Julie Thoman remembers CJ Fleming鈥檚 first baby steps years ago, and the large pink letters with Fleming鈥檚 initials mounted over her crib. In July, the two lifelong friends became colleagues.

Thoman is now an associate director of online communications for Elon, based in Charlotte, where for four years she has maintained the website for Queens.

Fleming is an associate professor of psychology, associate director of undergraduate research, chair of the Department of Human Service Studies and the faculty administrative fellow at Elon. As a fellow, Fleming is supporting the merger of Queens and Elon by reviewing graduate policies, processes and procedures to assure the university grows its graduate degree portfolio strategically and intentionally.

Both Thoman and Fleming lived briefly in New Bern, North Carolina, before their parents鈥� careers took them to Okinawa, Japan, and Morehead City, North Carolina, respectively. Thoman鈥檚 father flew C-130 planes for the U.S. Marine Corps and Fleming鈥檚 father served as an administrator for various North Carolina school systems.

When military assignments and careers separated the young friends, Thoman鈥檚 family letters 鈥� notably their popular Christmas cards 鈥� kept everyone together.

Every year the Thomans created a themed holiday message with a photo and handwritten letters.

鈥淛ulie鈥檚 parents were content creators before content creators were a thing,鈥� Fleming said.

Distance was no barrier for the families to stay in touch long before the days of social media and email.

鈥淐J and I both experienced a 鈥榥omadic鈥� childhood,鈥� Thoman said. 鈥淲hile some childhood friendships continue into adulthood from in-person bonding, we never lost that bond despite our distances.鈥�

The Thomans eventually moved back to North Carolina in 1993. They reside today in Jacksonville, while Fleming鈥檚 parents make their home in Durham. Over the years, the families have enjoyed getting together at cultural and sporting events, among other activities that nurture their friendship.

Individually, Thoman and Fleming regularly text and find time to see each other in person, including a recent show at the Durham Performing Arts Center and a Durham Bulls game.

鈥淥ur parents built a great foundation between CJ and I,鈥� Thoman said.

Fleming said she is excited that the merger will create a blended family. 鈥淛ulie and her family are effectively my family,鈥� she said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole school full of Julies that are now a part of Elon鈥檚 blended family, and the opportunity for us to all be a team together is the most exciting part,鈥� said Fleming. 鈥淥ne of the things I love about Queens is that we all know each other,鈥� Thoman said. She said that she always knows who to go to for questions. 鈥淚 love the relationships here and I鈥檓 excited to expand this relationship further with colleagues from Elon.鈥�

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August marked the end of summer break at 福利亚洲国产精品, and with the close of one chapter came several exciting new beginnings. The month brought the opening of Roberts Academy at 福利亚洲国产精品, the arrival of the Class of 2030 and the introduction of a new university mascot.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from August through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Roberts Academy opens doors

The听Roberts Academy at 福利亚洲国产精品, North Carolina鈥檚 first and only university-based private school for children with dyslexia, opened its doors to its inaugural class on Tuesday, Aug. 18, marking a milestone in Elon鈥檚 efforts to transform literacy education.

The school,听established through the philanthropic vision of Marjorie and Hal Roberts, will serve as a statewide and national model for structured literacy education. The Robertses have witnessed firsthand the transformative power a multisensory approach to reading education can have for children with dyslexia.

Welcome the Class of 2030

The university welcomed the Class of 2030 with Move-In Day on Aug. 21, 2026.听The students arriving on campus bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and academic interests. Members of the incoming class come from 40 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 19 countries, including Singapore, Spain, Norway, Canada, Serbia, South Korea, China and New Zealand.

Planting roots

Surrounded by family members, faculty and staff Under the Oaks, members of the Class of 2030 and new transfer students heard messages about resilience, community and the responsibility that comes with an Elon education during New Student Convocation on Aug. 22, 2026.

At the conclusion of Convocation, students received an acorn, an Elon tradition symbolizing the beginning of their growth at the university. In four years, the Class of 2030 will be Under the Oaks again for Senior Baccalaureate, where they will receive an oak sapling.

鈥淭his enormous opportunity of an Elon education requires action on your part, a commitment to taking full advantage of all we have here,鈥� said Elon President Connie Ledoux Book. 鈥淲e invite you to a powerful journey of questions and curiosity that will shine new light and new understanding.鈥�

“Honor matters”

Students were reminded of the importance of the university’s Honor Code during the Call to Honor ceremony on Aug. 24. where the Class of 2030听听committed to uphold the university鈥檚 core values of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.

