Inspired by the 2008 financial crisis, Noah Biggers ’26 is pursuing a dual degree in accounting through the Odyssey Program to ensure ethical accountability in the corporate world.
For Noah Biggers ’26, the 2008 financial crisis wasn’t just a story about numbers; it was a lesson in integrity. Discovering how flawed accounting practices fueled a global economic collapse inspired the Gastonia, North Carolina native to pursue a different kind of business future, one that’s grounded in ethics, accountability, and advocacy. Now, as a scholar in the Odyssey Program and enrolled in the Accelerated 3+1 Business Dual-Degree Program in Accounting program at Elon, Biggers is channeling that spark into a mission to ensure that businesses do more than profit; they benefit the people.
Biggers has been enrolled in a business and legal studies pathway since high school. His consistent hard work throughout his early studies and his passion for change within the business world led him to strive for a rigorous graduation plan.
As a scholar in the Odyssey Program, through the Leon and Lorraine Watson scholarship, and actively pursuing his dual degree, Biggers has the opportunity to achieve his career dreams early.
“I feel like I can do anything,” he said. “It’s amazing because people from Gastonia don’t normally get exposed to the opportunities I’ve had here at Elon.”
Biggers has been interested in the intersection of business and legal studies since his high school accounting class, where he learned about the effect of the 2008 market crash and the Enron and WorldCom scandals that shaped corporate accountability.
“Studying those cases made me realize I wanted to be part of the solution,” Biggers said.
He recognizes the unethical practices of some corporations, expressing his sincerity for the real people affected and hurt by these practices.
“In accounting, they say we ensure the public’s trust,” he said. “I want to make sure that businesses are held accountable and that they are not just seeking to gain profit but also doing good for the world.”
This belief system heavily impacted his career aspirations. “I would love to be an attorney who protects consumers from corrupt behavior by businesses. I want to ensure that businesses act ethically and don’t harm consumers in small communities,” Biggers adds.
Recognizing his hard work in high school, he was drawn to Elon to continue his rigorous studies in the Odyssey Program and the 3+1 program. After setting foot on Elon’s campus, he knew this was the place for him.
“I fell in love with the campus when I visited for the first time. It was the first college campus that felt doable and I could see myself here, living and going to class, joining clubs and pursuing the opportunities they have here,” explained Biggers.
However, there was a financial barrier he would have to overcome to study here. After he received his dual degree program offer, which solidified his desire to study at Elon, he recalls that “the Odyssey Scholarship was the icing on the cake because it eliminated the financial barrier.”
His first year marked the beginning of his journey to explore opportunities outside of his comfort zone.
Starting with joining the Student Government Association, Biggers experienced firsthand how supportive Elon’s faculty and staff were in pushing him towards his goals in SGA and his aspirations beyond the organization. He expresses, “Since that initial push, I’ve continued to go even further, from running for SGA, doing undergraduate research or studying abroad. The faculty pushing me has been my fondest memory at Elon.”
His career aspirations are materializing due to his hard work and the extra push from Elon’s staff and the Odyssey program. He expresses that Odyssey taught him that he has the potential to achieve great things in his life and that he has to push to reach his goals, study abroad being one example he mentions.
This past August, Biggers studied abroad in London, England, at the London School of Economics and Political Science, taking a course in competition law and policy. He notes that, at first, he was fearful of traveling so far to an unknown place, but Elon’s faculty constantly pushed him to reach for and accomplish things he’d never done before.
“I was honestly afraid to go because no one in my family had ever traveled outside of the country. But faculty at Elon pushed and inspired me to do something that I’d never done before,” said Biggers.
Martha Lopez Lavias and Kenneth Brown Jr., two staff members in the Center for Access and Success, were instrumental in encouraging him to take advantage of the “once-in-a-lifetime experience”.
“I’m glad they pushed me because had I not gone, I would still have the fear of traveling abroad, and now I can’t wait to go back,” he said.” Once you go somewhere like that, you can go anywhere.”
Now, he is going to do just that. In January, he will be traveling to Portugal to study
environmental social governance reporting, which supports his academic and career aspirations.
Biggers extends his gratitude for his “family on campus,” which he fondly calls the people he’s met through the Odyssey program.
“Now that I’ve had these experiences, I get to share with other students in the Odyssey program who are also looking to join. It’s like we’re all in this together, and my success is your success,” he said.