For Jacob Bradshaw ’27, the answer turned out to be milk.

During his first weeks at Elon, Bradshaw was eating lunch in McEwen Dining Hall with two new friends when they noticed that all three happened to be drinking glasses of milk. They joked about making it a regular gathering. Days later, Bradshaw brought the idea to Elon’s Organization Fair. Armed with little more than a handwritten interest sheet, he collected 68 signatures in two hours.

What began as a spontaneous idea has since become an award-winning student organization whose events have brought hundreds of students together. But as Bradshaw and President Connie Ledoux Book discuss in the latest episode of “Elon Beyond the Bricks,” Milk Club has never really been about the milk.

“The real magic of the Milk Club is that it’s the relationships that form,” Book said during their conversation. “Milk is really just the vehicle for forming the relationship.”

That vehicle has taken many forms, including Spilled Milk Poetry Night, the Cownival and the Milk Soir茅e, where roughly 300 students dressed formally to listen to live jazz and drink milk 鈥� and dairy alternatives 鈥� from wine glasses. The organization also collaborated with Student Union Board on Milk Bingo, filling Sato Commons with roughly 500 students. Book remembered the event, too, because she announced a few of the rounds that evening.

Behind the playful names, however, is something Bradshaw and his fellow club leaders have taken seriously: cultivating an inclusive environment that gives students a reason to spend time together.

Bradshaw said the club’s executive board often begins with an activity and asks a simple question: How can they make it milk-related? Those conversations have helped the students create events around a theme almost anyone can join, regardless of whether they prefer whole milk, chocolate milk, oat milk or no milk at all.

That low barrier to participation has helped Milk Club become a place where students can form friendships and shared memories without needing a particular academic, professional or athletic interest to bring them together. It also connects closely with Elon’s broader focus on well-being.

During the episode, Book connected Milk Club with HealthEU, Elon’s university-wide initiative centered on six dimensions of well-being. For Bradshaw, those ideas have shaped more than the organization he founded.

An Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow studying neuroscience and psychology on a pre-med track, Bradshaw has also served as an Orientation Leader and biology teaching assistant. He said conversations about the dimensions of well-being through Leadership Fellows helped shape how he approaches his different roles at Elon.

“Trying to integrate all of that has been one of the most valuable things that I have been able to take away from my Elon experience,” Bradshaw said.

That intentionality extends into his everyday life. During the episode’s recording, Book noticed a wall behind Bradshaw covered in colorful sticky notes. For roughly a year, he had been writing down one thing each night that made him happy or grateful that day. The practice gives him another reason to stop and reflect on the people and experiences filling his life.

Milk Club operates on a similar principle. Milk may provide the theme, but the reason students return is the opportunity to laugh, participate and spend time with one another.

As Bradshaw begins his senior year, the organization that started around a dining hall table has become part of his Elon legacy, serving as an example of how even the simplest idea can give people the reason they need to come together.

Learn more about “Elon Beyond the Bricks.”

Ginsburg, a junior economics and entrepreneurship double major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has built a business around transforming photographs of homes and other buildings into custom LEGO kits. Through his company, Blueprint Bricks, customers from around the world can turn meaningful places, including their own homes, into one-of-a-kind LEGO creations.

鈥淚 built my own house during COVID using the pieces I had in my basement,鈥� Ginsburg said. 鈥淭hat inspired me to learn the software, make a website and start my own business.鈥�

Ginsburg launched the company as a high school freshman in 2021 under the name Henry鈥檚 Custom Homes. He rebranded as Blueprint Bricks this summer, just in time to help bring Elon鈥檚 LEGO-themed Family Weekend to life.

Family Weekend 2026 attendees can purchase a limited-edition Elon 鈥淓鈥� LEGO kit when they register for the weekend. The kit features 175 pieces and the final product stands 5.5 inches tall. A portion of each sale will support Elon鈥檚 Greatest Needs.