鈥淗onor matters,鈥� said Emily Elrod, 听assistant teaching professor of mathematics and statistics, who spoke during the ceremony. 鈥淭o me, honor is reflected through honesty, integrity, responsibility, and respect. It matters in the classroom, in our professional relationships, and in the trust that others place in us as individuals and leaders.鈥�

A new Phoenix rises

Elon Athletics unviled a and, with that new identity, comes a new physical mascot for the university.

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June brought some heat and fun to the 福利亚洲国产精品 campus with summer camps and community events.

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Summer Academy

Elon Academy kicked off its Summer Academy with an ice cream social on June 17, 2025, welcoming the incoming Upsilon class: 25 high-achieving rising high school sophomores who are first-generation college-bound, low-income, or both, as well as students from the earlier Sigma and Tau cohorts.

Exploring Elon

福利亚洲国产精品 welcomed 26 new 鈥渆xplorers鈥� from June 16 to 20 for the Elon Explorers Bug Camp, a STEM-focused day camp for middle school students in Alamance County.

Global under the stars

Scholar Symposium

The Freedom Scholars Symposium on June 27 in Moseley Center offered an opportunity for the Freedom Scholars to celebrate their hard work and present their civic engagement projects. The听Elon Freedom Scholars听is one of several university college access programs, launched in 2022. The program partners with听听initiative and supports local high school students from underserved populations to be difference makers in their communities.

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May brought the end of the spring 2025 semester and a farewell to the Class of 2025 as they embark on a new journey as alumni.

View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Strawberry Festival

The Garden Studio course hosts its annual Spring Strawberry Festival in the beginning of May. Strawberry-themed baked goods are provided, along with student musical entertainment, face painting, a photo booth and dancing.

Faculty Excellence

福利亚洲国产精品 recognized the excellence of faculty and staff in their service to the university and the community at its annual awards luncheon on May 13.听Honored with awards from the university this year were Professor of Chemistry听Kathy Matera, Professor of Biology听Brant W. Touchette,听Professor of Public Health Studies, Human Service Studies and Watts/Thompson Professor听Cynthia Fair听and Professor of Communication Design听Phillip Motley.

Virtual Reality

The Law Life

While Elon School of Law students studied hard for their May finals, Elon School of Law alumni saw the product of their hard work, taking the oath to become licensed attorneys.

CAA Champs

Both the 福利亚洲国产精品 softball team and women’s track and field team became CAA champions in May. The softball win听was Elon鈥檚 (33-19) first-ever CAA tournament title and the program鈥檚 second overall in its Division I history.

Goodbye and Welcome

The Elon community said “goodbye” to the Class of 2025 as students and ‘”welcome” to the Class of 2025 as alumni, including with the annual Numen Lumen Senior Baachlaurette, Senior Celebration and the university’s 135th Commencement Exercises.

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View some of the most impactful moments of the past month through the eyes of staff in the Office of University Communications.

Ending with Elder

The 2024-25 Elon Speaker Series wrapped up on April 3 with the James P. Elder Lecture delivered by Frederick M. Lawrence, CEO of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Asian Pacific Islander Month

Elon kicked off Asian and Pacific Islander Month with an event on Medallion Plaza on April 3, hosted by the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education. Nationally recognized during May to commemorate the arrival of the first immigrants from Japan to the United States in May 1843, Elon celebrates the heritage month in April.

CAA Champions

The Elon Men’s Golf team and Women’s Tennis team each took home CAA championship titles.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Dave Porter P鈥�11 P鈥�19, owner and managing partner of Baystate Financial, received the 福利亚洲国产精品 Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership on April 23 inside LaRose Digital Theatre.

Party for the Planet

福利亚洲国产精品 celebrated a multitude of Earth Week events, including welcoming keynote speaker Bill McKibbon and launching the Sustainability Master Plan 2025.

Special Olympics at Elon

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life hosted the Special Olympics of Alamance County in Schar Center.

A blooming celebration

On April 25, 2025 the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life hosted an indoor version of Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, due to an unpredictable weather forecast.

