The ������Ƶ Academy Summer Academy program is a three-week residential program, that models day-to-day life on a college campus. Scholars attend classes taught by various ������Ƶ faculty and staff, eat in a dining hall and build connections amongst cohorts.

������Ƶ Academy fosters a supportive culture rooted in the mentorship that EA staff, student leaders and ������Ƶ faculty/staff provide to scholars. The holistic support ������Ƶ Academy has cultivated has been further strengthened through the incorporation of ������Ƶ’s health and well-being initiative, HealthEU.

During the Summer Academy, scholars take academic, life skills and college-prep courses. An important aspect of the program includes Evening Sessions, which have historically served as the scholars’ extracurricular programming ranging from cooking and art to physical activity like soccer, yoga and martial arts. This summer, ������Ƶ Academy committed to a new approach, intentionally infusing the HealthEU framework into Evening Session planning and development. This was executed through the collaboration of ������Ƶ Academy’s Faculty Scholar Evan Small and Coordinator for Well-Being, Melissa Chacon Villalobos.

All Summer Academy instructors participated in a four-part instructor development series in the spring facilitated by Small. During the first session, instructors received an overview of the ������Ƶ Academy, as well as insights into Alamance County and Alamance-Burlington School System.  During the remaining sessions, instructors received information related to ������Ƶ Academy’s new learning framework, course development and assessment resources. Evening Session instructors, which include ������Ƶ faculty, staff and connected community members, received an additional piece of training that gave them an overview of HealthEU, its six dimensions of well-being, and insight into how to enact the HealthEU and Wellness-Centered Pedagogy Frameworks.

The goal of this training was to give evening instructors additional resources to support them in infusing well-being into their sessions. Instructors’ reflections from their overall experience of teaching evening sessions and how it influenced their own professional growth or perspective as an educator included feeling prepared to embrace new challenges like teaching new subjects, working with new student populations and stepping beyond their comfort zones.

“(The training) helped me step outside of my comfort zone and learn how to teach a new subject to ages that I have never taught before,” said one Evening Session instructor.

In addition, they shared having a deepened understanding of diverse student populations and strengthening their commitment to outreach, particularly in supporting first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students.

“It is a humbling experience, and provides a more diverse lens of Alamance County,” said an Evening Session instructor.

“Well-being isn’t something we teach in a single session. It’s something we intentionally weave throughout the ������Ƶ Academy experience,” said Emily Wiersma, director of the ������Ƶ Academy. “Dr. Evan Small and Melissa Chacon Villalobos played a key role in translating that commitment into meaningful learning experiences by equipping and supporting our Evening Session instructors. Together, our faculty, staff, and community partners created opportunities for scholars to explore their purpose, build community and develop habits that will support them in college and beyond.”

Through several weeks of diverse sessions, scholars were empowered to align their values, skills and goals to their holistic well-being. Evening Sessions allowed scholars to connect career and personal interests such as entrepreneurship, health professions, and culinary arts, while learning how to infuse well-being into their day-to-day life. For example, one Evening Session encompassing the connection between career and personal interests was Introduction to Esports. In this session, Scholars were able to play games and expand the styles of games they play, while also learning about different career paths they can take with Esports. In another course, Introduction to Sports Medicine, scholars were able to blend their interest in sports and or/ medicine with the potential career routes of being an athletic trainer in the ������Ƶ Athletic Training Room.

The intentional instructor development and integration of the HealthEU framework have further deepened the experiences and takeaways of the Summer Academy for scholars. The Summer Academy fosters independence within scholars to take ownership of their learning and goals for college, while fostering a sense of community and belonging.

When asked to describe the most important takeaways from their evening sessions as it relates to the specific dimension of well-being, scholars shared:

• “It’s important to work together as a team and find something that makes you happy.”
• “I learned about myself, what I value, and how I can help others.”
• “The evening sessions taught me that everyday physical activity, even if it’s just an hour or thirty minutes, can help a lot.”
• “Knowing how to grow and make my own food, and how to use that as a way to escape to focus on my own well-being.”

Evening Sessions in particular, model the multidimensional aspect of well-being and convey to scholars the importance of taking initiative of their well-being. Scholars experienced firsthand how career interests can intersect with personal interests and purpose. The culminating outcome of Evening Sessions is that scholars feel empowered to actively explore and make intentional decisions about how they use their time that support their values, goals and well-being.

The course asked scholars three of the biggest questions they’ll face heading into college and beyond.

