Although she was initially drawn to acting, she came to understand that a fulfilling career doesn’t have to follow a single path.

“I intentionally explored different paths to discover where my skills could have the greatest impact. My journey has included talent management, radio, entertainment journalism, event production, casting and acting,” said Austin.

In a way, Elon found her. Alumnus Royall Spence ’42 (for whom Spence Pavilion is named) was a beloved member of Austin’s extended family and is the real reason she looked into the school.

“He always spoke so fondly of his experience at Elon and that was why it was one of the first schools I seriously considered,” she said.

The Raleigh native pictured herself at a smaller university where she could get to know her classmates and feel connected. She explained. “When I visited Elon, it just felt right. It had the close-knit community I was looking for, along with strong academics and opportunities to get involved from day one.”

She was torn between two passions, communications and theatre, but Elon had strong programs for both. After touring the facilities and speaking with faculty, she knew Elon was the place for her.

As a student, Austin majored in media arts and entertainment with a focus on broadcast journalism, and she minored in theatre arts. Outside of the classroom, she hosted a radio show on WSOE 89.3, ����app�ٷ���վ�� student-run radio station. She also hosted two television shows and participated in ����app�ٷ���վ�� in LA, studied abroad in London and immersed herself in other opportunities that allowed her to tell stories and connect with people.

“One of my favorite parts of WSOE was finding and booking guests to interview. I’d track people down on Facebook and through other creative channels, and more often than not, they were happy to help a student journalist,” she said.

One opportunity at Elon that greatly impacted Austin’s career was her experience with ����app�ٷ���վ�� in LA. She credits this program with introducing her to new places, perspectives, and for giving her the confidence to pursue an entertainment career.

“During the program, I interned with a talent management company representing film and television actors. Through that experience, I visited production sets, attended industry meetings and got a firsthand look at how Hollywood operates. For someone who had dreamed about working in entertainment since childhood, it was eye-opening,” said Austin.

Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles almost immediately to build her career.

“Like many young people pursuing creative industries, I took a variety of jobs while figuring out where I fit best. Each experience taught me something valuable and ultimately helped shape the career I’ve built,” she explained.

She started her career working behind the scenes at press junkets for major studio films and eventually transitioned from helping reporters to becoming one herself. Later, she joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars. There she worked on screenings, events and public programming, and she attended Academy Award ceremonies.

In 2020, she returned to the Southeast to be closer to family and to pursue opportunities in the region’s rapidly growing entertainment industry.

“I joined Fincannon & Associates Casting, where I worked on projects including ‘Outer Banks’, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, ‘The Righteous Gemstones’, ‘The Walking Dead’ and other major productions filming throughout the Southeast,” said Austin.

One of her favorite memories from her work was her first major press junket interview with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

“During the introduction, the production assistant announced me as ‘Jenny Austin from CBS Sacramento,’ and Will Ferrell immediately joked, ‘Jenny Sacramento from Austin.’ It instantly broke the ice and put my nerves at ease. Moments like that reminded me that even some of the biggest stars in the world are often just people having fun,” Austin said.

She’s also interviewed other big-name celebrities, like Zoe Saldana, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Chris Evans and Shay Mitchell.

Most recently, she took on a new endeavor, launching an interview platform highlighting entertainment professionals in the Southeast alongside her friend and former Fincannon & Associates colleague, Kimberly Wistedt. They’ve titled the platform . While it’s still a new project and they’ve already landed some big interviews with celebrities, such as rapper T.I., they are hopeful for what the future holds.

Austin speaks fondly of the variety of work she’s been able to do, but she says that the most rewarding part of her journey has been the relationships she has made. Some of her closest friends today are people she met at Elon, and professionally, relationships have been equally important to her growth.

“Nearly every major opportunity I’ve had, from entertainment reporting and casting to launching The Peach Tea, has come through connections, mentorships and friendships developed over time,” she explained.

She credits ����app�ٷ���վ�� experiential learning opportunities for giving her the practical experience, confidence and willingness to take risks and build these relationships.

“����app�ٷ���վ�� in LA was the first time I realized that all of these jobs I’d dreamed about were held by real people, and that maybe one day I could be one of them,” she said.

