福利亚洲国产精品 will host 鈥淯nited in Purpose鈥� on Thursday, Nov. 5, bringing together alumni, parents and friends of 福利亚洲国产精品 and Queens University of Charlotte for an evening of connection and community.

The event will be held at Urban Garden in Charlotte and begin at 6:30 p.m. with a hosted reception featuring hors d鈥檕euvres. Guests will gather at 7:30 p.m. for a special program featuring remarks from 福利亚洲国产精品 President Connie Ledoux Book. A dessert reception will follow the program and conclude the evening. Business attire is requested.

United in Purpose
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026
6:30 p.m. 鈥� Hosted reception with hors d鈥檕euvres
7:30 p.m. 鈥� Program
Dessert reception to follow until 9 p.m.

Urban Garden
150 N. College St.
Charlotte, NC 28202

Register at or contact advancement@elon.edu.

Plain White T’s聽headlined last year聽with over聽2,000聽alumni, students and friends聽in attendance!聽As a fan-favorite Homecoming event,聽Rock the Block will once again transform into a full music festival experience featuring a variety of food trucks, a bar, activities and an end-of-night fireworks show.

O鈥橬eal聽will聽perform聽from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Rock the Block and the Homecoming聽Concert are open to all members of the Elon community for free, so register for today!

can vividly remember the exhilaration of running onto the field this past weekend with the University of Pittsburgh football team, gimbal in hand, as more than 40,000 fans roared around him.

What happened next is a little hazier.

鈥淚 essentially blacked out on adrenaline for the first 10 minutes of game action,鈥� Henneman laughed.

It was Henneman鈥檚 first game day working on the sidelines for Pitt football 鈥� and a surreal introduction to his new role as the program鈥檚 assistant director of creative content.

The Elon alumnus was there to capture an up-close look at Pitt鈥檚 season-opening 59-14 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 5. Once the final whistle sounded, his responsibilities only grew. Henneman took the lead editing 鈥溾�� Pitt鈥檚 long-running video series that tells the story of a victory through behind-the-scenes content.

For Henneman, the assignment represented another milestone in a professional journey that has moved quickly.

His path to Pitt began shortly after his May 2025 graduation from Elon, where he majored in journalism and built a portfolio that stretched well beyond traditional reporting.

As a student, Henneman worked with Rising Phoenix and Elon Athletics video production. He also spent nearly two years interning with The Burlington School, chronicling its high-level prep basketball program. Following graduation, he continued sharpening his skills as a videographer with the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Those experiences ultimately led him to Pittsburgh.

In January, Henneman initially joined Pitt Athletics as an assistant director of video production, creating content across the university鈥檚 athletics programs. After six months, he accepted a position supporting Pitt football. But Henneman wasn鈥檛 quite ready to give up basketball.

He negotiated a hybrid role that allows him to remain the secondary video contact for Pitt men鈥檚 basketball.

鈥淚 couldn’t get myself to leave my basketball roots behind,鈥� Henneman said.

Being a major content contributor for both programs, he said, is a 鈥渄ream come true.鈥� It has also brought considerably more responsibility.

While the football staff was away during July, Henneman filmed basketball summer workouts, helped lead the rollout of new NIL initiatives for Pitt Athletics, and traveled to New York City to cover volleyball standout Olivia Babcock at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.

Then came football season.

When fall camp opened in August, Henneman鈥檚 days regularly stretched from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. He produced short-form content from daily practices and longer-form mic鈥檇-up features while documenting the weeks leading into the season.

“Practically living in the facility gave me an eye-opening perspective of the upper echelon of college athletics.”

鈥� Cap Henneman 鈥�25

Amid that demanding schedule came one of his biggest opportunities.

At the end of fall camp, Henneman spent a week shooting and editing the 鈥溾�� his first true 鈥減assion project鈥� since arriving at Pitt. The finished video was shown at the program鈥檚 kickoff luncheon and student bonfire pep rally, played on the stadium scoreboard before the season opener, and released on social media.

Creating a longer, storytelling-driven piece reminded Henneman of the projects he pursued at Elon.

鈥淚t was refreshing to create a storytelling-centric piece that I could be proud of,鈥� Henneman said.

That same approach carried into his first football Saturday.