• Who are you?
• How does the world around you work?
• Where do you belong in it?

Answering those questions meant building a team that could bring three different lenses to the room, not one guest lecturer parachuted in for an afternoon, but three weeks, three educators and one shared arc.

The design work started long before anyone boarded a flight. Jess Savage and Yanyan Li, both from Warwick, along with Aoife Prendergast from TUS Ireland, worked with Ritchie from early on to shape the course’s structure and pedagogy. Amanda Lang and Jo Kukuczka from Warwick also helped shape the wider exchange from the start, thinking through how a course like this could work across institutions with genuinely different academic cultures. ������Ƶ Assistant Teaching Professor of Wellness Evan Small, ������Ƶ Academy Director Emily Wiersma, and the ������Ƶ Academy team helped the team turn their planning into a course that actually happened, on the ground, with real scholars.

In June 2026, that design became three weeks of teaching. Savage led the first week, taking scholars outside to investigate the natural world of ������Ƶ’s campus, observing and mapping the environment and asking who shapes it and how they could begin to understand sustainability differently. Li led the second week, turning to the digital world, unpacking what AI is, whose values it carries, and how to use it with honesty and critical thought. Prendergast led the third week, joining the class from Ireland as the s first Transatlantic Teaching Fellow. She turned the lens on the scholars themselves: their story, their strengths, their future, and what belonging looked and felt like for them.

Belonging wasn’t confined to Prendergast’s week; it ran through all three, as the thread underneath the environment, the AI and the identity work alike. Scholars kept a reflective journal throughout, used photography in the first week to document their experience, and carried a logo and motto project across all three weeks: hand-drawn in Week 1, recreated with AI in Week 2 under a co-created and scholar-drafted honor code, then made personal in Week 3 as their final project, representing their own identity, values and vision for the future.

“That arc worked because an international team built it together, then taught it together, each trusting the ones before and after them to carry it forward,” said Ritchie. “So much of Fulbright’s work is about building bridges between UK and US institutions. But a bridge only matters once people walk across it, and once the people crossing it have had a hand in building it too. That’s what this collaboration set out to do: curriculum design, planning, and teaching, shared genuinely across three institutions, not handed from one to another.”

This year, an international teaching team from England and Ireland designed and taught a course called Your Place in the World: Exploring Identity, Sustainability, and AI. This interactive course engaged Scholars in several central questions: Who are you? How does the world around you work? And where do you belong in it?

Engaging pedagogical approaches like photovoice, campus mapping and reflective journals allowed scholars to engage deeply with course content. Scholars participated in activities to learn about the environmental landscape, the ethical use of AI, and navigating belonging in different spaces. One member of the teaching team, Aoife Prendergast from the Technical University of the Shannon in Ireland, said that a highlight of the course was

“Diving into the rich, lived experiences shared through the narratives of the group. The most powerful moments came from hearing the scholars weave their personal life stories into their visions for the future,” said Aoife Prendergast from the Technical University of the Shannon in Ireland, one of the members of the teaching team. “Watching everyone reflect on what ‘belonging’ truly means both personally and professionally created a deeply collaborative and resonant atmosphere in the room. It is clear that these narratives are shaping some truly inspiring and thoughtful pathways for the future!”

This international teaching team and transatlantic approach to this course allowed scholars to engage with a different set of cultures and a different concept of what education can be. Scholars were able to form deep connections with each other, their teaching team and the course content in ways that encouraged them to apply it to their futures.

“Throughout the three weeks, this class really opened my eyes and drew me to a new perspective of the world,” one scholar said. “We learned about perspectives of the world and how we all see the world differently, and we connected it to AI and how AI picks up on our culture and creates its own perspectives through patterns. The instructors always made me feel like I belong and they allowed me to open my mind and curiosity.”

Another Scholar shared how the course inspired them to see community in a different light.

“This class gave me the opportunity to meet people outside of the country where I live and to see how community can be built in different environments,” another scholar reflected. “Every day was engaging and we were always doing something hands-on that made the course exciting. The instructors all came from different backgrounds, which felt so diverse, and I loved hearing about their cultures. I felt both academically and intellectually challenged in the course, which made me critically think about who I am in this world and how we can connect that to AI.”

Tom Ritchie from the University of Warwick in the UK served as the lead instructor and designed the course in partnership with Evan Small, the ������Ƶ Academy faculty scholar. As a Fulbright Scholar, Ritchie was able to provide ������Ƶ Academy students with an exposure to additional post-graduate international education opportunities.