It also gave her the confidence she needed to go after her dreams. The challenge, she said, was “realizing that I didn’t have to fit into one neat box. I could be an actress, a reporter, a casting professional, a filmmaker and an entrepreneur all at the same time. Once I stopped trying to force myself into a single lane, my career started making a lot more sense. Sometimes your path only makes sense when you look back and connect the dots.”

Austin encourages ����app�ٷ���վ�� students to find what makes them happy and pursue it wholeheartedly, and to pay attention to the people who light up when good things happen for you, saying that these are the relationships that are most special.

“That’s what I love most about Elon. It encourages students to explore broadly, take chances and embrace experiences that may not seem connected at the time,” she said. “Looking back, those experiences ended up creating my story. My career hasn’t followed a straight line, but every experience has led to the next, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

From production, post-production, content creation, producing, writing, directing and performing, the panel offered a wide range of information to students of diverse majors who are in Los Angeles this summer for a unique core capstone course, experiential learning, alumni engagement and community service.

Zaman, who works at the post-production house Picture Shop, shared the excitement of being in the middle of the artistry of post-production. Among Picture Shop’s most recent projects was providing color correction work on Steven Spielberg’s current film “Disclosure Day.” She is also a first-time site supervisor, mentoring summer student Hammond Sherouse at a first-time Elon Los Angeles Picture Shop internship.

Campisano, who served as a selection committee member for the first ����app�ٷ���վ�� Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition last fall, spoke about the wide range of professional creative opportunities that await students who return to Los Angeles after graduation. Campisano is an award-winning filmmaker who often turns to the Elon Los Angeles alumni community when staffing and casting projects.

Kestlinger is a Physical Production Manager for television and feature films at SK Global Entertainment. Seawright, an actor, model, and entertainment and brand marketing specialist, currently performs at Disneyland Resort.

����app�ٷ���վ�� Los Angeles offers an exciting, immersive spring semester and summer program experience in the heart of historic Hollywood through ����app�ٷ���վ�� and National Campus Programs. Applications are now being accepted for the spring 2027 semester.

Thirteen students are taking part in the inaugural��Elon faculty-led��program. Alumni networking is��an important component��of this cohort experience. In addition to meeting alumni,��students take a core��seminar course called��Capital Connections: Power, People, and Place in Washington, D.C.��taught by Joel Shelton, associate professor of political science and public policy.

Students also��live in an apartment complex��in the vibrant��NoMa neighborhood, complete an internship,��and��participate��in enrichment activities��to get to know the city better. Students��will��tour��the US Capitol,��learn the history of the city through walking tours, attend��a��Nationals��game, see��a��play��at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and more.

“It��is��always special to connect with former students and to see them thriving in the lives they lead after graduation, but��it’s��especially meaningful that our alumni take the time to connect with and to mentor��current students,” Shelton said. “This is especially important in Washington, D.C., where relationships make all the difference in an increasingly competitive internship and employment environment.��I’m��very grateful��to our alumni for the enthusiasm with which they have supported the launch of ����app�ٷ���վ�� “Capital Connections” program in the district.

D.C. Alumni Chapter President Gabby Vance ’18,��organized��the event with fellow chapter members.

“The Pizza Party��remains��one of��my��favorite events organized by the D.C. chapter because it brings together two important parts of the Elon community,” Vance said. “Alumni have the opportunity to share their experiences and insights about life after graduation, while students gain a first-hand look at what it’s like to live and work in Washington, D.C., while building valuable professional connections.��It’s��always rewarding to see these relationships take shape, and I look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come.”

Molly Bauer ’19, a former Communications Fellow, spent��the fall of her junior year��studying in��D.C.

“It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” said Bauer, who moved to D.C. when she graduated and says she has experienced how strong the alumni network is in the city, and��has��enjoyed��maintaining��relationships with��her peers.

“Now that Elon has its own program��in D.C.,��I’m��excited to stay even more connected to Elon by fostering connections with current students, faculty and staff as well,” Bauer said. “The Study USA program��in D.C. will make our already-strong Elon network in D.C. even stronger. At the event, it was great getting to chat with current students, something I��haven’t��done since I graduated, and it was awesome reconnecting with faculty and staff after several years!”