After documenting Pitt鈥檚 season-opening victory, Henneman shifted almost immediately from capturing the story to assembling it. For 鈥溾�� he storyboarded the video and constructed its game-action sequences, working alongside colleagues who handled the introduction, graphics, color grading and sound effects.

There was also a tighter turnaround. The popular series, previously released on Wednesdays, was now due Monday.

鈥淒espite the lack of social life and free time that football season brings, I can confidently say I am doing something that I truly love,鈥� Henneman said. 鈥淚 feel like I have found my footing within the creative team, and look to keep improving as the season moves forward.鈥�

A five-minute clock was counting down. Fallon鈥檚 challenge was to lift Thor鈥檚 hammer before time ran out. MrBeast watched from outside the box, and Chris Hemsworth arrived as Thor to smash the glass and save the day.

The setup was ridiculous by design. Dyer and his team had started with a simple question: What kind of challenge could bring together MrBeast鈥檚 oversized videos, Hemsworth鈥檚 history as Thor and Fallon鈥檚 willingness to play along?

For Dyer, the segment worked because it did more than copy something popular online. It gave 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥� its own way into the joke.

鈥淲e never really did trendy content just because everyone else was doing it,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淲hat is our spin on it? What is our story? How can we subvert people鈥檚 expectations?鈥�

Dyer has been asking versions of those questions since his time at Elon. He arrived on campus already interested in broadcast, having focused his college search on communications programs. As a broadcast and new media major, he learned how an idea moved from a script to a finished piece.

Professors Staci Saltz and Thomas Nelson gave him room to work across writing, videography, photography, editing and directing. In the studio and in the field, he learned how to build a project 鈥渟oup to nuts.鈥�

鈥淭hey really allowed me to flex my creative muscles,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淚 learned all aspects of media production and strategy. That was pretty formative for me.鈥�

He graduated in 2011 as digital video was beginning to change the television business. Dyer started in digital operations at TV Land, then moved to Comedy Central, producing online content for programs including 鈥淪outh Park,鈥� 鈥淜ey & Peele鈥� and 鈥淣athan For You.鈥�

The platforms were still developing their identities as places to watch video, which gave Dyer room to test ideas and learn what worked. He credits his early progress to an eagerness to take on assignments beyond his job description.

鈥淚 never said no to an opportunity,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淚 had a drive to continue to push the envelope, learn more and become better every day.鈥�

In 2015, he joined the team building the digital presence of 鈥淭he Daily Show鈥� as Trevor Noah became host. The group had the chance to establish a new voice, try original formats and respond to the news with the speed of an online newsroom.

One of those formats was 鈥淏etween the Scenes,鈥� which captured Noah talking with the studio audience during commercial breaks. Dyer helped launch and produce the digital series, and the team won a 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Award for outstanding short-form variety series.

The series grew from a culture in which writers, producers, correspondents and members of the digital team could all shape an idea. Dyer remembers Trevor Noah telling the staff that a good idea could come from anyone, whether it came from an intern, a writer or a producer.

鈥淎 great idea really can come from anywhere and anyone,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淪hare, bounce things off each other and engage with your team. Through collaboration, the best ideas will come.鈥�

That lesson followed him to 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥� in 2021. Dyer joined as head of digital while the show was still navigating pandemic-era production and remote guests. As performers and live audiences returned to Studio 6B, he began expanding the show鈥檚 digital originals, videos made specifically for people watching online rather than repackaged television clips.

His team worked with nearly every part of the show. They collaborated with writers, segment producers, talent bookers, NBC press, marketing, and the larger staff and crew at the show to turn an appearance into something that could connect beyond the television broadcast.

Dyer approached each idea 鈥渇an first.鈥� Before the cameras rolled, he wanted the team to understand the audience, the guest and the platform where the video would land. A TikTok video should feel natural on TikTok, he said, but it should still sound and look like 鈥淭he Tonight Show.鈥�

During Dyer鈥檚 tenure, he said, the show鈥檚 following across digital platforms grew from just over 50 million to more than 100 million. The show generated 50 billion views during his five years there. He points to those numbers as a team accomplishment, shared by Fallon and the people working across the production.

Leading that growth also changed how Dyer viewed his own role. He began paying closer attention to what each person on his team could become instead of limiting people to the jobs they had been hired to do. Delegating decisions and tasks gave younger producers room to grow and freed him to keep learning.

By the time he left the show in February 2026, Dyer felt confident that the team could continue without him. That made the timing right for another shift.

