On April 10th, 2014 the Namibia class of 2017  was warmly welcomed into the Periclean Scholars. Organized by the Honduras class of 2016, representatives from 2014, and 2015, as well as advisers, and several guests  attended to show their support for the fledgling scholars.

The ceremony was held in Oaks 212 and energy was high as the audience anticipated the induction of the new class. The evening began with an introduction by Steve Braye and Aidan Dyer and then was followed by speakers Arianna Brown and Caley Mikesell. Arianna and Caley emphasized accountability, patience, and teamwork, while foraging lifelong connections while honing their interpersonal, technical, and professional skills.

Class of 2015 speakers Elania Vermeulen and Cat Palmer were next to praise the new class. They had the audience breaking out laughing with the their stories from the past year, all centered around the idea that failure will be expected but perseverance will produce the best results.

Ethan Smith from the class of 2014 was the last of the student speakers for the evening. The Periclean scholars, Ethan said, acted as a family to him, and helped him through the roughest times in his life. Smith stressed that the Periclean organization will be more then a group of academics looking to help others, as they will become  friends, companions, and teachers during the time at Elon and beyond.

While Tom Acaro was next on the programming to speak, due to technology complications he was unable to connect with the ceremony, instead Steve Braye spoke in his place and introduced Dr. Acaro to the new class. Following Braye, the main speaker of the night, the future 2017 adviser, Carol Smith began by welcoming the new class and introducing herself. She then spoke on about the new class, as all of them had been individuals she believed would work well together, and introduced ones she knew personally. She then challenged the room with  a mind exercise, requesting that the audience compete a series of mental calculations, then converted into the alphabet, colors, and finally animals, until almost everyone in the room imagined a orange kangaroo from Denmark, which was met with amusement and curiosity. Dr. Smith expressed her excitement and anticipation for getting to know each new member and for sharing future experiences. The class of 2017, according to Carol, would be challenged more then they ever had, but with dedication and tenacity, would reap rewards and lessons that would be valuable for the rest of their lives.

The inductees were then individually introduced and received a Periclean pin. Once the pinning ceremony was compete, a delicious buffet style dinner of pasta, salad and garlic bread was provided, complete with games and Periclean facts. The night was concluded by a speech on Periclean’s roots and heritage and a presentation of the Periclean of the Year award by Bud Warner. Finally the new students of 2017 were paired with mentors from the class of 2016 by matching puzzle pieces.

The newly inducted class of 2017 left with smiles on their faces as they looked forward to the challenging but bright path before them.