Are you��an alumnus��living in D.C.? Join us for the next student/alumni networking night on

Applications for��the��Study USA D.C. summer��2027 program��open Sept. 1. Contact the director of Study USA, Anna Smith��asmith273@elon.edu,��if��you’d��like to learn more.

Danielle Martinelli-Taylor ’12 has built her career around helping people move through pain toward healing. As the founder of Animo Counseling and Coaching in Denver, Colorado, she works with clients through a holistic mind-body approach to mental health, including somatic boxing therapy. In the latest episode of “Elon Beyond the Bricks,” President Connie Ledoux Book sits down with Martinelli-Taylor to explore the experiences that led her to a career in trauma counseling.

A graduate of Elon’s School of Communications, Martinelli-Taylor majored in strategic communications and minored in religious studies before her career turned toward mental health care. That shift began with moments she did not fully recognize at the time, including an Elon class on human trafficking that opened her eyes to the reality of trauma and stayed with her long after graduation.

“I think like a lot of things, there were moments, but I hadn’t added them up yet,” she said.

After graduation, Martinelli-Taylor’s path moved through customer service at Wayfair, nonprofit work in London and continued reflection on the kind of work that felt meaningful. Each step helped her better understand what she was drawn to, what she needed to move away from and how service could become a throughline in her life and career.

That search eventually led her to counseling, where she began working with clients who had experienced trauma. She noticed that talk therapy alone was not always the right entry point, especially when asking clients to revisit painful stories could bring them back into that experience. From there, she began developing a new approach.

“What can we do that still heals or helps the body get rid of this distress, this intensity, this pain, but not necessarily just… talking about it?” she said.

Somatic boxing therapy grew from that question and from Martinelli-Taylor’s own experience using boxing to process the emotional weight of counseling work. Over time, she began incorporating pads and bilateral movement into sessions, helping clients reconnect with strength, courage and a sense of agency.

“Find your strength, find your resilience find that courage,” she said.

While her work now sits in the mental health field, Martinelli-Taylor still sees clear connections to her Elon education. Her communications background has helped her explain a new therapeutic model, build a practice and share her work with clients and other professionals.

“I’m glad I had a marketing background. I’m glad I had a little bit of a PR background because so much, even though it’s counseling and mental health, it’s a lot of business,” she said.

Martinelli-Taylor’s story was featured in the 2025 President’s Report because of the meaningful impact she is creating through service to others. For ����app�ٷ���վ�� students and young alumni still trying to find direction, she encouraged patience and forward motion, even when the larger path is unclear.

“Just take one step,” she said. “Don’t try to figure it all out right now.”

Toward the end of the conversation, Martinelli-Taylor shared a quote from Frederick Buechner that has helped frame her own sense of calling:

“Maybe the place you’re called is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” she said.

“For Martinelli-Taylor, that place has become the space where service, counseling and embodied healing meet. Her story is a reminder that purpose is often formed through the moments that stay with us and the courage to follow them into work that helps others heal.

Learn more about the podcast and listen to the episode here.

Learn more about the 2025 President’s Report and read it here.

The record surpassed the previous high of 82.7%, set by Elon Law’s charter class in 2009. In all, 132 of 136 December graduates sat for a bar examination in winter and spring 2026.

“We are incredibly proud of the Class of 2025,” Dean Zak Kramer said. “Our graduates put in the work and supported each other along the way. Together, they raised the bar for all future Elon Law graduates.”

The nationwide result comes two months after Elon Law announced a record 91.96% first-time pass rate on the February 2026 North Carolina Bar Exam. The newly compiled data provides a broader measure of graduate success, showing that 90.9% of the law school’s 132 graduates who sat for a bar examination passed on their first attempt, regardless of jurisdiction.

The results also reflect the advantages of Elon Law’s accelerated 2.5-year J.D. curriculum in Greensboro and��— beginning in Fall 2027 — Charlotte. Students graduate in December, sit for the February bar exam and, upon passing, can begin practicing law months earlier than graduates of traditional law programs. The accelerated timeline allows graduates to enter the profession and begin earning sooner.