Time to SURF

Student research was on full display during the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum on April 29.听Every year, Elon suspends all campus activities to highlight undergraduate research 鈥� one of the five Elon Experiences. Students present their work through both poster and oral presentations across campus.

Some of the 268 presentations included research on the听impact of tariffs,听how a book cover impacts reader choice,听a board game to help students adjust to college,听using soft robotics to help with hand mobility and examining behavior changes and long-term health risks related to a student鈥檚 transition from high school to college.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the new challenge of covering the White House. What an honor. It鈥檚 the kind of job newspaper reporters dream of,鈥� said Allison, who graduated with a degree in journalism in 2013. 鈥淚 worked really hard to get here and I’m excited to learn a new beat.鈥�

In a , The Washington Post leadership called Allison 鈥渁 resourceful and energetic reporter who has distinguished herself with insightful coverage of Donald Trump鈥檚 political movement,鈥� noting she will 鈥渏oin a team dedicated to producing best-in-the-business coverage of the incoming administration, with journalism that is rigorous, revealing and dedicated to holding power to account.鈥�

Allison鈥檚 interest in journalism began in high school on Elon鈥檚 campus 鈥� with a visit to the university鈥檚 broadcast studio for a high school project.

鈥淚 remember walking into the studio and just thinking 鈥榃ow, I could do this as a job, this could be really cool, to go into news,’鈥� said Allison, a native of Elon, North Carolina. 鈥淚 was hooked from the moment I first walked into McEwen.鈥�

When looking at colleges, she chose Elon for the School of Communications, coming to the university as a Communications Fellow, becoming managing editor of The Pendulum and a student worker in the Office of University Communications.

鈥淭hat was real-world experience that helped me before I graduated from Elon,鈥� said Allison. 鈥淎 lot of my time at Elon was spent working in the field that I鈥檓 currently in and Elon was really flexible in making sure that I was able to do all of that.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the new challenge of covering the White House. What an honor. It鈥檚 the kind of job newspaper reporters dream of.”

– Natalie Allison ’13

Several months before she graduated early at age 19, Allison continued getting real-world experience, becoming a night copy editor for the Burlington Times-News and soon working her way to be a full-time police reporter. Allison then relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to work as an evening breaking news reporter for the Tennessean. But she also carved out a side beat covering white supremacist activity 鈥� about the first white supremacist rally following the Charlottesville, Virginia 鈥淯nite the Right鈥� event. Her path into political journalism began when she was assigned to cover the Tennessee legislature.

鈥淭hat was a really big honor and a career change that set me on the course of eventually coming to D.C. and not just covering state politics but covering politics at a national level and covering the most powerful people in the country,鈥� she said.

Her led to the state House speaker resigning amid a scandal around bribery and kickback charges. In 2021, she and a team of Gannett reporters won the grand prize from the for their project 鈥淐onfederate Reckoning,鈥� a multimedia series exploring the remnant of the confederacy in the American South.

鈥淣atalie represents the best of the press 鈥� a reporter who knows her First Amendment rights, scrupulously gets at the truth and reveals wrongdoing regardless of the consequences. The Washington Post is fortunate to get her,鈥� said Anthony Hatcher, professor of journalism and chair of the Journalism Department. 鈥淪he will no doubt continue the excellent work she鈥檚 been doing for the past dozen years since graduation.鈥�

Hatcher is one of the many Elon faculty members Allison credits with helping her reach this career milestone including Kenn Gaither, dean of the School of Communication; David Copeland, professor emeritus; Colin Donahue, director of student engagement and special projects and instructor of journalism and Janna Anderson, professor of journalism. Allison鈥檚 time at Elon also included a Winter Term study abroad program to Europe: 鈥淕utenberg to the Web: Media鈥檚 Impact on Western Civilization.鈥�

鈥淛anna Anderson鈥檚 鈥楻eporting for the Public Good鈥� class was one class that really made an impact on me as a reporter, learning how to be aggressive and persistent,” said Allison. 鈥淪he taught us the importance of shoe leather reporting, going out there and knocking on doors. That鈥檚 what I did in my first newspaper job and that鈥檚 what I carried with me when I moved to the Tennessean. There are fewer physical doors I鈥檓 knocking on in Washington, D.C. but the principle still stands that you have to be persistent.”

