just about “going to classes and figure it out along the way,” but it was constant support as simple as pop-in visits to the Center for Access and Success to just talk.
“Anyone who was an Odyssey scholar feels like an old friend, even if you just came in because right off the bat, there was something to talk about,” Khan said.