The energy in the building around the bar exam has changed. They feel it. We all feel it. We’re looking forward to continuing this trajectory.

– Assistant Dean for Academic Success Jenny Lane

This year’s record-setting performance reflects a culture shift at Elon Law and growing momentum around the law school’s programs and outcomes. Elon Law adopted a “One and Done” motto and mindset around the bar exam, with faculty and staff expanding academic support initiatives. In particular, the Office of Academic Success provided additional coaching, workshops, practice examinations and individualized support to reinforce that message throughout students’ legal education and bar preparation.

“What is special about this class is that they truly embodied Elon Law’s ‘One and Done’ mission,” said Jenny Lane, assistant dean for academic success. “They understood the power of coming together as a community and conquering the bar exam.

“It matters when we invest in students and believe in them. The energy in the building around the bar exam has changed. They feel it. We all feel it. We’re looking forward to continuing this trajectory.”

Twenty graduates sat for bar examinations in 11 states outside North Carolina. Seventeen passed on their first attempt, including every graduate who sat in nine of those jurisdictions.

For graduates, passing the bar exam marks the culmination of years of legal study and the beginning of professional practice. For Elon Law, the Class of 2025’s record-setting results reflect the success of a model of legal education built around experiential learning, practical training, and preparing students to enter the legal profession ready to serve clients and communities from day one.

“The value proposition of this law school is incredible,” Kramer said. “A skills-based education, in 2.5 years, with incredible outcomes like this. Big things are happening at Elon Law and we’re just getting started.”

Losing a parent changes everything. How you see the world. How you build relationships. How you understand risk, love and time.

Aidan Steinbach ’23 knows this all too well. He was just seven years old when his mother died. A respected scholar and professor of public health, Michelle Mayer dedicated her life to bringing quality healthcare to communities in need before her life was cut short by a rare autoimmune disease that she battled for more than 12 years. She was 39 years old.

To honor her memory, Steinbach made a $2 million estate gift to create the Michelle Mayer Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship will assist students who have experienced the death of a parent or guardian, with first preference given to entrepreneurship majors in ����app�ٷ���վ�� Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, where Steinbach earned his degree in management in 2023.

Endowing the scholarship is Steinbach’s way of paying tribute to his mother—who helped fund his Elon education—and helping future generations of students grappling with the same kind of loss he experienced.

“My Mom was Wonder Woman,” Steinbach said. “That’s who your mom is when you’re seven years old. She’s the person who protects you, clothes and feeds you, and teaches you right from wrong. I��miss her every day.”

Mayer was also someone who valued education and ensured Steinbach and his older sister Amelia had the chance to go to college.

“My Mom wasn’t wealthy. She didn’t leave behind real estate or investments or anything you’d call an estate,” Steinbach said. “What she left was a life insurance policy that helped pay for my Elon education. I got to go to school debt-free because my mother died. I’ve sat with that fact for most of my life. It’s not something you ever fully resolve. You just learn to carry it.”

Michelle Lynn Mayer died October 11, 2008, at the Duke Hospice Inpatient Care Facility in Durham, North Carolina, after battling scleroderma, part of a group of chronic autoimmune disorders marked by hardening and tightening of the skin. Scleroderma can also damage the lungs, heart, kidneys, digestive track, muscles and joints, and other internal organs.

It was a struggle Mayer chronicled in her blog, “Diary of a Dying Mom,” where she wrote essays on parenting, living and dying to help families facing the challenges of terminal illnesses.

“I deal with the topic of death head-on in an unflinching way,” Mayer wrote in one entry. “I believe that, as a culture, we shy away from anything surrounding death and, consequently, deprive ourselves of all the lessons inherent in the dying and grieving process. We ignore the reality that death is as much a part of life as birth.”

A Philadelphia native, Mayer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania (1990) with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a minor in economics from the Wharton School of Business, before earning her master’s degree in public health education (1992) and a doctorate in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1997). During her doctoral program, Mayer also served as a health economics consultant for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and in Nairobi, Kenya.

In 1997, Mayer married Dr. William J. Steinbach after the two met as graduate students at UNC.