He joined Ampersand, the production company founded by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, as head of digital programming and development. The move has taken him from building digital extensions of established television programs to developing series from their earliest ideas. His current work includes 鈥淐elebrity Substitute鈥�, a YouTube series where some of the world鈥檚 most recognizable stars step in as teachers for unsuspecting public school students.

Dyer sees that move as part of television鈥檚 future. A series no longer needs to begin with a network time slot and find an online audience later. It can start on YouTube and reach viewers directly, without asking them to change their habits.

鈥淎 show is only good if people watch it,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淚 want to meet people where they already are.鈥�

The screens and platforms keep changing. His reason for making the work has remained simple: to give people something that brings them joy or laughter.

For Elon students hoping to enter the industry, Dyer鈥檚 advice is equally direct. Do not wait for perfect equipment, the perfect idea or the most recognizable company name. He remembers carrying a BlackBerry as a student; today, students have a 4K camera in their pockets and an immediate way to share what they make.

鈥淛ust start making things,鈥� Dyer said. 鈥淪tart creating. You鈥檝e got to start somewhere. Make things that you鈥檙e passionate about, and let your passion guide you.鈥�

The full schedule of events and activities can be found on the聽2026 Homecoming & Reunion Weekend webpage.

The weekend kicks off with Rock the Block on Friday night featuring a聽Homecoming Concert you聽won鈥檛聽want to miss!聽Food trucks and a bar will聽surround聽Young Commons,聽adding to the聽music festival experience, and the night will end with a fireworks show.

On Saturday,聽wake up聽to breakfast pastries and a commemorative coffee mug at聽Welcome Home College Coffee before joining friends at the All Alumni Tailgate! Taking place at the Schar Center,聽this year鈥檚 All Alumni Tailgate will include beer,聽new food stations, a DJ, and plenty聽of reserved tent space for聽reuniting with your Affinity, Class, Cohort and Greek reunions.

After the tailgate, find your seats to watch聽Elon football take on Wofford at 2 p.m.

With so much more in store, including聽celebrations for our聽affinity networks, and class聽and Greek reunions聽(some聽listed below),聽we聽can鈥檛聽wait to celebrate Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2026聽next month.

• Elon Black Alumni Network (EBAN)
• Elon LGBTQIA Network
• Elon Latin/Hispanic Alumni Network (ELHAN)
• Alpha聽Chi Omega鈥檚 25th聽Anniversary
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.鈥檚 35th聽Anniversary
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.鈥檚 45th聽Anniversary
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.鈥檚 40th聽Anniversary
• 碍补辫辫补听顿别濒迟补鈥檚听15迟丑听础苍苍颈惫别谤蝉补谤测
• Phi Mu鈥檚 55th聽Anniversary
• Zeta Tau聽Alpha鈥檚聽55th聽Anniversary

Learn more about the聽weekend鈥檚 full schedule of events听补苍诲听.

Alumni,聽parents聽and friends of Elon are invited to come together for an Evening for Elon in聽Chicago. Connect with fellow members of the Elon community and hear a few highlights from campus.

The event will take place on聽Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Chicago Cultural Center. Join us at 6:30 p.m.聽for a reception featuring a hosted bar and hors d’oeuvres before gathering for a special program at聽7:30聽p.m. with remarks from President Connie Ledoux Book.

Evening for Elon in聽Chicago聽with President Connie L. Book聽
Tuesday, Oct. 6,聽2026
6:30聽p.m. Hosted reception with hors d鈥檕euvres
7:30聽p.m. Program with remarks by President Book

Chicago Cultural Center
77 East Randolph Street
颁丑颈肠补驳辞,听滨尝听60602

Business attire
Cocktail reception with hors d鈥檕euvres

Register at聽聽or contact聽advancement@elon.edu.

The annual recognition honors emerging public relations professionals making their mark on the industry in the early stages of their careers. For Gibson, the recognition gave her a chance to appreciate how much she and HCM have grown in a relatively short time.

鈥淧RNEWS is one of the most respected platforms in the industry, so it鈥檚 an honor to be recognized,鈥� Gibson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e spent the past few years watching Hannah Cranston Media grow from a team of three to a team of more than 20, and most days I鈥檓 too deep in pitching and problem-solving to stop and think about how far we鈥檝e come.鈥�

While Gibson has built her career in public relations, many of the skills that guide her work today were developed through her experiences as a journalism major at Elon.