The LEGO fun will continue at the Fan Fest event on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Schar Center, as attendees will be able to participate in the building of a 40 inch x 40 inch, 16,644 piece Elon-themed LEGO mosaic. Ginsburg will be in attendance and is looking forward to seeing this project come to life.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to be there and see everyone at Fan Fest. I love interacting with people and answering their questions,” he said.

Families checking in at McKinnon Hall during Family Weekend will also be able to view examples of Ginsburg鈥檚 LEGO model of Elon鈥檚 Alamance building.

鈥淚 think Family Weekend is a really important part of the Elon experience,鈥� Ginsburg remarked. 鈥淕etting to be a part of it is such a privilege.鈥�

For more information on Ginsburg’s business, Blueprint Bricks, visit

Family Weekend 2026 will be held September 25-27. To register, visit聽/u/parents/family-weekend/.

During his first week at Elon, Lazoff found a group of hard-working, like-minded individuals within his cohort whom he can count on for anything even now four years later. He describes the Business Fellows program as being surrounded by over 30 of your friends.

The scholarship Lazoff received is the reason he was able to go to Dubai during his sophomore Winter Term and experience a different part of the world with his Business Fellows cohort. While there, he met with faculty and professionals at the World Exposition which broadened his views on international business.

Lazoff also had the opportunity to go to New York City with the program where he was able to give his resume and cover letters out to top banking firms. He states that the Business Fellows were the first people to be sent on a trip like this because they model the academic excellence that 福利亚洲国产精品 strives for. Lazoff highlights that he feels he would not be the same person he is today without these experiences.

Other than being a Business Fellow, Lazoff is the president of the Real Estate Club. Through this, Lazoff participates in various competitions that promote professional development for students who strive to pursue a career in the real estate industry so that they have the necessary skills to find employment in the field.

Furthermore, Lazoff would have never thought he would be Hillel co-president. When he went to Hillel freshman year, he was overwhelmed by the experience, however, looking back as a senior now he is proud of how he has transformed the organization to what it has become. Hillel is a leading organization on campus that advocates against antisemitism with over 800 students聽鈥� this would not have been possible without donor funding and support that progresses the organization and its Shabbat services. Lazoff feels that a lot of students don鈥檛 recognize how important it is to be educated on different cultures and religions on campus, thus Lazoff has made it his priority to partner with other organizations so they can learn about each other’s values.

Lazoff also had the opportunity to study abroad for a second time his junior Winter Term in Japan. He chose Japan because it was somewhere he had always wanted to go and a culture he had always wanted to learn about as well as experience firsthand. He feels that he would have not gotten such a fulfilling opportunity elsewhere 鈥� going to Hiroshima will be something that he will always remember. Reflecting on the trip, Lazoff feels he was truly able to step out of his comfort zone by trying new foods and growing as a person through his newfound appreciation for Japanese culture and religion as well as the challenges he dealt with and overcame involving interpreting a language he is unfamiliar with.

Lazoff encourages the future students of Elon to try their hardest in all their classes even if they have no connection to their major or minor because they can provide a new perspective of what direction you want your future to go in. He thanks donors for allowing him to figure out who he really is. Lazoff hopes to get a job right out of college in commercial real estate. He is doing everything in his power to achieve his goals because they are the reason he has been given the opportunity to explore his interests in greater depth.

The Class of 2023 graduate already thought that studying abroad would be difficult for him to tie into his studies, but he found a winter term trip to Panama that was a perfect fit.

Majoring in biology with a minor in neuroscience, he wanted something that would expand his hands-on research skills. The trip鈥檚 purpose was to record data at night, on and around an island in the middle of the Panama Canal, for a Smithsonian study of bats and their positioning on plants while locating insects.