鈥淣atalie represents the best of the press 鈥� a reporter who knows her First Amendment rights, scrupulously gets at the truth and reveals wrongdoing regardless of the consequences. The Washington Post is fortunate to get her.”

– Anthony Hatcher, professor of journalism and chair of the Journalism Department

For the past three years, Allison has worked for Politico in Washington, D.C. 鈥� covering President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 campaign, including his New York hush money trial and the wider .

鈥淚’m really proud of how I’ve been able to chronicle some of the changes that have happened in the Republican Party,” Allison said. 鈥淚 was covering the presidential race when some people were still under the impression that Republicans other than Trump stood a shot at being the nominee. How far we’ve come since then, where Republicans and even people outside the Republican party now couldn’t imagine anyone besides Trump being in that role.鈥�

Monday, August 19

Opening Day
Location: Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center
Events start at 8:15 a.m.

Planning Week 2024 kicks off with Opening Day on Aug. 19, first with a community-wide reception on the Koury Athletic Center concourse followed by the presentation of Elon Medallions and named professorships and remarks from President Connie Book in Alumni Gym.

Since 2011, the Elon community has collected school supply items for the children in Alamance County, sponsored by the Student Government Association, Staff Advisory Council and the Kernodle Center for Civic Life. Faculty and staff can bring supplies to the president鈥檚 address or drop them off from Aug. 16-26 at various locations around campus. More information about specific items and drop-off locations is available here.

Following the president鈥檚 address at 9:45 a.m., a variety of breakout sessions will be available for all members of the Elon community, including:

• HealthEU
• National Campus
• Election Year Engagement
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mid-Point Review of Boldly Elon
• Mentoring Next Steps
• The Dynamic NCAA Environment and Setting a Strategic Course

All members of the Elon community are then invited to a picnic on the Lakeside Patio at noon. Members of Elon鈥檚 schools and colleges will meet from 1:30 to 4 p.m. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., members of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences will welcome the new Dean Hilton Kelly on Medallion Plaza. President Book then invites new faculty and staff to a reception at The Inn at Elon at 5 p.m.听

Tuesday, August 20

Facilitating Conversations about Election 2024 in Class
Location: Oaks 212
1:30 to 3 p.m.

The session, led by new Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement Dillan Bono-Lunn, will familiarize faculty with campus resources for civic engagement and offer tips for teaching during politically divisive times.听 The session will help faculty think through approaches to incorporating discussion of the听election, as well as strategies for responding in the moment when these issues arise.

Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Location: Linder 102
2 to 3 p.m.

This session will provide an overview of artificial intelligence (AI) work at Elon. Presenters will introduce recent advancements in AI and discuss AI鈥檚 implications for higher education. The results of the second-year AI readiness survey will be shared. The roadmap for AI, the resources available across campus, and pilot AI programs available for use in teaching and daily work will be introduced. Participants will have time to discuss AI perceptions in small groups and will be invited to share their suggestions about how best to prepare the Elon community as we adjust to generative AI in education.

Wednesday, August 21

Campus Safety Discussions
Location: KOBC 101
1:30 to 3 p.m.

New to Planning Week this year will be a discussion on campus safety, open to Elon faculty and staff.

Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center: How it can work with you and for you
Location: Sankey 308
2 to 3 p.m.

The Imagining the Digital Future Center is still new on campus and this session will explain its mission to do research and publish findings that are meant to be distributed widely and have notable public impact. The center hopes to work with faculty to create and publish research and have significant student involvement in the research process. Center Director Lee Rainie will use this session to solicit ideas about how the center can integrate well into campus activities.

Loy Farm Open House
Location: 2635 W. Front Street Burlington, N.C. 27215
4 to 5:30 p.m.

Come explore the new EcoVIllage Living Learning Center, a new residential neighborhood that combines sustainable architecture with small house living. 听The first phase of this neighborhood consists of six houses that provide unique sustainable design solutions for the twelve students that will be living in this neighborhood during the 2024-25 academic year.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

An aerial view of EcoVillage at Loy Farm, a new living learning community that includes six two-bedroom houses that utilize sustainable design principles and sustainable materials.

Thursday, August 22

College Coffee 鈥� Employee Resource Groups
Location: Phi Beta Kappa Commons (Rain location: Koury Athletic Center concourse)
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.

