In early April 2016, we sent out an email and follow up reminders to 192 Periclean Alumni, we had 107 responses, for a total response rate of 55.7%. In the email was a request to fill out a survey regarding the long-term impact of being a Periclean Scholar. Here is a breakdown of the response rate per class: Class of 2006 — 54%; Class of 2007 — 62%; Class of 2008 — 50%; Class of 2009 — 100%; Class of 2010 — 53%; Class of 2011– 31%; Class of 2012– 56%; Class of 2013—28%; Class of 2014—48%; Class of 2015—46%. The Class of 2009 will be honored at Homecoming 2016 for their response rate of 100%.
The following pie chart is a representation of the number of responses from each class.
In response to the question: Please explain if and how being a Periclean Scholar impacted securing your first or current job,
One alumnus commented,
“The Periclean Scholars Program at Elon University was life-changing. It taught me how to really study, explore, and understand concepts, culture, and other countries. It made me set a high standard for myself and reinforced my strong work ethic. It was so motivating to work with a group of people who were as engaged and driven as I am. Pericles took me in a different direction, since I finished my last college class in Namibia, Africa. I decided to give myself a 2nd education and travel the world. I have been working and traveling for the last ten years and it has been an amazing adventure. “
Another alumnus said,
“It helped me see the world in a new way. I’m a public librarian and I serve my community every single day of my life. Periclean Scholars taught me not just to “volunteer” but to “serve.”
Alumni also commented about how Periclean Scholars has influenced their lives. The following are anecdotes from various alumni.
“I am very active in breastfeeding advocacy. A couple months ago, I learned about an opportunity to get involved with a new organization that would be providing critical breastfeeding support to refugees of the war in Syria who were fleeing to Lesvos, Greece. My passion for seeing the world as one nation of humans – which has generated palpable compassion – came from the Periclean program. I put myself in the shoes of the mothers and babies in danger and knew I had to help.”
“Being a Periclean Scholar influenced my decision to study abroad in Ghana, and that experience, combined with years studying Ghana, has certainly changed the perspective with which I look at the world. It has helped me truly see myself as a global citizen and that is the lens through which I look at many aspects of my everyday life and decision- making – the work I do, how I spend my money, how my purchases impact others, etc.”
“Pericles has had a huge impact on my life – the experience I had and the things I learned as a result made me aware very aware of the fact that honorable and effective service – to the communities you are committed to serving – requires a depth of knowledge and due diligence to ensure you are making an impact. Pericles taught me how to ask questions and dig a little deeper to ensure I know where my money is going when I choose to donate, how it is being spent, who benefits from it – it made me concerned about the impact. Years later there are studies of how people can “give well” and be effective in their altruism – Pericles made me aware of that before it became a trending topic. I am more critical of non-profits and more critical of their impact as the organization my cohort supported – Hope for Honduran Children – was one that made us question many things about its management and impact and I take that critical eye into everything that I do.”
We will be following up later this week with a more in depth summary of the results.
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