When he arrived on the island 鈥� which was smaller than Elon’s campus 鈥� his main mode of transportation was by boat. This led to Murphy spending a lot of time on the water and also having the opportunity to record data on coral reefs for a module in the Caribbean Sea.聽In Panama, nature was his classroom and learning was hands-on, exactly what he was hoping to receive from his time abroad.

“I remember being in a small boat with my program, with the waves ranging from six to eight feet. The boat was jam-packed with all of our snorkeling gear,” Murphy said. “But also with our research equipment consisting of mallets, PVC pipe and waterproof paper, there was this moment where we all started singing sea shanties, including our professor as we rose up and down in the ocean, reassuring us that everything would be fine once we got to our destination.”

Murphy described getting into the ocean as an “out-of-body experience.”聽He said he felt like he was dreaming as the sun beamed down through the bluest parts of the water with fish swimming around him as he wrote his observations on his waterproof paper.聽Just the thought of having written underwater made him laugh.

When asked about his favorite experience, he said that writing underwater was the most memorable, but that it was impossible to choose a favorite because there were so many experiences packed into such a short period of time.

As the recipient of the Marvin and Eva Burke Clapp Odyssey Scholarship, Murphy’s time at Elon was made possible through the generosity of the Clapp family, who made a generous gift to Elon to endow the scholarship. He says being a part of the Odyssey Scholar program will forever be ingrained into his identity, just like his nickname “Murph.”

When first touring Elon with a friend, he said he wondered why everyone was so happy. He saw people laughing and high-fiving as they walked down North Williamson Avenue. But now, he looks back on that moment and thanks the Odyssey Program for giving him the opportunity to truly understand why Elon is such a special place.

Scholarships and donor generosity gave Murphy the opportunity to attend Elon, but it also allowed him to gain valuable experience, covering the costs of his tuition so that study abroad became a reality.

Following his trip, Murphy returned to Elon ready to explore a new interest that was developed abroad 鈥� conservation. He also continues his passion for research at a veterinarian’s office in Greensboro where he uses lab equipment and even conducts surgeries to research heart worms, a chronic problem for domesticated animals. During his time at Elon, Murphy was also able to work as a teaching assistant for biodiversity and aquatic biology. He loves how the newly built Innovation Quad聽and its state-of-the-art equipment and technology has evolved STEM programs on campus, helping students follow the constant changes of the science world.

Beyond Panama, Murphy鈥檚 scholarship funding also took him and his cohort to Boston for a networking event where many of the scholars received job offers. He has found that the close-knit community of the Odyssey Program helped him take advantage of the opportunities given to him. He is so grateful for the donors that made his experience along with so many others possible.

鈥淒onations to Elon help people like me have the opportunity to travel and to meet people through these experiences who are going to be in our lives forever. These are the people who are going to survive through thick and thin with you. I am so grateful, and without the aid I received, it wouldn鈥檛 be possible to have the friends I have and to have accomplished all that I have here at Elon,” said Murphy.

Murphy is also grateful to his mentor Associate Professor of Biology Antonio Izzo for believing in him and helping him get his graduation plan back on track following the pandemic so that he would complete all of his requirements on time.

Post-grad, Murphy is taking a gap year to work in the research field before medical school, and he wants to get recertified as an EMT. One piece of advice he’d like to give current Elon students is to take chances.

鈥淭his is supposed to be the best four years of your life so don鈥檛 mess it up by sitting around and not trying new opportunities while you are here.鈥�

The Inn at Elon opened in January 2020 as part of the Elon LEADS Campaign, thanks to more than 50 families that supported the project through their generous funding. Their generosity, the hard work of the Inn at Elon staff and university constituents, and guests that have stayed at the inn, made the scholarships a reality. The first scholarships from inn’s proceeds went to 92 currently enrolled students, with more to be awarded to members of the Class of 2027, that will matriculate this fall.

In attendance at the events were senior staff members, including President Connie Ledoux Book, as well as Inn at Elon staff members, and the students supported by the grant.