Learn about the various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) on campus with the academic year鈥檚 first College Coffee, a weekly tradition at Elon. College Coffee continues throughout the year on Tuesday mornings from 9:40 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.

ERGs at College Coffee include:

• Advocates for Diversity and Accessibility
• Amazing Admins
• API (Asian and Pacific Islander)
• Black
• Cultivating Emerging Professionals
• Employees with Children
• Global Connections
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Jewish
• LGBTQIA
• Remote Employees (meeting virtually @ 8:30 a.m. PST / 11:30 a.m.EST)
• Supervisors of Student Employees
• Sustainability
• Thrive after 55
• Veterans

Friday, August 23

Move-In Day

Students officially return to campus on Friday, August 23. More information about Move-In Day and New Student Orientation can be found here.

Saturday, August 24

New Student Convocation
Location: Under the Oaks (Rain location: Schar Center)
9 to 10:10 a.m.

New Student Convocation marks the official opening of the academic year and welcomes the Class of 2028 and transfer students. Volunteers are needed to greet guests, assist with seating and answer general questions. You can sign up to volunteer by filling out this . The survey will close on August 16.

More Information

Name Tags

As the university starts a new academic year with some new faces, wearing name tags is important and encouraged.

Name tags for听new employees (hired since June 1) will be delivered to each office by Aug. 14. Please pick yours up from your department assistant. Employees who are unable to get to their offices prior to planning week may stop by the name tag table on Monday, Aug. 19, at the reception beginning at 8:15 a.m. in Alumni Gym. After Monday, the assistant in an employee鈥檚 area can help with name tags.

Current employees should wear the name tag they were most recently issued.

University Directory Photographs

All Elon faculty and staff members are encouraged to have their photo included in the university鈥檚 online directory. Please make plans to have a new or updated photograph taken. If you are new to Elon, if your photo is missing from the campus directory, or if your photo is more than three years old, please have a new photo taken by the Office of University Communications. No appointment is necessary, simply just drop in during a session that suits you. The portraits are taken from chest up on a gray backdrop in a photo studio.

The photo studio is located in the southwest corner of Alumni Gym, close to West Haggard Avenue.听Please enter through the external doors in the southwest corner of Alumni Gym,听

• Tuesday, Aug. 20: 2 to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 22: 10 a.m. to noon

Once your photo is in the directory, you may download a high-resolution version for your own professional use. To do so, visit听www.elon.edu/directories. Log in at the bottom left, and the editing page will open. Beneath your photo, click the download link to download a high-resolution copy of your portrait to your computer.

Trainings for Active Violence

The 福利亚洲国产精品 Campus Safety and Police Department is offering ongoing training to our campus community on Strategies for Active Violence Situations.

Officers of the department are trained to the model of Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). The CRASE course is designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy and was developed by ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) in 2004. The course provides strategies, guidance, and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Although Elon鈥檚 officers train to this strategy, they also take the training one step further to teach concepts about prevention within our campus community.

Upon request, an officer will visit your specific office/location to perform an assessment and take photos of your workspace. Information and photos gathered from that assessment are then built into the presentation, so the training is personal and specific to your area.

To request an assessment and training, please reach out to Community Policing Sergeant Joel Thomas at 336-278-5555 or听jthomas39@elon.edu.

The winning entries from the Office of University Communications were among a pool of more than 4,200 entries submitted by 600 institutions in 28 countries. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Gold recognitions were awarded in 93 categories by CASE, the Council of Advancement and Support for Education, a global association of 97,000 professionals, including top-level decision-makers in advancement鈥攁lumni relations, communications, development, fundraising, marketing, and advancement services鈥攁t more than 3,100 institutions.

鈥淥ur communications and marketing team members are thrilled to be recognized for their outstanding work on behalf of 福利亚洲国产精品,鈥� said Vice President for Communications and Marketing Michael Haskins. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to be able to effectively showcase the exceptional faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs that make Elon the national leader in undergraduate education.鈥�

Elon received the in the category of Publications: President’s Reports & Annual Reports for Elon’s 2022 President’s Report, which published as a print edition and online in early 2023. Titled “The Innovators,” the report highlighted the culture at Elon that fosters creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. The report included feature articles on students, faculty and staff and lifted up the goals of Boldly Elon, the university’s 10-year strategic plan.