The Honors Fellow was heavily involved with Elon News Network as an anchor and multimedia journalist, while also participating other immersive experiences like FreshTV. Those opportunities helped establish a foundation in storytelling that she continues to draw upon while working on the public relations side of the media industry.

鈥淓lon gave me a passion for storytelling and a tenacious curiosity, both essential to my career,鈥� Gibson said. 鈥淲orking as a reporter and anchor with ENN taught me what it takes to build a good story, and what makes people actually connect with one 鈥撀爐he human element has to come first.鈥�

That journalism background, Gibson said, has proved especially valuable as she develops stories and works directly with reporters.

鈥淚t鈥檚 shaped how I think about what a good story looks like and made me a better resource to the journalists I work with today,鈥� she said.

Following graduation, Gibson spent three years with Jennifer Bett Communications before joining HCM in early 2024 as senior manager of public relations. She was promoted to director of public relations and business development six months later.

In her current position, Gibson oversees the agency鈥檚 consumer packaged goods, women鈥檚 health and wellness client roster, with responsibilities spanning client strategy and media relations. Her work can range from developing pitch strategies with colleagues to staffing events with reporters and cultivating media relationships. 鈥淢y job changes shape depending on the week 鈥� which is one of the best parts,鈥� she said.

Gibson credits much of her professional growth to learning the importance of surrounding herself with people committed to their work and to one another.

鈥淏et on people over playbooks. In an industry built on relationships, we can teach anyone to write a pitch or find the right story 鈥� but working alongside people who are passionately determined and hungry to see their teams succeed is an irreplaceable, unteachable quality.鈥�

鈥� Amanda Gibson 鈥�21

Gibson also points to retired Elon faculty members Rich Landesberg and Glenn Scott as influential mentors. She credits Landesberg with instilling a respect for journalism鈥檚 ability to serve communities, an outlook that has influenced the brands and people she chooses to work with. Her research with Scott examining how stories are told around major events also continues to inform her approach to identifying stories and perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked.

Those lessons, along with the relationships she developed during her undergraduate years, remain important to Gibson five years after graduating.

鈥淏eyond the classroom, the friendships and mentors I found at Elon continue to be a bedrock of both my life and my career,鈥� Gibson said, 鈥淚鈥檓 endlessly grateful for my time Under the Oaks.鈥�

As digital editor at WUSA-TV, a CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., Rosenthal handles a wide range of responsibilities, from writing for the station鈥檚 website and producing social media content to gathering sources and reporting in the field. The journalism major said she fell in love with news reporting when she was in high school, which led her to apply to Elon.

鈥淚 joined my high school newspaper club in ninth grade, and it was the 2016 election season,鈥� Rosenthal recalled. 鈥淭here was a ton of news, and I got the 鈥榥ews bug,鈥� and I’ve been doing it ever since.鈥�

At Elon, Rosenthal found opportunities through student media to develop her reporting skills outside the classroom.

鈥淚 feel like the hands-on experience that I got working with my peers and friends, and actually going out and doing reporting, and putting together a paper every week showed me more of the skills that I use on a day-to-day,鈥� Rosenthal said.

She also credits The Pendulum鈥檚 critique sessions with teaching her how to receive feedback and use it to improve her work.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to qualify a mistake or qualify a reason why you did this or that,鈥� Rosenthal said. 鈥淲hat I learned so much from critique was how to take feedback and move forward and use that in the next piece. Now I鈥檓 somebody who asks for feedback all the time because, I think, in part, because of those critiques.鈥�

Those lessons have followed Rosenthal into her professional career. Earlier this year, she spent three weeks covering a murder trial in Fairfax, Virginia, an assignment she described as a significant learning experience.

鈥淢y station sent me to a murder trial in January, and I spent three weeks covering a very high-profile case every day in court, and that has been a huge learning and teaching moment for me,鈥� Rosenthal said. 鈥淚 feel like I learned so much from covering this trial, especially as somebody who has covered many court hearings and smaller things.鈥�

For current Elon students interested in journalism, Rosenthal recommends getting involved in student media early and pursuing the subjects that interest them.