The hope was that staff would see firsthand what “a stay with purpose” truly means to these students, and that following these engagements they would be able to tell these students’ stories to guests of the inn. These events provided a space to celebrate with the students that have already, or will in the future, benefit from the proceeds that result from the staff members’ own work.

After opening remarks by President Book, the guests shared a meal together and sat at designated tables, where there were various prompts to get to know more about each students’ story and their Elon experiences. Conversations filled the room, with discussions of internship opportunities and research projects, study abroad trips, and post-graduation plans. It was clear that every student had a story to tell and achievements that were made possible because of the funding they received through their scholarships.

Some of those students included Jayla Martin-Beasley ’25, a native Greensboro, North Carolina, majoring in strategic communications and anthropology who is planning to study abroad in Argentina next year and is refining her Spanish language skills this summer in preparation for her travels. Or Korryn OShea ’25, who is interested in software development and is participating in two internships this summer in hopes that it will lead to more hands-on experience. Or even Jose Torres-Reyes ’25, a finance major and native of Alamance County who will be going abroad to Spain next spring thanks to his Inn at Elon scholarship.

Students in attendance included:

• Noah Biggers
• Rafi Dahdal
• Yuzu Do
• Ryan Elad
• India Goode
• Moriah Griffin
• Kiara Hunter
• Kendall Lytle
• Jayla Martin-Beasley
• Daisy Martinez-Jimenez
• Korryn OShea
• Eva Real Roman
• Samuel Remes
• Isaias Reyes-Martinez
• Daija Rion
• Mari’ Robinson
• David Sawyer
• Kadin Simmons
• Ariston Tomes
• Jose Torres-Reyes
• Jennifer Tran
• Briston Whitt

The Inn at Elon staff enjoyed meeting with the students and hearing more about their plans. Kelly Uhl, one member of the housekeeping staff, commented that it was nice to be able to meet the students personally and hear more about how her own work is a part of helping them achieve their goals.

To learn more about the Inn at Elon or how to book your stay with purpose, click .

Many Elon students could easily recognize Carter for his unique pastime, lassoing. or as he calls it, 鈥渞opin鈥�.鈥� It wouldn鈥檛 be uncommon to see him lassoing a couple of stacked Adirondack chairs in the Historic Neighborhood. Though he recently used the downtown Elon Maker Hub鈥檚 resources to assemble a custom rope & steer, so nowadays you鈥檒l see him use that instead of the chairs.

His love for lassoing originates from living in Western North Carolina, where he would ride on horseback rounding up cows for various purposes during the calving season. Anytime he practices, an audience of students, faculty, staff and families on tour watch as he goes about his business. Carter is open to teaching fellow students how to properly use a lasso, as most people have only witnessed lassoing through movies or TV shows.

鈥淩oping is like a hidden gem. The community and the people that like doing it are amazing. It鈥檚 such a tight-knit community. Everyone is out there cheering you on,鈥� he said.

Carter鈥檚 competitive nature at a young age led him to competitive roping. During that time, he won several belt buckles, which are given as accomplishments in the 鈥渃owboy鈥� world, for having the best time. He used the skills learned on the farm to improve his technique, becoming a force to reckon with in the rodeo.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in a rodeo setting, you practice and practice all the time, and you鈥檒l be getting better day after day. Doing something new, learning something new and reinforcing those skills that by the time you get into the arena, and you get in that shoot, you need to leave all thought, and it should be just muscle memory.鈥� That competitive nature seems to run in the family as Carter鈥檚 cousin competes in bull rides.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more fame when it comes to that. I mean, I can name bull riders left and right, but when it comes to ropers, it鈥檚 a little more difficult,” he said.

Transitioning from high school to college can be personally and academically challenging for most first-year students. But that adjustment has been relatively smooth for Carter. Before his acceptance, he toured several other institutions before being convinced by his step-grandad, an Elon alumnus, to tour the school.