What the judges said:

“Excellent use of portraiture and clean yet compelling design make the piece stand out. The stories are very well written and convey a sense of excellence and innovation. The mix of longer and shorter pieces was well-thought out. An excellent president鈥檚 report.”

Key contributors to the 2022 President’s Report included Holley Berry, Garry Graham, Alexa Milan and Keren Rivas.

Elon received the in the category of Publications: Student Recruitment series or package for its 2023 package of materials for prospective students. Included in the series of publications was听a ; six school and program brochures; a traditions booklet; a overview of housing, dining, and activities; and a portfolio of other printed and digital materials designed to encourage students to apply and enroll at Elon.

What the judges said:

“We enjoyed the viewbook’s horizontal orientation, effective use of half pages, creative folds, and unique icons. Additionally, great metrics and use of resources.”

Key contributors to the 2023 Student Recruitment Package included Holley Berry, Garry Graham and Roselee Papandrea Taylor.

The Magazine of Elon has been a staple publication for the 福利亚洲国产精品 community for years. Now, with the introduction of The Magazine of Elon: Spoken Stories podcast, this rich content will be brought to life in a new way. Listeners will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the stories, opinions, and ideas presented in the magazine through the spoken word.

鈥淲e are thrilled to introduce this new podcast as an innovative way to engage our community,” said Keren Rivas, assistant vice president for marketing publications and editor of The Magazine of Elon. “The Magazine of Elon has always been a powerful platform for sharing stories and ideas. By bringing those articles to life through the spoken word, we hope to create an even deeper connection with readers and listeners.鈥�

What sets this podcast apart is the involvement of Elon students, who serve as narrators and assist as editors, gaining valuable experience in public speaking and audio production along the way.

Listeners can access the podcast on all major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher and will soon be available on Google Podcasts. This accessibility ensures that anyone with an interest in 福利亚洲国产精品 and its community can easily tune in and engage with the content. With a diverse range of topics covered in each episode, there is something for everyone.

Episodes of the podcast featuring an array of articles from the spring edition of the Magazine of Elon are now available. Subsequent episodes will be released following the publication of each new edition of the magazine.

Visit The Magazine of Elon website for access to the podcast and content from current and past issues.

Vaughn Vreeland 鈥�15, supervising producer for New York Times Cooking, is making a name for himself at just 29 years old. Being featured multiple times on Good Morning America, writing recipes and filming content in his supervisory role with The New York Times and even making , Vreeland is a perfect example of Elon鈥檚 alumni in action.

Vreeland originally came to Elon because he thought he wanted to major in acting, but he quickly changed direction, trying to find the best fit for him. He tried several different tracks, from anthropology to political science, but he ultimately landed on a double-major in media arts and entertainment and French. His major naturally led to involvement in other areas of campus, including Lambda Pi Eta, the communications honors society, and interning in University Communications under Dan Anderson. In this role he also was able to refine his writing skills, writing for the Magazine of Elon and the university鈥檚 news site. Another thing that he really enjoyed as a student was being a host for E-Talk, Elon鈥檚 very own talk show, hosted through Elon Student Television.

For his French major he had the opportunity to study abroad, with the help of a merit-based grant. Traveling to the South of France in the town of Montpellier, he enrolled at a university and focused his studies on visual art. He later returned to the same location his senior year. 鈥淚 was able to successfully cross-reference my two majors in each of my senior theses, writing about the power of the director in French cinema as they portray disenfranchised communities, and explaining the use of color theory in Wes Anderson filmmaking. This got picked up for the Elon Journal and I still, to this day, get emails from people asking me about it,鈥� said Vreeland.

Study abroad was not the only Elon experience that had an impact on Vreeland. Outside of his major-based studies and extracurriculars, Vreeland was incredibly involved. He was a member of the Student Government Association for three years and a tour guide for campus, eventually becoming the student supervisor and holding the title of Campus Visit Assistant, overseeing his fellow admissions ambassadors. He also participated in the Phi Kappa Phi honors society, the Pi Delta Phi French honors society and the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honors society, where he held various leadership roles as well.

The summer of his junior year he had the opportunity to intern with a small fashion magazine in New York as a media intern. As a cinema major, he knew he wanted to create in the realm of videography. 鈥淚 thought fashion was going to be it for me, but I left that summer feeling a little lost in the greater media landscape because I didn鈥檛 enjoy it as much as I thought I would,鈥� said Vreeland. 鈥淗owever, one thing I knew was that I was obsessed with New York.鈥� And so began his passion to get back to the Big Apple someday.