“This course exemplifies what makes ������Ƶ Academy so special – the willingness of our faculty, partners and supporters to create transformative learning experiences that expand our Scholars’ perspectives and help them see themselves as part of a much larger world,” said Emily Wiersma, director of the ������Ƶ Academy. “Through this collaborative course, our scholars were challenged to think critically, embrace new perspectives, build meaningful connections across cultures, and develop the confidence, curiosity, and global mindset that will serve them well in college, their careers, and their communities.”

������Ƶ Academy, housed in ������Ƶ’s Center for Access and Success, is a multi-phase program for academically promising high school students in Alamance County with a financial need and/or no family history of college. The Summer Academy, happening now, includes three consecutive summer residential experiences before the sophomore, junior and senior years of high school, as well as year-round Saturday programs for students and families.

The program is now entering its 20th year and welcoming the largest cohort in its history: the Phi cohort. 

As students mingled with ������Ƶ faculty, staff and friends of the university, they reflected on their experiences on campus and in the ������Ƶ Academy program.

Jeffrey Johnson

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics / ������Ƶ Academy Upsilon cohort

“If I wasn’t here, I would not be talking to this many people. (The program) forces you to, in the best way possible, foster relationships with people and get to know one another,” Johnson said. “I think my favorite part is the support systems that it offers you because when I applied, I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know if it would be as easy as it would be. Even though it’ll probably still be hard, working with ������Ƶ Academy makes it feel possible.”

Jean Carlos

Western High School / ������Ƶ Academy Phi Cohort

“My favorite part is definitely the community. I’ve made so many friends just in the first week here, and everyone is so supportive. I have so many resources here, so I feel like that’s definitely the best part of being in ������Ƶ Academy,” Carlos said. “My favorite part of the programming is all the collaborative activities they have us doing. They usually have us do something that involves all of us together, and that really helps with involvement. No one gets left out.”

Dylan Giordano

River Mill Academy / ������Ƶ Academy Phi Cohort

“My cohort is full of really great people. They’re all here for a reason, and everybody I interact with makes it a really good experience,” Giordano said. “There’s a lot of collaboration between different cohorts, staff and mentors. It feels like everybody is equal and we’re all working toward preparing us for college. It doesn’t feel like the teachers are above us. They’re supportive instead of authoritative.”

Xavier Chavez

River Mill Academy / ������Ƶ Academy Phi cohort

“Everyone here is amazing. It’s not just our cohort. It’s the staff, the mentors — they do an amazing job, and it’s truly amazing. We all work together. We’re all in this together,” Chavez said. “My favorite part of the programming is the EA 101 class. It’s not just about preparing us for college. It’s helping us find ourselves — our values, our purpose, our likes and dislikes. I like how they help us find ourselves before they put us out into the real world.”

Alexa DeAlto

Clover Garden School / ������Ƶ Academy Upsilon cohort

“My favorite part is the opportunities, both with school and meeting people. I wouldn’t have met the people I’ve met if it wasn’t for ������Ƶ,” DeAlton said. “My favorite part of ������Ƶ Academy is how much we’re able to give back to the community through community service and the resources we have. It shows people that we’re thankful for what they do for us.”

Zipporah Freeman

Southeast Alamance High School / ������Ƶ Academy Tau cohort

“My favorite part of ������Ƶ Academy right now is seeing our cohort come together. We struggled with that during the first two years, but this year everybody is communicating and working together,” Freeman said. “I’m a very extroverted person, so I love talking to people and meeting new people in the community.”

Ruby Elgin

Clover Garden Charter School / ������Ƶ Academy Tau cohort

“Being here on campus is great because it’s such a beautiful campus. I love getting the opportunity to explore all the amenities and see what the campus has to offer. Every year feels like a new tour because I get to see different buildings and learn something new,” said Elgin. “My favorite part of ������Ƶ Academy is being able to expand socially and academically at the same time. We get to do community service, network with people and get a jump start on the college process. Not everybody gets an opportunity like this, so I’m really thankful to be able to take advantage of a program like this.”

For ������Ƶ student Berenice Sanchez Rosaldo, the event marked a full-circle moment.

Berenice Sanchez Rosaldo ’29, a political science major who is in the ������Ƶ Academy and The Mac Mahon Family Scholar in the Odyssey Program, participated as a first-time presenter. She presented alongside Danielle Lake, director of the Center for Design Thinking, and Shannice Sellars, executive director of the African American Cultural Arts and History Center.