The weather was poor during his tour, but instead of ruining his experience, it provided a different perspective for viewing Elon. He believed if he could fall in love with a school on tour in inclement weather, then it was meant to be. 鈥淚f I can love this place when it looks like this, imagine what it looks like when it鈥檚 bright and sunny, and people are out. That鈥檚 what gravitated me to attend Elon.鈥�

Whenever Carter isn鈥檛 roping, he enjoys knitting beanies, gloves and scarves. Recently, he completed a full blanket for his dorm room, and whenever a friend needs a warm hat, he鈥檚 always ready to knit. Carter鈥檚 mother would occasionally knit similar items and one day when he didn鈥檛 have much happening, he sat with his mom and began learning.

Throughout the fall 2022 semester, Carter frequently drove to his grandmother鈥檚 farm in Yanceyville to visit and help her prepare the farm to sell. He would always look forward to his grandmother鈥檚 renowned pork chops. It was a combination of how his grandmother prepped and cooked the meat that made it so special. 鈥淪he鈥檇 throw it on the cast iron and add a lot of seasoning to it,鈥� said Carter, who still drives to his grandmother鈥檚 house hoping to get a serving or two. 鈥淓very bite was something new and while it was like chewing a ball of rubber, the flavor was what made it worth chewing,鈥� he added.

Whenever he returned to his residence in Smith, Carter said, 鈥淭hey鈥檇 see me in my chaps, covered in dirt and mud. I probably didn鈥檛 smell too good.鈥� His floormates are continuously captivated by the sight.

福利亚洲国产精品 football player Jon Seaton ’23 was featured in a recent article from FOX News for using his partnership with Outback Steakhouse to provide aid for women with cancer.

Seaton is a defensive lineman for the Elon football team and a TikTok star with nearly two million followers on the social platform. Through his NIL (name, image and likeness) deal with Outback, Seaton teamed with nonprofit organization Fighting Pretty to support more than 500 women who are battling cancer and honored his mother, Carole Seaton, who is a breast cancer survivor.

Elon students and community members were involved in putting together “Strength and Beauty” kits for women with cancer.聽The kits included Fighting Pretty pink boxing gloves, lip gloss donated by Thrive Causemetics and an inspirational note from Fighting Pretty鈥檚 founder to promote strength and encouragement during the fight against cancer.

Seaton told reporter Angelica Stabile that he feels “lucky” to have a large enough platform to help those with breast cancer, an issue that personally hits home for him.

“It’s really going to be just one of the proudest moments of my life so far,” Seaton said.聽“It means a lot to me just to be able to give back and to hopefully use my platform to try to make somebody else鈥檚 experience going through cancer a little bit easier.”

The full article can be read on .

Rachel Curtis 鈥�24 became a service ambassador at the Kernodle Center for Civic Life through PACE, and has come to an understanding that, 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to give back and develop an understanding of the world around us so that we can all be better.鈥�

As a College Fellow, Curtis conducted research on Afghan refugee resettlement, which has opened her eyes to the lack of resources available to them. She is passionate about increasing the perceived self-sufficiency for refugees, and her human services minor has assisted in that endeavor. Curtis encourages students to engage with the community during their time at Elon, which is exactly what the Kernodle Center promotes through Alternative Breaks.

In the spring of 2022, Curtis led a 鈥淗unger and Homelessness鈥� service experience to Washington D.C. Students partnered with agencies Martha鈥檚 Table and Bread for the City to prepare food for families in need. She states that Alternative Breaks are a great way to dig into social issues, enhance personal growth, work alongside the community and pop the 鈥淓lon bubble.鈥� The breaks, which occur during Elon鈥檚 fall and spring breaks, provide students an immersive experience and allow them to connect with communities they wouldn鈥檛 typically connect with. This year, the Kernodle Center piloted a one-day experience to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum to learn about the role that Greensboro played in the Civil Rights Movement.聽The group then served at the Morrowtown Community Garden in Burlington.