The couple (and later their young children) briefly lived in California during Dr. Steinbach’s medical residency. During this time, Mayer worked as a clinical research associate in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University and as research director of the Children’s Health Initiative at the Lucile S. Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California. The family then moved back to the Triangle in 2001, and Mayer served as a research fellow at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and a research assistant professor in the School of Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, until stepping down in 2007 due to her illness.

In the family’s Durham neighborhood, Mayer started a group for families with young children, which was a vital source of support for her family during her illness. Mayer also regularly volunteered at her children’s school, even after the disease had curtailed many of her daily activities. Throughout her ordeal, Mayer remained passionate about improving access to quality healthcare for underserved communities, supporting women and families, and promoting awareness of scleroderma.

Steinbach is grateful to his mother for giving him the gift of education. He is equally grateful to Elon for providing him with an outstanding experience, including participation in the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program and Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which prepared him for success. Steinbach, who lives in San Francisco, is a banker at Erebor and also runs his own consulting firm, working with companies backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator and others.

Steinbach hopes the scholarship will encourage students to follow their dreams, knowing someone is willing to invest in their success.

“My mother inspired me to be a better person. I hope this scholarship inspires others to be better as well, and, in turn, to own that obligation as they go out into the world,” he said. “Elon gave me a chance during a stretch of my life when the odds weren’t obviously in my favor. The scholarship is my attempt to extend that same chance to someone else who didn’t ask for what happened to them, but is still here trying to figure out what comes next.”

“Aidan’s desire to honor his mother’s legacy while creating opportunity for others is a wonderful example of the power of philanthropy to change lives,” said Leanna Giles ’02, associate director of planned giving. “He didn’t just want to honor her memory—he wanted to transform something painful into possibility for someone else. For that, the Elon community is grateful.”

Make An Impact

To learn how you can make an impact at Elon through your estate, contact Leanna Giles ’02, associate director of planned giving, at (336) 278-5798 or lgiles@elon.edu.

“When you are someone who naturally wants to help others, like you do in the PA profession, you’re drawn to finding the need and fixing it. We’re trying to help in the best way we can,” Lytton said. “You don’t take on a title to do this; it simply comes from the heart, and it comes from an intention to be good for others. It’s very rewarding to have the benefit of knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life.”

The��AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. The Humanitarian Service��award��recognizes��a PA or group of PAs that��demonstrates��clear, lasting dedication to expanding access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations, and/or populations in crisis.��Lytton, who works in pain management in Alaska, is the president of the Alaska Academy of PAs and has made significant efforts to address the state’s opioid crisis.

“I see a lot of opioid addiction and chronic opioid dependency from high use opioid levels, but unfortunately, even in Alaska today, there are very high levels of opioid use disorder. It was very evident when I arrived in 2020, in the heart of the pandemic,” she said. “You see the escalating death rate nationally, and also here in Alaska, and that really prompted my heart to do something.”

Lytton partnered with Project HOPE, a global health and humanitarian organization, leading a 12-member team to create 1,200 Narcan kits, helping to save over 300 lives. According to Lytton, two individuals specifically credited kits from their distribution site with saving a neighbor and a family member.

In addition to responding to the opioid crisis, Lytton has worked to improve access to healthcare services for Alaskans who face persistent barriers to care.��She is��a volunteer��with Remote Area Medical,��a nonprofit organization that provides mobile medical clinics delivering free dental, vision, and medical care to underserved and uninsured individuals��in Alaska. Lytton supported��screenings��for��more than 700 uninsured Alaskans.

As Chair of the Associate Board of Ambassadors for the American Cancer Society of Alaska,��Lytton has played a key role in advancing cancer awareness and support across Alaska.��Through coordinated events and sponsorship initiatives, she��has��helped raise��more��than��$100,000 for cancer patients. She��serves��on the Serve Alaska Board, supporting AmeriCorps programs in rural and urban communities, ensuring funding reaches vulnerable youth and families.

Her path to ����app�ٷ���վ�� started while she was working as a nurse assistant in North Carolina. When she expressed a desire to become a PA, a patient encouraged her to apply soon, and she took the advice. Lytton applied to eight schools, and Elon jumped at the opportunity to interview her for its inaugural Physician Assistant Studies cohort.