Their presentation, “Participatory Place-shaping: How Community-led Counter Storying Encourages Civic Engagement,” highlighted Sanchez Rosaldo’s work with the Center for Design Thinking. It focused on developing counter-stories that reflect participants’ communities and environments as a form of civic engagement.

Sanchez Rosaldo drew from personal experiences, including her high school, her father’s workplace, and the Dream Center — spaces she identified as influential in her development as a student, athlete and individual.

“Seeing Berenice present her story was such a proud moment,” said Melissa Chacon Villalobos, coordinator for well-being with ������Ƶ Academy. “Watching her grow from a high school freshman to a first-year student at ������Ƶ, and seeing the impact she is already making in Alamance County, is incredibly meaningful.”

Sanchez Rosaldo began this work before enrolling at ������Ƶ, first connecting with Danielle Lake while attending Alamance Burlington Early College at ACC, where she completed a summer internship with local summer camps across Alamance County, creating lesson plans for kids ages 6-12 during her junior year of High School.

She also credits ������Ƶ Academy as instrumental in shaping her college journey.
“������Ƶ Academy opened my eyes to the idea of college and created many opportunities for me,” Sanchez Rosaldo said.

Now an Odyssey Scholar, Sanchez Rosaldo continues her work with the Center for Design Thinking through the Power + Place Collaborative and by leading design thinking workshops across campus.

The Center for Design Thinking focuses on creative, structured approaches to problem-solving. Its Power + Place Collaborative works with Alamance County leaders and community members to document and share stories that reflect the county’s diverse communities.

������Ƶ Academy supports academically promising, limited-income, and first-generation students, while the Odyssey Program provides merit-based scholarships and enrichment opportunities for students with demonstrated financial need.

“What Berenice represents is exactly why ������Ƶ Academy exists – talented students who, with the right support and opportunities, go on to lead, contribute, and create change in their communities,” said Emily Wiersma, director of the ������Ƶ Academy.

Together, the ������Ƶ Academy and Odyssey Scholars Program reflect ������Ƶ’s commitment to civic engagement and to supporting students and communities in Alamance County.

For Sanchez Rosaldo, the experience also carried personal and generational significance. Her mother attended the presentation, marking a milestone as she watched her daughter present at her first conference.

Her story reflects the broader impact of ������Ƶ’s programs on students, their families, and their communities.

It also mirrors a larger, statewide commitment to civic engagement, as institutions across North Carolina continue this work through initiatives like the , which will take place in June 2026 and is hosted by North Carolina Campus Engagement. Together, these efforts highlight how experiences like the PACE conference are not just singular moments, but part of an ongoing cycle of learning, leadership and community impact.

This spring, members of the ������Ƶ Academy team traveled to schools across Alamance County to celebrate the milestone moment with 30 ninth-grade students: their admission into ������Ƶ Academy’s newest cohort. Gathered alongside family members, teachers, counselors, and school advocates who had supported them throughout their educational journeys, students learned they had been selected to join the largest incoming class in ������Ƶ Academy’s nearly 20-year history.

The celebrations marked the culmination of a redesigned recruitment and selection process that emphasized accessibility, family engagement, collaboration, and student-centered experiences. As ������Ƶ Academy enters its twentieth year, the expanded cohort reflects both the program’s continued growth and its enduring commitment to creating pathways to college access and success for students across Alamance County.

Led by Assistant Director Briston Whitt, ������Ƶ Academy’s revised recruitment and selection model introduced several significant enhancements, including a streamlined application process, redesigned group interview experiences, expanded family engagement opportunities, and increased collaboration with school, university, and community partners.

“Every aspect of the process was designed to create a more meaningful experience for students and families while ensuring we were able to identify Scholars who would really benefit from and thrive in the ������Ƶ Academy community,” said Whitt. “We wanted students and their families to feel seen, supported, and connected to the program from their very first interaction with us.”

The recruitment cycle began with intentional collaboration between ������Ƶ Academy and its network of school-based advocates. Serving as liaisons between the ������Ƶ Academy program and local schools, advocates provided valuable insight into the unique needs of their school communities and helped connect prospective students and families with information, resources and opportunities to learn more about the program.

Building on those partnerships, ������Ƶ Academy launched an extensive outreach effort that included school presentations, family information sessions, community events, social media campaigns and direct outreach to students throughout the Alamance-Burlington School System. The team also participated in events such as the ABSS Options Fair and school-based orientation programs, helping students and families begin exploring college access opportunities early in their high school careers.