As a service ambassador, Curtis promotes collegiate involvement in sustainable service, equitable communities and social justice.

鈥淢y role as a service ambassador has helped me find my purpose at Elon, and now I know what I鈥檇 like to do after graduation.鈥� That purpose is promoting equity and implementing social justice initiatives where she can.

She came to Elon at the height of the pandemic, and the Kernodle Center provided her connection and acceptance. This connection was enhanced by the mentorship of Kernodle Center鈥檚 Program Assistant Nicole Bergen, who has empowered her during her time at Elon.

In addition to her involvement as service ambassador, Alternative Break leader, and College Fellow, Curtis is an Alpha Xi Delta sorority member. She encourages Elon students to get involved and apply for future Alternative Breaks. Students can learn more about participation in or leadership for Alternative Breaks on or by visiting Moseley Center 232.

It was an opportunity as an Elon student that she may missed had it not been for the innovative work from a medical team at the Cleveland Clinic that removed a microscopic lesion from her left frontal lobe. The procedure has essentially cured her of an eight-year battle with epilepsy.

Since her life-changing procedure, her story 聽and she’s talked about her journey with local media outlets.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I鈥檓 an inspiration, but I feel like I can help other people to know that there is this opportunity for other people who have epilepsy,鈥� Sable said. “Hopefully, they get the same kind of seizure freedom that I now have.鈥�

To combat her epilepsy, the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute used the 7 Tesla MRI, one of the strongest machines of its kind, and other standard-level MRIs to pinpoint the location of the lesion. With the lesion being one of the tiniest the Cleveland Clinic had ever seen, they were able to remove it with a robotic laser 鈥� versus more traditional and intrusive methods.

鈥淚t was kind of a surprise when they found the lesion because I鈥檝e had numerous MRIs and they hadn鈥檛 been able to find it,鈥� Sable said, a political science and journalism major.

Sable said the actual procedure took only about two hours, and her recovery took almost no time at all. “I was able to do whatever I wanted after that pretty much,鈥� Sable said.

Since the removal of the lesion 17 months ago, Sable has been seizure-free. And thanks to the doctors who helped her through that time 鈥� Dr. Ella Pestana Knight, her neurologist, and Dr. William Bingaman, the neurosurgeon who did the surgery 鈥� Sable was to experience some things which had been foreign to her for more than eight years.

鈥淚 was able to go to another country 鈥� I was able to work at a sleepaway camp, now I鈥檓 working on getting my driver鈥檚 license,鈥� she said.

With two summer internships already lined up 鈥� one with , a fake news filter where Sable will produce breaking news content, and the other with Lionox Master Company, an investment company, where she will write news stories in addition to creating videos and podcasts on different issues – Sable is excited to get a jump start on her career.

鈥淧ostgrad, I want to become a political analyst on television. I have always been passionate about politics and I also am a news junkie so being able to talk about it as a job would truly be the perfect blend of my two passions,鈥� the political science and journalism double major said.

As miraculous as her story is, Sable is not resting on the miracle that was granted to her. She is focused on how she can be an advocate for others struggling with epilepsy. In her journey with the neurological disorder, Sable said she had trouble sharing her diagnosis with others. Now, she wants to let as many people as possible know that epilepsy is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to ostracize anyone for.

In a video segment for WXII’s “12 Inspires” series, multimedia reporter Colette Stein spoke with Katz about her journey living with alopecia and how she looks to empower others who have the disease.

鈥淨uarantine hit, I was in my room all the time. I was constantly surrounded by mirrors. In my room, at my desk, in my bathroom. And in July it got so bad that I just decided to shave it, I did a buzz cut. I felt so empowered by taking that step and taking control of my hair,鈥� Katz said.

Since then she has been sharing her experience on social media, not only for those affected by the disease but for the parents of children with alopecia as well, to show that their children can “thrive” just as she has.

Watch the full segment .