After graduation Vreeland moved to Thailand to teach English as a second language for half of a year in an effort to continue the global citizenship that Elon instilled in him, and he absolutely loved it. 鈥淚 ended up making the promotional video for The Council on International Education Exchange and I realized a lot of what I highlighted in that video was food and how it connected us to the Thai people and Thai culture,鈥� said Vreeland. He quickly realized that food as a subject was something that he was passionate about, and this became a stepping stone into his current role with The New York Times.

Following his time in Thailand, he returned to his hometown of Raleigh to work for a French-inspired patisserie where he was able to hone his skills as a home cook, and then just a few months later he made the decision to move back to New York.

I moved to New York with no job, and I lived with two Elon alums that I didn’t know, that had posted in the Elon NYC Facebook group. Fortunately, I rather quickly found a job at BuzzFeed, also through an Elon connection,” said Vreeland, explaining the importance of the Elon network for graduates.

Vreeland worked at BuzzFeed for about two years making videos for the sub-brand, “Tasty.”

“I started making recipe videos that mainly went on Facebook and Instagram. Then, I helped start the YouTube team where we focused on creating shows for the brand. They were pretty popular videos. I gained some good exposure and ended up working with someone who then went to The New York Times as the Strategy Director for NYT Cooking,鈥� explained Vreeland.

He found out that The New York Times was also looking to start an internal video team as well, and so he and his colleague both went to The Times to help with that startup. 鈥淚t was just the two of us making the cooking videos for nytimes.com, YouTube and Instagram for about two years, and then we started building our team. We now have about thirteen people on the team total, which is really exciting,鈥� said Vreeland.

In his role as Supervising Producer, he oversees the recipe and entertainment video operation for NYT Cooking. Some of his favorite work involves more casual videos of him in his own kitchen, such as the video of him cooking himself twenty-seven meals in just one week titled, 鈥溾�� or a video of him making .

鈥淚 ideate and create content based on a whole host of things in the food landscape. This past Thanksgiving, for example, I created a concept with Ina Garten where she developed a menu using store-bought staples鈥攃anned cranberry sauce, packaged stuffing mix, boxed mashed potatoes鈥攎aking them more delicious and seemingly homemade, that we called ‘,’ which featured a video, six recipes and a written piece for the paper,鈥� said Vreeland.

In his role he also develops recipes and serves as an on-camera personality. He currently has several shows in the works for the channel and is featured on their social media platforms regularly. He even occasionally does national morning and daytime television spotlights to promote the NYT Cooking recipes, such as being featured on . Vreeland does not just produce videos though, he also works as a writer for the recipes that get featured on the site, such as this one about .

Vreeland feels prepared in his current career because of his education at Elon. 鈥淚 feel like my hands-on education, specifically in my production classes, really mimicked real-life video creation,鈥� explained Vreeland. He remembers a class with Tom Nelson where he had to make a video each week without assistance, and he said this prepared him for the fast-paced work environment of BuzzFeed where they were turning out a large quantity of content weekly. Elon also taught him the power of human connection, 鈥渨ithout my connections I made in my time there 鈥� be they with faculty, my peers, people I met on tour 鈥� I’m not sure where I鈥檇 be,鈥� said Vreeland. One thing he also learned as an undergraduate is that he works best under pressure. He said that, although it does not happen quite as often, he still occasionally pulls all-nighters like he did in college.

Vreeland feels that Elon alumni are successful because they receive a deeply experiential education, which better prepares them for life after college. The advice that he would give to current students is: 鈥淒efine your comfort zone and work to push those boundaries. I鈥檝e grown the most when I got uncomfortable and took risk鈥攑rofessionally speaking, and within reason, of course鈥攊t’s in those moments I learned the most about myself and what I鈥檓 capable of.鈥� For him, seeking out opportunities from the very beginning and asking a lot of questions helped him to foster strong connections that helped him get where he is today.

As for Vreeland鈥檚 future, he said, 鈥淪tay tuned. And go Phoenix!鈥�

If you are interested in trying some of Vaughn Vreeland鈥檚 New York Times听Cooking recipes for yourself, check them out . Also, check out his latest feature on Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list for 2023, .听听