Looking back on our first couple weeks as a class brings nothing but excitement for the rest of the semester.

In our first meeting (Wednesday, August 27), we spent the class period getting to know each other and our mentor, Carol Smith.  We played name-games and did ice-breakers for the majority of the one hour, forty minute time period, though we did talk about the foundation of our semester syllabus at the end of class.

Our second class period on Monday, September 1st brought much of the same, with more small group exercises to strengthen us as a cohort. Time was also dedicated to determine the curriculum and grading policy for the semester.  We concluded with an assignment to meet with two other class members outside of class to further discuss the breakdown of the syllabus.

In our most recent class, (Wednesday, September 3rd) we opened by charting each of our study abroad plans in order to determine who would be away from campus in future semesters.  After that, we split off into six small groups to start to form a concrete syllabus.  At the end of the period we then came together to pool our ideas and make plans for our session on the challenge course Saturday! (Which will be discussed in an upcoming blog!)
Even after a only a short time together, we have already begun coming together as a group and can’t wait to see what the coming weeks will hold for the Periclean Class of 2017!

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Hello! My name is Logan Quackenbush, and I am from Orlando, Florida. I am a current sophomore majoring in Sport Management with minors in Business and Professional Sales. I am very involved at Elon; I am a tour guide, Periclean Scholar, Vice President of the Rotaract Club, and I am a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

I wanted to become a Periclean Scholar for several reasons. One because I wanted to become more involved at Elon. Another reason is because I absolutely love to help other people. I started a community service club at my high school, and we did several community service projects such as Meals on Wheels, Relay for Life, and The Million Meals Challenge. I believe that the Periclean Scholars program is a great way for Elon to have a positive impact in the world. The program is also a great way to meet other Elon students with the same passions for serving and also give them an opportunity to actually plan the service project themselves.

Words can not even describe how excited I am to be apart of this program. I believe that this group will work together really well, and that we will make one of the biggest impacts on the world that Elon is apart of because we all share the same passions for service. I am also looking forward to learning more about the country of Namibia. I love to travel and experience different cultures, and this program fulfills both of those passions. I can’t wait to get started!!

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Hey there, I’m Anna Darnowsky! I’m from Bucks County, which is located just outside of Philadelphia. I am an anthropology major with a biology minor, and intend on going to PA school for post grad.

I made the decision to become a Periclean Scholar because I was looking to become more involved on campus, but I wanted do something really meaningful and engaging. I love that the program isn’t just a club or a class, but something that really calls upon us to learn and then put our knowledge into action. For me, Project Pericles really puts into action two of my biggest passions: cultural studies, and helping others. As expressed by my choice of major, I am enamored with learning about humanity- our origins, cultures, and so on. Furthermore, I am interested in enacting social change and working to build a strong global community.

I’m ecstatic to be part of a team that so greatly shares my enthusiasm for human rights and exploring new cultures. As a Periclean Scholar, I hope to not only make a positive impact based on thoughtful and detailed research, but to learn about what it takes to build a service project from the ground up. These goals will come in time, but for this semester, I’m looking forward to learning about Namibia, a country I had never really considered before, and bonding with my wonderful class!

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Hiya! My name is Oly Zayac, and I am both honored and thrilled to be a part of the Periclean Class of 2017!

One of the most enticing aspects offered, here, at Elon is its fantastic study abroad opportunities.  While trying to find my roommate in a sea of people at the organization fair, I suddenly backtracked to a poster with big letters spelling “Namibia.”  My first impression of Periclean was that it was yet another opportunity to go abroad and experience another culture.  It was love at first sight. Learning more and more about the tremendous learning experience of Periclean offers grew the initial infatuation into a full-hearted love affair.

As a Communications Fellow, I am studying both Journalism and Anthropology.  With a history professor father with a background in England and Slovakia and a researcher mother with a strong Polish upbringing, I have been so fortunate to be exposed to many cultures.  For as long as I can remember, studying cultures, even as a child reading Eyewitness Books, has always been my biggest passion.  So much that I hope to, one day, have the opportunity to create documentaries that explore indigenous communities  around the world.

I hope that through Periclean, I will get my first taste of this kind of work.  I hope to learn the values of connecting with people of different cultures.  I hope to understand not only how we can help communities but how they can help us learn as it has always fascinated me how much we learn about our own culture when we remove ourselves from it and observe it from others’ perspectives.  I hope to learn all I can about Namibia and its effects on the world.

I am so excited to get started and begin building lasting friendships with the rest of the Class of 2017! Let the adventure to Namibia–and beyond–begin!

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Hello fellow Pericleans!

My name is Kelsey Lane and I couldn’t be more excited to embark on this journey with you all. I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, specifically Malvern if any of you know the area. I’m a double major in Strategic Communications and Sociology with a double minor in Leadership Studies and Women/Gender Studies. On campus, I am involved in the LEAD program but I spend the majority of my time exploring the outdoor wonders of my new home state North Carolina with friends whenever I get the chance.

My parents are travel guru’s much like I am, so I was fortunate enough to see many foreign places growing up. Throughout high school, I was able to have numerous opportunities to both travel and volunteer. I spent three summers abroad each in a different country; Panama, Ecuador and the Galapagos, and Peru, with an organization called The Road Less Traveled. Our time was spent immersing ourselves into the respective communities while both exploring and lending a helping hand wherever possible. It was through these programs that my passion for travel really solidified.

I had done research before coming to Elon regarding the different organizations and opportunities that were present that involved any sort of international travel or service work. Through my initial findings and chats with Periclean’s in other classes, I knew that it embodied everything that I felt passionate about. I was especially excited to hear that our country of choice was Namibia, as I had never had the opportunity to travel to or learn in depth knowledge about Africa.

