We had our final Capstone Dinner of the semester this past Wednesday. Twenty-five Phase IV members were in attendance, alongside Steve Mencarini, Stacey Markham, and Dean Rex Waters. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal catered by Aramark, taking time to catch up on the past semester as well as future plans. It was fantastic to hear that so many Phase IV members already have big plans after Elon.
We were honored to have Phil Smith speak at our final capstone dinner of the semester. Phil did an excellent job facilitating a time of intentional reflection. He asked a series of questions and then asked the students to discuss them within small groups at each table. Each of the questions focused on various relationships that students have formed over the course of the past four years. He asked students to identify mentors or influential people within their Elon life. These mentors could be faculty, staff, or fellow students. Phil then asked everyone to consider and then discuss several ways that they planned to stay in contact with these mentors that have been so influential.
In the midst of graduation chaos, Phil encouraged students to identify those that have had a lasting impact in their lives and to reach out to them. His advice was very practical and reassuring. Goodbyes are inevitable, but there are some relationships that are meant to be sustained far beyond our four years here at Elon. Phil’s discussion on sustaining relationships was the perfect conclusion to an excellent series of Capstone Dinners.