“You just felt alive on campus, and I knew in my heart this is where I wanted to come,” she said. “The PA profession is the right balance for me because I ultimately wanted to have a family of my own, I wanted to provide care to patients, and I wanted to be able to change specialties and have that versatility.”

����app�ٷ���վ�� Physician Assistant Studies program continues to grow. The 2026 cohort was the largest in the program’s history. Elon doubled the size of its physician assistant class from 38 to 76 students, growing its capacity to prepare clinicians for communities across North Carolina and the Southeast. A PA program on the university’s Charlotte campus is expected to launch in January 2027.

“I am so grateful to Elon because they truly invested a lot in us. They gave us opportunities to not only do volunteer work in the community but also invest in the community,” she said. “My learning experience started like a seed, and it blossomed over the years.”

The Health Professionals Scholarship Program also provided Lytton with a financial path to her goals. The HPSP award pays a participant’s school tuition and required fees as well as a monthly stipend to help with living expenses and an annual book stipend for instructional materials.

HPSP recipients incur an active-duty service obligation based on the number of years of scholarship support received. Following graduation and commissioning, recipients are assigned to a military installation where they serve as active-duty officers until their service commitment is fulfilled.

Lytton says her military service, along with her family, faith and ����app�ٷ���վ�� commitment to service learning, helped instill values that have guided her throughout her PA career.

“Leadership begins with recognizing where help is needed and stepping forward to serve. I would advise anyone seeking to become a leader in their profession to look for unmet needs in their community and work to address them,”��Lytton said. “Even if the job seems somewhat small, the skills that you learn from community service and from community coming together and collaborating, they will foster in you this confidence that you take into your profession and become a natural part of who you are.”

These were the questions centered in the fictional case analyzed and argued by 116 first-year Elon Law students in the school’s 19th Annual Intramural Moot Court Competition, held May 27 and 28.

A deaf small-business owner applied for a loan from an online lending company and was offered a 14.25% interest rate. After his twin brother — who shared nearly identical financial, educational and employment credentials but did not have a disability — received a 6.25% rate for the same loan, he suspected the lender had considered his disability when evaluating the application.

The business owner sued under the ADA, arguing that the online lender discriminated against him based on his disability. A federal court dismissed the case, finding that the lender’s website was not a place of public accommodation covered by the ADA and that the law regulates access to lending services, not the terms of the loans offered.

The business owner appealed the ruling to the fictional U.S. Court of Appeals for the 15th Circuit, which regularly hears cases represented by Elon Law students.

Members of the Class of 2027 comprised the largest group ever to compete in the spring event, with 58 teams appearing before volunteer judges that included local judges, attorneys, Elon Law alumni, and law school faculty and staff.

All first-year students were introduced to the case in their Legal Method & Communication courses as the basis for graded oral arguments this spring. Each student presented two oral arguments, one for appellant and one for appellee, and was scored on preparation, speaking ability, argument structure and responses to judges’ questions.

Top 10 Oral Advocates in the 2026 competition (with ties)

• Gabrielle Brown Roycroft
• Aarya Deshmukh
• Zaria Hanchell
• Adelaide Anne Zahren
• Avery Vidt
• Michael Iafrato
• Grant Paramore
• Rachel Wilson
• Jacqueline Gardner (tie)
• David Bryant (tie)
• Megan Chen

“This competition was a reminder not to let fear of failure keep me from trying,” said Gabrielle Brown Roycroft L’27, from Salisbury, North Carolina, who is interested in family law, estate planning and civil litigation. She graduated from Catawba College with a degree in politics. “It’s worth it to push through the nerves and use them as fuel to perform your best. You can’t memorize your way through oral advocacy. You have to think on your feet and respond in the moment. When you’ve done the work in advance, you can trust your preparation and focus on having a conversation with the judges.”

Selections for membership on the Moot Court Board will be announced this summer before the board hosts the 17th Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition on Oct. 22-24. Moot Court Board members will also compete in a slate of national moot court competitions during the 2026-27 school year.

Vice Dean and Professor of Law Alan Woodlief, director of Elon Law’s Moot Court Program, praised the Moot Court Board for its professionalism and hospitality in running the spring competition.