I don’t really have any preconceived expectations regarding this class. I think it’s such an honor to be a part of such a close knit group of students that share similar passions about travel and the world and I am just really looking forward to solidifying our bond as a class and our connection with Namibia. I already feel as though we will be extremely successful in whatever we do accomplish and I am so looking forward to seeing that through over the course of the next three years.

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Hi I’m Annie Phelan! I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Periclean Class of 2017! A few close friends who have had wonderful experiences as part of Project Pericles drew me to apply for the program. Before applying, I did not know much about Namibia or the program itself. Nonetheless, I was also intrigued by the opportunity to be part of a sustainable change in a country I knew little about. In my Global Experience course freshman year, I wrote a lengthy final paper on how important it is to be a global citizen. In writing this, the idea struck a chord with me. Being a global citizen is everyone’s responsibility, and includes not only being aware of global issues but also always looking out for ways to help others in less fortunate circumstances, both locally and globally. In high school I was very involved in the local level, with service projects such as our local food pantry and Habitat for Humanity. Now I am excited to expand my service and learning to a much broader, global level.

Getting to know other cultures is also something that has always intrigued me, and I am looking forward to learning about Namibia. Making connections and forming relationships with people from other cultures and diverse backgrounds is one of the most beautiful things about humanity, in my opinion. We can learn so much about not only Namibia but also about ourselves and our own abilities as global citizens. As Elon students, we have so many opportunities and resources at our fingertips. Using these to make a sustainable change in even just a small part of the world is an incredible opportunity that we need to take advantage of.

I am beyond excited to work with such an amazing group of people. I know that if we work together on listening to each other and taking all opinions into consideration, we will have a strong project that everyone can get excited about. But before we even dive into that, learning about Namibia itself is our first step and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to see what we are capable of.

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Hi!  I am Haley Jackson, born and raised in Columbus, Ohio (O-H!).  Here at Elon, I am pursuing a B.S. in biochemistry with a minor in public health studies.  The plan is to attend medical school once I graduate from this wonderful place.

In addition to the Periclean Scholars program, I am also an active member of Habitat for Humanity, Lincoln Pre-Health Society, and various intramural teams (depending on the season).  I also work as a lab assistant for Elon’s chemistry department and as a tutor for America Reads.

I first heard about Periclean Scholars in my Global Experience class during the fall of 2013 and I was instantly intrigued.  I decided to apply to become a Periclean Scholar because I believe that we, as global citizens, have a responsibility to promote and implement social change wherever we are able.

I think it is clear that I love volunteering and reaching out to others, but I also love learning.  I think that these qualities, paired with my dedication and cooperation, will mesh well with the other amazing things brought to the table by the rest of my cohort.

Over the next 3 years, I hope to build lasting relationships with my cohort as we embark on this challenging, yet amazing journey to promote social change in Namibia.  I cannot wait to see what the coming years have in store for the Class of 2017 Periclean Scholars!

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Hello there, my name is Isabel Incorvati! I call several different places home, but my permanent address is in Alexandria, VA, about 20 minutes away from Washington, D.C. I am a political science and international studies (with a European concentration) double major, with a professional writing minor. When I am not in class or with other Pericleans, I enjoy spending time with my sorority sisters (I’m an Alpha Chi Omega!), going hiking with my boyfriend, practicing my French, and sampling all of the flavors at Smitty’s.

There are a lot of reasons why I applied for Periclean, and many of them have to do with the extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people I may not ever meet. Making a lasting impact on a community is not something that everyone can do in their lifetime, and I was not about to pass up that chance. Regardless of whether or not I am able to go to Namibia, at the end of my time at Elon, I will have contributed to something that will enrich the lives of the people that live there, hopefully for generations to come. Moreover, bonding with faculty as well as my peers and developing strong relationships with both is an absolutely delightful outcome of Project Pericles that I cannot wait to experience.

I believe that above all else, I bring people skills to the Periclean table. I have worked in customer service for two years now, and it has been extremely valuable in terms of teaching me when it is appropriate to listen and when it is time to share my ideas. Those cooperation abilities are essential to work with a large group of people. Additionally, I have learned how to clearly and concisely explain concepts to people that they may not have ever heard of. Interactions between our cohort, as well as between our cohort and outside groups, are so central to Periclean that it would be impossible to get anything done without them. I look forward to the journey that is Project Pericles!

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Hello everyone! My name is Maria Idalia Gant. I’m from New Haven, Connecticut. I am an International Studies and Political Science double major with a minor in Asian Studies. Fingers crossed, by the time I graduate, they will have a Mandarin (Chinese) minor. At Elon, I am a member of the Asian Studies Club, which is a fairly new club. I hold the title of Publicity Chair to make sure that everyone is aware of our meetings and the events we hold on campus. I also have a job in Student Life as a Customer Service Representative under Dr. Jackson!

I first heard of the Periclean Scholars Program through my Global teacher, Dr. Carpenter, last year. He spoke very highly of the program and thought that I should apply. After learning more about the program I knew it was something that I would put my all into. I have always felt the need and want to help others; not only where I live but internationally as well (Hence my major J). I am very passionate in helping others, but also learning about different cultures.

I hope to learn all I can about Namibia. At the moment, I do not know much about the country but I am eager to learn with my peers! We have been told that being a Periclean Scholar is a lot of hard work, but I believe at the end, it will all be worth it. Africa, itself as a continent, has so many different people and cultures’. I am very excited to learn specifically about Namibia’s. During these next three years, I am confident that the Periclean Scholar’s Class of 2017 will accomplish the goals we will soon set for ourselves. We will grow as a group, sharing our thoughts and ideas with one another, and bond over this country we, at first, knew nothing about. I know we, as a unit, will make a difference!

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