The result was a strong and diverse applicant pool representing schools from across Alamance County.

Students advancing in the selection process submitted an essay and teacher recommendation, before participating in a redesigned group interview experience hosted for the first time ever on ������Ƶ’s campus. Over three days, prospective scholars engaged in collaborative activities designed to assess communication, critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills while giving students an opportunity to experience ������Ƶ firsthand.

The campus-based format also created new opportunities for family engagement. While students participated in interviews and activities, family members were invited to remain on campus for programming focused on student success, wellbeing, and navigating the college preparation journey. Families learned more about the program’s expectations and connected with ������Ƶ Academy staff in a welcoming and supportive environment.

The redesigned model also expanded participation from university and community partners. Faculty and staff members, ������Ƶ Academy student leaders, College Scholars, and supporters joined the process as evaluators, providing prospective Scholars with meaningful interactions while gaining a firsthand understanding of the intentionality behind the selection process. Following the group interview phase, finalists participated in individual interviews conducted at their schools to complete the selection process.

The result was the selection of 30 exceptional students who will comprise the Phi Cohort, officially making it the largest incoming class in ������Ƶ Academy history.

“Expanding to 30 Scholars represents more than a larger cohort size,” said Director Emily Wiersma. “It represents more students, more families, and more futures that will be impacted through the power of education, mentorship and opportunity. As we approach our twentieth year, it is exciting to see ������Ƶ Academy continuing to grow while remaining deeply committed to the mission that has guided us from the beginning.”

In early May, the newest scholars and their families returned to campus for New Scholar Orientation, an immersive introduction to ������Ƶ Academy and ������Ƶ. Throughout the day, students participated in community-building activities, learned about program expectations, explored campus, connected with peers, and began building relationships that will support them throughout their ������Ƶ Academy journey.

Families participated in their own programming focused on building connections, learning about available resources and hearing directly from current Scholars and families about their experiences in the program. The orientation concluded with ������Ƶ Academy’s traditional Honors Ceremony, during which current ������Ƶ Academy College Scholars led students in formally committing themselves to the values and expectations of the program and received honor coins commemorating their official welcome into the ������Ƶ Academy family.

While orientation marked an important milestone, the Phi Cohort’s journey is just beginning.

Next week, scholars will return to campus for Summer Academy, one of ������Ƶ Academy’s signature experiences. During the program, students will live in residence halls, participate in academic enrichment opportunities, build relationships with mentors and peers and gain firsthand experience navigating a college environment. For many scholars, Summer Academy serves as the moment when ������Ƶ Academy truly comes to life – transforming a group of newly admitted students into a supportive community united by shared goals, aspirations, and opportunity.

Members of the ������Ƶ community will have several opportunities to engage with the newest cohort throughout the summer, including the annual ������Ƶ Academy Ice Cream Social. This beloved tradition brings together scholars, families, alumni, faculty, staff, donors and community supporters to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter and welcome the Phi Cohort into the broader ������Ƶ Academy community. Interested guests can .

As ������Ƶ Academy enters its twentieth year, the Phi Cohort represents more than a record-breaking class size. These 30 students embody the promise, potential, and perseverance that have defined ������Ƶ Academy since its founding. Their journey is just beginning, and the ������Ƶ community is invited to join in celebrating, supporting, and welcoming the newest generation of ������Ƶ Academy Scholars.

• 136 college acceptances from 38 different universities
• $2.5 million in merit scholarships and grants awarded to scholars
• Seven will join the Class of 2030 this fall at ������Ƶ, three are headed to UNC Chapel Hill, and three more to UNC Charlotte, among other top schools
• Several earned some of the most competitive and prestigious scholarships North Carolina offers, including a Carolina Covenant Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill, an ������Ƶ Teaching Fellow, and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow

And for ������Ƶ President Connie Book, who addressed the 17th class of the ������Ƶ Academy at a recent dinner reception to recognize graduates of the university’s college access and success program, scholarships and college acceptances are more than a reflection of academic achievement. They’re a harbinger of future success.

“These accomplishments, impressive as they are, are only a glimpse of the bright path that lies ahead of you,” Book said. “The ������Ƶ Academy was founded on a simple and powerful belief — that talent and potential exist in every community, and when that talent is matched with opportunity and support, there is no limit to what a young person can achieve. Each of you is living proof of that belief.”