鈥淢y biggest advice is to be involved in student journalism,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust start doing stories and meeting people and doing things that are out of your comfort zone. When I was at Elon, I was interested in courts. I would go to the courthouse in Graham to pick up court documents for stories, and go to the police station, and pick up crime numbers, and things like that. If there’s something that you’re interested in, just start doing it.鈥�

Like Rosenthal, Phengsitthy discovered her love of writing through her high school newspaper, where she served as editor-in-chief. She brought that interest to Elon, double majoring in Communication Design (now Visual Communication) and Media Analytics while becoming heavily involved with Elon News Network.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been a writer,鈥� Phengsitthy said. 鈥淚 know that people don鈥檛 really like talking about high school when they talk about their experience, but high school is when I really started.鈥�

Phengsitthy served as design chief of The Pendulum during her sophomore year and managing editor as a junior. She credits those experiences with providing the foundation for her professional journalism career.

Everything I did in Elon News Network is what set me up for my journalism experience today. I joke with my friends that ENN was like my third degree in college because I got so much done and learned so much there. From just writing every single day, that’s what helped me get better.

鈥� Nyah Phengsitthy 鈥�23

While at Elon, Phengsitthy interned with Bloomberg Law on its environment desk. Following graduation, she returned to the organization through a rotational program and now works as a health reporter. In that role, she has covered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, drug pricing and other complex issues affecting the pharmaceutical and health care industries.

Her work at Bloomberg Law requires reporting on complex subjects, but Phengsitthy said young journalists shouldn鈥檛 feel pressure to become experts on every topic they cover. Instead, they should focus on developing the skills necessary to find knowledgeable sources, understand complicated information and explain it clearly to readers.

鈥淏e an expert in being a reporter and writing and learning how to break down information for your readers,鈥� Phengsitthy said.

Phengsitthy also encourages Elon students to complement their campus journalism experience with internships that allow them to apply their skills in professional settings.

鈥淵ou can have all the skills, and you can have all the clips that you have from ENN, but it鈥檚 more powerful if you go and get to apply them somewhere else,” she said, noting the value of internships. “The more experience you have, the better.

鈥淭he job market is really hard right now, but I feel like if you鈥檙e able to show that you can get your foot in the door somewhere, that鈥檚 good.鈥�

As Elon prepares for the new academic year ahead,聽we celebrate聽the accomplishments and the incredible support of donors聽during this past聽fiscal year.

Learn聽more聽below聽about the impact that donors聽made聽in 2025-26.

Giving: How donors invested in students

Elon provides聽an聽exceptional聽education, unique in the opportunities that are provided to students from the very beginning. Donor support helps bridge the gap between an ordinary education and unlocking the potential of all that Elon has to offer.聽From hands-on learning and mentorship,聽to聽Elon Experiences like study abroad and research, students聽can聽take advantage of what makes Elon special with the help of donor funding.

Donor generosity from the 2025-26 fiscal year will continue to聽impact聽students for years to come. Here are just a few of the ways in which donors invested in students this past year:

• $31.8 million raised for students
• 6,337 alumni donors
• 4,208 parent and grandparent donors
• 1,021 faculty and staff donors
• 364+ funds impacted
• 11 new planned gifts totaling $5+ Million
• 搁别肠辞谤诲-产谤别补办颈苍驳听Elon Day 2026聽raising $3.5 million
• Top funds supported: Elon鈥檚 Greatest Needs, Elon Student Scholarships, Academic Schools & Departments, The Phoenix Club and聽HealthEU

Student success: What donor gifts made possible

Thanks to donor support,聽Elon鈥檚 Odyssey聽Program聽reached a new milestone, welcoming the largest cohort in Elon history.聽You can learn more about this accomplishment on Today at Elon.

Donor generosity also led to a successful year for聽student-athletes. This year marked a 48% increase聽for聽annual giving to support Phoenix Athletics compared to just聽five聽years ago. Twenty student-athletes presented their research at the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, and 93 student-athletes graduated in May 2026.聽All of this聽in聽addition聽to winning multiple CAA championship titles!聽

More than 1,500 students walked across the stage to accept their diplomas during聽Commencement 2026. Thanks to donor support, students were able to see their dreams聽realized.聽Visit Today at Elon to read the stories of graduating seniors to see how donors helped them along the way.

Community:聽How we strengthened聽Elon together

Elon’s network continues to thrive because of the engagement of alumni,聽families, faculty,聽staff聽and friends.聽Their聽involvement is what makes the university so special, strengthening our community and creating opportunities for future generations.