The annual event sees the Elon Law community step up to provide an exceptional experience for first-year students. This year, Elon Law was honored to host more than 50 volunteer attorneys and judges, including over 20 Elon Law alumni, as well as a current justice and former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court participate as judges.

“Moot Court is a great experiential learning opportunity, and I was excited to see so many students take advantage of this experience to strengthen their advocacy skills,” Woodlief said. “Our Moot Court Board did an exceptional job coordinating the school’s largest-ever competition, and they could not have done it without the great support from our student body, faculty, and staff, as well as the many Elon Law alumni, attorneys, and judges who contributed to the success of the competition.”

Alumni judges reflect: ‘It helped me find my voice’

The annual Intramural Moot Court Competition — along with the graded Legal Method and Communication Program’s graded oral arguments held the week before — is also a homecoming of sorts.

Alumni return to campus each spring to hear arguments, offer feedback and help first-year students develop the advocacy skills they will use throughout their careers. ��They have clear memories of standing at the podium themselves and how meaningful it was to their development to receive feedback from legal professionals.

April Franklin L’25 said oral arguments helped her overcome her nerves and discover a passion for advocacy.

“It gave me confidence. It helped me find my voice that I didn’t know that I had,” said Franklin, who is pursuing practice in wills and estates, health care or corporate law. “Elon gave me the support that I needed to progress in this career path, and I want to be able to give that same support to the next generation of Elon Law students.”

Landon Eckard L’25, who will begin a federal judicial clerkship in Detroit this summer, said moot court taught him to think on his feet and respond to difficult questions from judges.

“It’s the most spontaneous kind of advocacy there is in the legal profession,” Eckard said. “You can have a rough script before you get there, but one minute into the argument, that script goes out the window. It made me a better litigator and a better attorney.”

Thomas Harvey L’22, a criminal defense attorney in nearby Rockingham County, North Carolina, pursued law as a second career. He returns because he remembers exactly what it felt like to stand at the podium as a student and believes the experience helps shape better advocates.

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was standing right where they are. Believe it or not, the judges are all rooting for you individually,” Harvey said. “It’s such a joy to come back and be a part of Elon Law.”

2026 Intramural Moot Court Competition student leadership

Overall Chairs of the Competition: Isabel Craige L’26, Elizabeth Gregory L’26, Sierra Watkins L’26

Judge Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Emma Farrell L’26, James Galipeau L’26, Cayla James L’26, Bailey Langford L’26, Renata Navarro L’26

Bailiff Recruitment and Coordination Chairs: Madisyn Butler L’26, Erin Carleton L’26, Megan Eldredge L’26, Cameron O’Neil L’26, Tyler Sesker L’26

Scoring Committee Chairs: Brittany Balis-West L’26, Jackie Rullman L’26, Rebecca Vairin L’26

LMC Oral Argument Coordination Chairs: Daulton Hadaway L’26, Courtney Maxwell L’26

Participants in the newest cohort emphasized the program’s immediate relevance to their everyday work.

Andrea Davis L’12 said the experience helped her clearly identify how AI fits into multiple areas of her life.

“I had such a great time in this course — it really allowed me to pinpoint how I can use AI in my job and in my personal life, and it helped grow my confidence in handling AI,” Davis said.

The certificate focuses on experiential learning, guiding participants through hands-on exercises with AI tools, prompt development and workflow design. Rather than centering on technical complexity, the program emphasizes strategy, ethics and clarity of use.

Elizabeth Worrilow Maher ’17 said the course reshaped how she approaches her daily work.

“It genuinely shifted how I think about my day-to-day work,” Maher said. “What stood out most wasn’t just the tools, but the mindset — using AI to enhance how you think, not replace it.”

Maher noted that key takeaways included the importance of strong inputs and strategy, the impact of small workflow improvements over time and the advantage gained through learning how to ask better questions.

Instructor Rebecca Macy said the growth she observed in the cohort reflected a shift in how participants approached AI.

“The strength of this program is that it does not treat AI as a one-time tool demonstration,” she said. “Participants build from foundational understanding and ethics into prompt engineering, workflow design and a personalized capstone project they can connect directly to their professional or personal lives.”

By the end of the program, she added, participants gain clarity as well as confidence.