Book was joined by family members, mentors, program alumni and other university leaders on May 28, 2026, in celebration of the Sigma Class during the ������Ƶ Academy’s annual President’s Reception.

The ������Ƶ Academy is an intensive, comprehensive opportunity for academically promising high school students in Alamance County with a financial need and/or no family history of college. The ������Ƶ Academy Summer Academy program includes three consecutive summer residential experiences prior to the sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as year-round Saturday Academy programs for students and families.

As part of the ceremony in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms, Shawn Means, a member of the Alamance Burlington Early College Class of 2026, delivered the Sigma Scholar Speech to his 24 classmates. Means reflected at length on the ways ������Ƶ Academy shaped their development beyond academics.

“When people talk about ������Ƶ Academy, they’d most likely give you a polished answer,” Means said. “They talk about college preparation, leadership, and academic growth. All the things you can put on paper. And they wouldn’t be wrong. But they wouldn’t be telling the whole story.”

Means emphasized how the program transformed participants not only as students but as people. “Now we understand responsibility. Now we understand balance,” he said. “Now we understand that freedom isn’t just given, it’s something you learn how to handle.”

The reception was also the first in the ������Ƶ Academy’s nearly two decades of operation where alumni returned to be honored for their own graduations from college. Four ������Ƶ Academy College Scholars were applauded and presented with certificates commemorating their own recent college graduations.

Reception guests heard from Shiv Patel, a member of the Xi Class that graduated from high school in 2022. Now a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Patel encouraged members of the Sigma Class to stay true to themselves as they head to college.

“Someone told me that I did college right, and while I appreciated the notion, it’s not that I did college right, it’s that I led with my values,” Patel said. “I wanted the choices I made in college to be choices that reflected who I was and the background I came from. I never wanted to pretend to be someone I was not or do things that went against who I was.”

The program concluded with another first for the ������Ƶ Academy – a presentation of scholarships to four Sigma Class graduates made possible through the philanthropy of those who recognized the power of the academy to change lives.

Mariam Rosales ‘17, a member of the Delta Class and an ������Ƶ graduate who today works in real estate, joined with Julio Santiago to create the awards. Honored in 2026 were:

• Lexie Bennett, River Mill Academy
• Jaime Carranza-Navarrete, Graham High School
• Shawn Means, Alamance Burlington Early College
• Naje Gray, Walter M. Williams High School

The reception was a final opportunity for scholars before leaving high school to be encouraged with support from mentors who have been with them over the past three years.

“As you step into this next chapter, know this: you are ready,” said ������Ƶ Academy Director Emily Wiersma. “You have the tools, the resilience, and the heart to thrive. Life will bring challenges, yes, but it will also bring new mentors, new questions, and new opportunities to grow. Embrace it all. Stay curious. Stay connected to this community. Support from the ������Ƶ Academy does not end here today … most of all, continue to believe in yourself as fiercely as we believe in you.”

������Ƶ Academy Assistant Director of College Success Manny Campos emphasized the same point in closing the program.

“Believe in yourself. Believe that all the struggles you’ve faced prepared you and taught you what you need to succeed,” he said. “Your college acceptances and your college degrees were no mistakes, you did that. Now let’s be real. It may get difficult. Life won’t always be rainbows and butterflies.

“On those days that feel heavy and you feel like giving up, because those days will come, remember everyone here, remember the journey, and remember why you stayed. You did the work and you are more than capable of succeeding.”

������Ƶ Academy is a comprehensive college access and success program that partners with students and families beginning in high school and continues through college graduation. Serving academically promising students who are first-generation college-bound and/or from limited-income backgrounds and who attend school in or reside in Alamance County, this program is offered at no cost to participating students and their families.

Designed to address systemic barriers to higher education, ������Ƶ Academy provides students with academic enrichment, college advising, mentoring and sustained support during critical transition points from high school to college and through degree completion. Students participate in programming that strengthens academic skills, builds college knowledge and fosters a sense of belonging and confidence in higher education spaces.

������Ƶ Academy is a long-term investment in students who demonstrate talent and motivation but may not have access to the resources or guidance that make college feel possible. Recruitment is a critical first step in ensuring those students are seen, supported, and invited into this opportunity.

The current recruitment cycle focuses on identifying ninth-grade students who show academic potential, leadership, and perseverance, and who would benefit from a comprehensive college preparation program. Faculty and staff are uniquely positioned to support this effort through their professional and community networks, including relationships with local schools, community organizations, faith-based groups, and families across Alamance County.
Faculty and staff involvement helps us reach students who may not otherwise have access to information about college preparation programs. Personal encouragement and referrals can have a meaningful impact on whether a student applies. For a student to hear that they were nominated and that someone believes in them can make all the difference.