These accomplishments illustrate聽the聽tremendous impact of involvement with Elon:

Alumni

• 10,550 engaged alumni
• 186听alumni events聽with聽3,547 attendees
• 2,427 alumni returned for聽Homecoming and Reunion Weekend
• 2,523 alumni served as volunteers
• 296 shared their love for Elon as聽Social Media Ambassadors
• 33听Women of Elon聽events聽with聽368 attendees
• 811 participants in聽Lifelong聽Learning and聽Professional聽Development
• 1,523 alumni participated聽in聽
• 67 reunion committee members

Families

• 6,881听聽attendees representing聽1,939 families
• 32 Summer Welcome Events with聽756 attendees聽in聽23聽States
• 364 鈥淩eady, Set, Elon!鈥� virtual attendees
• 116听FAMbassadors
• 7 parent聽Webinars听飞颈迟丑听967听础迟迟别苍诲别别蝉

Faculty & Staff

• 42 Giving聽Captains
• 4 Co-Chairs for聽Faculty & Staff Giving
• 105 Elon Day Champions

Together, these聽accomplishments聽tell聽the story of an extraordinary Elon community and its enduring commitment to giving back. Thank you to our 2025鈥�26 fiscal year donors for investing in our students and their future.

Matt Belanger 鈥�05 begins most weekdays when much of the Twin Cities is still asleep.

His alarm sounds at 2 a.m. By 4:30, he is on the air at KSTP-TV, anchoring three hours of live morning news for viewers across Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The schedule requires discipline, but for Belanger, the responsibility is also a privilege. In the latest episode of 鈥淓lon Beyond the Bricks,鈥� he tells President Connie Ledoux Book that thousands of people rely on his newsroom to explain what happened overnight, prepare them for the weather and commute ahead, and provide the information they need to begin their day.

鈥淲e set people up for success every morning,鈥� Belanger said. 鈥淭hat commitment to serving the public is really what it鈥檚 all about.鈥�

Belanger鈥檚 commitment to journalism began at Elon, where the promise of hands-on learning helped convince him that he had found the right university. He knew he learned best through experience and was drawn to the opportunity to work with cameras and begin developing his skills from the start of college.

As a student, Belanger worked across both television and print journalism through ESTV and The Pendulum. That crossover experience taught him that a strong story begins with the same essential facts, even when it is adapted for television, print, web or social media.

鈥淚 just thought a good story was a good story,鈥� Belanger said. 鈥淚t turns out that鈥檚 actually true.鈥�

Elon also provided the supportive environment and direct feedback he needed to grow. Belanger remains connected with former faculty members, including Professor Tom Nelson, and credits those relationships with giving students a foundation that extends well beyond graduation.

After Elon, Nelson encouraged Belanger to begin his career at KELOLAND Media Group in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At the smaller-market station, Belanger reported, filmed stories, worked on the assignment desk and produced weekend newscasts. The ability to experience nearly every role in the newsroom gave him what he describes as a strong foundation for his television career.

That foundation later supported his investigative work in Pennsylvania.

While waiting for an interview on the floor of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Belanger and a photographer noticed paper clips and folded pieces of paper wedged into lawmakers鈥� electronic voting buttons. The discovery led to months of reporting on 鈥済host voting,鈥� a practice through which some lawmakers could appear in the official record as present and participating even when they had not traveled to Harrisburg. Because attendance records could be tied to taxpayer-funded travel reimbursements, the reporting raised broader questions about accountability and public trust.

Belanger compared investigative journalism to building a legal case: reporters must gather enough evidence and research to feel confident in what they present to the public. That deeper work, he said, distinguishes investigative journalism from the basic updates audiences can find throughout the day on their phones.

Today, Belanger continues to bring that same sense of responsibility to his work in the Twin Cities, where he has reported through some of the region鈥檚 most difficult and consequential moments. He said the work requires journalists to remain authentic, approach painful stories with care and never lose sight of the people whose lives are affected by the news.

Near the end of the conversation, Belanger recalled another lesson from Elon鈥攁nd from President Book, who taught him as a communications professor.

鈥淵ou have to do the work in life,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to put in the time. You have to do the research. You鈥檝e got to do the work in order to succeed.鈥�

For Belanger, that work now begins at 2 a.m., helping ensure his community is informed and prepared when a new day begins.

Learn more about “Elon Beyond the Bricks” online.