“The thirst for learning about the newest AI tools and best practices for practical, professional usage continues to grow,” said instructor Scott Oakes. “Hands-on, cohort-driven learning is a uniquely Elon experience — one where students draw not only on our expertise, but on the lived experiences of their fellow learners.”

For many participants, that collaborative environment reinforces both learning and confidence.

“This is a great class to learn and expand your knowledge,” said Neal Saunders G’17. “You won’t believe what you can do.”

As the AI Certificate for Professionals continues to grow, the second cohort reflects the program’s evolution from a new offering into an established learning experience with lasting professional impact. The certificate reinforces ����app�ٷ���վ�� commitment to lifelong learning and workforce relevance.

The certificate is offered through , part of the Office of Professional and Continuing Studies.

Emily Beauvais, Graduate Student, Northeastern University (Boston)

Nia Bedard, Graduate Student, ����app�ٷ���վ�� (Elon, North Carolina)

Kiersten Bergman, Graduate Student, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)

Max Berkson, Media Intern, Carmichael Lynch (Philadelphia)

Aidan Blake, Digital Content Creator, Kaulig Racing (Kernersville, North Carolina)

Anna Brett Blinston, Media and Content Analyst, Big Valley Marketing

Merrie Byers, Graduate Student, North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Coco Cameron, PR & Social Media Associate, Devaney & Associates (Owings Mills, Maryland)

Luke Carey, Head Coach, Seacoast United MA North (Andover, Massachusetts)

Aaron Chan, Production Specialist, Amazing Studios (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Alexa Citrin, Graduate Student, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Delaney Dickinson, Social Media Manager, Works Design Group (Haddon Heights, New Jersey)

Ava D’Innocenzio, Graduate Student, Boston University (Boston)

Philip Doherty, Freelance Technical Director (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Julien Dupas, Video Director, Discover Blind Spots (Burlington, North Carolina)

Liam Dupas, Video Director Co-Lead, Discover Blind Spots (Burlington, North Carolina)

Kaelyn Elien, Fellow, Bully Pulpit International (Washington, D.C.)

Anjolina Fantaroni, Reporter, WAFF 48 (Huntsville, Alabama)

Elliet Faust, Marketing & Operations Intern, Rise Social Partners

Avery Ferguson, Intern, Golin (New York)

Lila Goldberg, Project Manager, Mediaplanet (New York)

Jesse Gordon, Reporter, Sports Business Journal (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Sever Gregory, Graduate Student, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)

Rachel Holley, Reporter, WECT6 (Wilmington, North Carolina)

Daniel Jaeger, Agent Training Program, United Talent Agency (Los Angeles)

Shelby Keel, Golden Gopher Fund Intern, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Mira Maccarone, Graduate Student, Boston College (Boston)

Lucy McAfee, Graduate Student, Boston College (Boston)

Fiona McAllister, Media Rotation Program Fellow, Fox News (New York)

Morgan Minoff, Associate, ASC Advisors LLC (Stamford, Connecticut)

Maxine Motley, PR Intern, Jennifer Bett Communications (New York)

Tristin Oberg, Graduate Student, Montana State University (Bozeman, Montana)

Abraham Paley, Graduate Student, Saint Mary’s College of California (Moraga, California)

Max Quatroche, Graduate Student, John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television, University of Southern California (Los Angeles)

Hannah Riggs, Team Lead, HeadCount (New York)

Lexi Rogers, Graduate Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

Hudson Sabiston, Graphic Designer, Cone Health Drawbridge Parkway (Greensboro, North Carolina)

Anabella Shpak, Graduate Student, Columbia University (New York)

Ben Solis, Sales, Grainger (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Benji Stern, Springboard Fellow, Brandeis Hillel (Waltham, Massachusetts)

Grace Stetler, PGA WORKS Fellow,��PGA��REACH��Foundation (Philadelphia)

Evelyn Stuart, Recruiter, ALKU (Washington, D.C.)

Bernardo Vargas-Lopez, Co-Founder/Co-CEO, YAPA Global (Austin, Texas)

Erik Winikur, Management Accelerator Program, Concessions Manager, Aramark Sports & Entertainment (Washington, D.C.)