By helping to share information about ������Ƶ Academy, faculty and staff can play a direct role in expanding access to college-preparatory opportunities and strengthening ������Ƶ’s longstanding commitment to equity, access, and community partnership.

������Ƶ Academy Scholars engage in a range of experiences that prepare them for college success, including academic skill-building, advising and mentoring, family engagement, and exposure to college and career pathways. The program’s impact extends beyond individual students, contributing to college-going cultures within families and communities and creating pathways to long-term educational and economic mobility.

Faculty and staff can support recruitment and applications by:

• who demonstrate academic promise and commitment to their education
• Sharing ������Ƶ Academy information with students, families, educators, and community partners in Alamance County
• before the Feb. 1 deadline

The application deadline for the 2026 cohort is Feb. 1. Additional information about eligibility requirements, program structure and the application process is available on the ������Ƶ Academy website. For additional insight, marketing materials, and further questions, please reach out to Emily Wiersma, director of the ������Ƶ Academy, at ewiersma@elon.edu.

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• Anna Matawaran ’25 takes the ������Ƶ ‘building blocks’ to Year of Service Fellows program
• Sam Hinton ’25 continues community commitment through Year of Service Fellows Program
• Abby Lee ’25 combines knowledge in public health and political science as an ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellow
• Jasmine Walker ’25 gives back to the community that shaped her through Year of Service Fellows Program

As an ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellow, Jasmine Walker ’25 was excited to have the opportunity to give back to the community that helped her grow, currently partnering with , an organization focused on education from “cradle to career.”

“When I found out it was through ABSS (Alamance Burlington School System), which I’m a product of, I wanted to help the school system since they helped me become who I am,” said Walker, who earned a degree in human service studies with a minor in poverty and social justice.

�ճ����Year of Service Fellows Program is an opportunity through the university’s Student Professional Development Center that allows recent graduates to work at local organizations to improve health, education and economic development in the Alamance County community.

Going macro

A native of ������Ƶ, Walker was a scholar in the ������Ƶ Academy in high school, and a scholar in the Odyssey Program. Now, she’s a Year of Service Fellow, an opportunity that allows recent graduates to work at local organizations to improve health, education and economic development in the Alamance County community.

“I wanted to do macro-work,” she said of her choice to do the fellows program. “I was doing a lot of micro work in my undergrad, and I wanted to try something different. I really appreciate the experience because I’ve never done anything like this before, and it’s building my knowledge.”

Walker started with Alamance Achieves in June 2025 and says she was immediately thrown in,” working on “Ready Freddy,” a three-week program preparing students for kindergarten.

“I have a lot of experience working with kids, and that’s something I’m passionate about,” said Walker.

She also assists with the Teachers Leadership Academy, a program for ABSS teachers focusing on leadership skills and opportunities, and “The Basics Alamance,” a community-wide initiative that uses evidence-based principles and a text-message platform to support caregivers in promoting healthy brain development from birth to age 5.

“There’s a misconception that people don’t need to work with kids until they’re in kindergarten, and that’s when they’ll start learning. But it’s very prevalent for children to start learning from the ages of 0 to 5, before they go to kindergarten,” said Walker.

A desire to help

Her desire to help others was a key factor in her decision to major in human services studies.

“I wanted to help people, and I’ve always been passionate about supporting others,” said Walker. “I grew up volunteering and doing different things with my church. When I was a freshman, I met a senior in the program, and I took the intro course and really liked it. I liked how personable the department was.”

Walker credits several faculty members with being her biggest cheerleaders, including Sandra Reid, Vanessa Drew Branch and Jessica Navarro. The Odyssey Program, along with ������Ƶ’s Periclean Scholars Program also advanced her education and global understanding.

“The Odyssey Program really changed my life,” said Walker. “I was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, my junior year and I was there for three and a half months. That was cool, I never thought I was going to be able to leave the country because of finances.”

Healthier, smarter, stronger

Through the Periclean Scholars Program, a three-year, cohort-based learning experience that focuses on forming mutually-beneficial partnerships locally and abroad, Walker was also able to travel to Costa Rica for the Winter Term. It was an opportunity to practice the Spanish-speaking skills she learned through the ABSS Spanish-immersion program from kindergarten through 11^th grade.

“We studied Costa Rica as a whole and looked at what the specific community that we were going to travel to needed,” she said. “It was interesting, and I think it helped me because now I’m thinking, after the fellowship, either continuing to work in Alamance County, or pursuing a master’s degree in social work.”

Even though she’s from Alamance County and was educated in ABSS, Walker says she’s continuing to learn about her hometown.

“It’s cool to be able to meet different leaders and partners in the community, and hear what they do,” Walker said. “I don’t think I realized how many organizations and partnerships there are to make Alamance County continue to thrive. I can see the efforts being made to support Impact Alamance’s mission of making Alamance County healthier, smarter and stronger. Growing up and seeing the difference between what it was when I was a kid and what it is now in my 20s, it gives me hope.”

This story is part of a series of features on the 2025-26 Year of Service Fellows, highlighting the work they are doing in the Alamance County community.

The project aimed to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness during the winter months and holiday season. Scholars designed handmade cards for encouragement and stuffed care packages for community members that included a toboggan and glove set, hand warmers, chapstick and a non-perishable food item.

This initiative aligns with one of the goals set by the new ������Ƶ Academy team: a renewed commitment to integrating community service into the ������Ƶ Academy experience. Using ������Ƶ’s HealthEU Dimensions of Wellbeing to guide her efforts, Melissa Chacon Villalobos partners with members of the ������Ƶ Academy team to integrate intentional well-being into their programming with scholars as a key part of her role as the coordinator for well-being.

“Integrating service into our overall framework reflects our commitment to holistic Scholar development and their well-being,” said Emily Wiersma, director of the ������Ƶ Academy. “As the coordinator for well-being, Melissa plays a key role in supporting intentional service experiences that help Scholars connect community engagement with their own well-being skills they can carry with them well beyond ������Ƶ Academy.”

Chacon Villalobos was also a part of the fourth cohort of ������Ƶ Academy when she was in high school, bringing firsthand knowledge of the impact service had on her career journey/trajectory.

“Participating in service during summers at ������Ƶ Academy ingrained service as a part of my core values early on,” said Chacon Villalobos.

Assistant Director Briston Whitt, also has a rich history with the program. As an ������Ƶ alum, Whitt worked with the ������Ƶ Academy as a mentor throughout her entire collegiate career. During her first year as a Summer Mentor, Whitt recalls supporting the Scholars as they volunteered with Twin Lakes Retirement Home and held a food drive outside of Walmart for families.

“Now as a leader in the program in a different capacity, I want to ensure our scholars are exposed to the valuable benefits of community service as well,” Whitt said.

It was this collective understanding of how service can shape identity, leadership and belonging that led Whitt and Chacon Villalobos to coordinate the opportunity for sophomore scholars.  In reflections following the project, Scholars emphasized the value of helping others not for recognition, but because service, no matter how small, can positively impact someone’s day, week or even year. Others described it as meaningful, enjoyable experience and a reminder that supporting their community plays an important role in emotional, community and purpose well-being.

The ������Ƶ Academy is a college access program supporting local first-generation and/or Scholars from limited-income backgrounds as they prepare for and persist through higher education. The program begins working with scholars at the end of their freshman year of high school and continues support and programming until college graduation. Housed within ������Ƶ’s Center for Access and Success, ������Ƶ Academy advances the Center’s broader strategies of equipping scholars and their families with tools, relationships and opportunities to support success throughout their education and beyond.

This project builds off a pilot service project scholars participated in during the Summer Academy as part of their well-being activities and community service experiences. Their summer project included a park cleanup experience with Burlington Parks and Recreation.

General feedback from scholars indicated that 79% were satisfied with their community service experience.

“I found community service at the park to be very fun, but it also helped out the community,” shared one scholar.

These examples marked the beginning of a renewed, ongoing commitment to community service, with more opportunities planned for scholars. Chacon Villalobos is working to establish a student-led community service club to support sustained involvement and further integrate well-being into ������Ƶ Academy programming starting in 2026. The goal is to equip Scholars with skills to maintain and advocate for their well-being and the well-being of others throughout their academic journeys and beyond.

Key benefits of community service include connection and belonging, general mental health and happiness, career exploration and advancement, and fulfillment. Program leaders hope that scholars will experience long-term benefits from service participation and carry a commitment to well-being into their future academic, professional and personal lives.

To learn more about ������Ƶ Academy’s key programs, visit their website: /u/academics/access-and-success/elon-academy/