So dreams do come true...

Yesterday was possibly one of the best days of my life. I have been freaking out about my future for the last several months because I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life and i felt like I was just floundering. But now, I am officially no longer floundering because..... I GOT A JOB!! Not only did I get a job, but I got the dream job. USA Today has offered me a year long fellowship working with the opinions editor. I am beyond excited. Someone actually wants to pay me to write and that someone is one of the best papers in the nation! Of course I will be doing a lot more grunt work than actual writing, but  my boss said I will definitely have the opportunity to get some bylines. Plus, I am going to be learning so much about the industry and that is an invaluable experience. Well I am sure I will have a lot more to say once I have started working, but for now I am incredibly happy and eager to start my dream job!

Needing more time

"Cause I need more time Just a few more months and we'll be fine"

I have just discovered this song called "More Time" by Needtobreathe and it is absolutely perfect for what I feel right now. I graduate in less than a month and I am really starting to freak out. I have major butterflies in my stomach all the time now. A lot of my friends at other schools have finished finals and graduate in a few days and they are all so excited. I don't feel that way in the least. Am I excited to be done with schoolwork? Of course! But am I anywhere near ready to leave the amazing friends I have made this year? NO! I never thought I would be sad when this time got here. I thought I would be ready and excited to start that next phase of my life. Granted, I did think that the next phase would start with my wedding and since we all know those plans changed, I guess that could have something to do with why I'm not as excited. I just can't even imagine trying to say goodbye to the people who have made my senior year indescribable. I just start crying thinking about it. We had our last swim meet on Sunday and I literally had to go to the locker room so that my team wouldn't see me cry. I think a big part of the reason I feel this way is because I feel like I missed out on the first two years of college. I don't regret it at all because at the time I was deliriously happy and in love, but a part of me does wish I could add on an extra two years now that I am experiencing a new kind of love. Most of my friends here are freshmen or sophomores and they are just starting this amazing journey and I want to continue it with them. I know I will be down to visit, but I also know it won't be the same at all. I will be an adult in the real world. I need to be responsible and accept that. I had my four years of fun and I chose to make them what I made them. I need to focus on the amazing times I have had this year and not focus on what I didn't have. I intend to make every last moment at this wonderful place count, so that I will always remember my senior year as one of the best years of my life. It already has been the best year and I am so thankful for that, and for all the people who made it that way. And I still have a few weeks to make even more memories that will help me when I have moments of sadness after May 22nd. So I'm off to continue living my awesome life and I'm sure there will be many more contemplative posts to come. :)

Service with a smile

Campus organizations give back

by Laura Wainman, November 18, 2009

Residents of a college town are always quick to notice when their slightly louder college neighbors step out of line and engage in behavior viewed as unsatisfactory. But what often goes unnoticed are the many acts of service Elon students engage in around the community.

The motto of Elon Volunteers! is to focus on the reason behind the service and not just the service itself, which is exactly what attracted senior Andrea Medinaceli, the Kernodle Center's outreach intern, to the organization in the first place.

"I think Elon tends to come off as a rich school, and service projects are a way of showing the residents of our community that Elon students truly care," Medinaceli said. "It says we aren't just donating money because we have it, but are interested in making a difference and affecting lives."

Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, hunger is on everyone's mind. Yet little attention is paid to those who are hungry during this feasting season. But at Elon, many organizations are dedicating an entire week to promoting awareness of the hungry and homeless.

Last night the annual Will Read for Food program was held in Yeager Recital Hall, and many Elon students, faculty and staff read selections from their favorite writers. All participants and attendees brought a can of nonperishable food to be donated to the Alamance County Food Bank.

Across town, on Nov. 17 the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. hosted a community service trip to the Allied Church of Burlington to help build beds for the homeless.

The educational week will culminate with a sleep-out on the west lawn Friday. Participants will sleep outside either in sleeping bags or cardboard boxes to show their support for ending the stigmas against the homeless. Guest speakers will be present and the documentary "Have You Seen Clem" will be shown.

Alpha Phi Omega
It is tradition for the newest brothers of the co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, to plan a fundraiser, a fellowship and a service project. After raising funds for National Hunger Awareness Week at Coldstone Creamery and hosting a fellowship at CiCi's Pizza, 13 of the 17 pledges held a party at Blakey Hall, an assisted living community in Elon for the residents last Saturday.

"Activities like our Blakey Hall party are a mutual benefit to students and the community," senior APO president Julia Roberts said. "The residents get an opportunity to engage with college-age students, which truly brightens their days, and the students gain a little perspective and are taught humility — a lesson which is especially valuable for Elon students who tend to be from a higher socio-economic class than the typical Burlington resident."

Roberts said one of the most important aspects of being an active member of a community is practicing gratitude and making it an action rather than just an emotion, which is one of the reasons she joined APO.

"When students get involved it helps perpetuate a positive representation of Elon as a university whose students are not only socially aware, but also socially active," Roberts said. "Plus, Elon students are an integral part of fostering and maintaining community partnerships that have taken years to form."

While a portion of the 46 active members were entertaining the elderly residents at Blakey Hall, more of the brothers were engaging with other members of the community, such as lending assistance at PetSmart's holiday adoption weekend and participating in a Habitat for Humanity build. To cap off the weekend, the brothers of APO and sisters of ESA collaborated at the Conservators' Center for half a day on Sunday. It was an average weekend for an organization that has committed more than 900 hours of community service this semester.

Epsilon  Sigma Alpha
Epsilon Sigma Alpha is Elon's co-ed service sorority whose 30 active members dedicate hundreds of hours of community service every semester to its two philanthropies — St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and Easter Seals.

One of the biggest events for the sorority is the biannual service trip to St. Jude. Several members of ESA gave up their fall breaks this year to visit the hospital headquarters in Memphis, Tenn. The trip allows students to see first-hand the benefits of their service efforts for St. Jude.

"Our organization sends money to St. Jude's all the time and we never get to see how it is really impacting lives," said junior Brandon Landreth, president of the chapter.  "I think this trip really got our members a lot more excited about what we are doing and inspired to continue the work."

Last Friday ESA hosted its semesterly babysitting night for the children of Elon faculty and staff, designed to give the parents a night off, free of charge. Participants are told they may give a donation to St. Jude's if they wish.

"Not only is coloring with a 4-year-old relaxing, but they have wonderful insights on the world," junior service chair Linda Kurtz said. "It's a great break from college life and a nice way to thank Elon faculty and staff for all of the hard work they do by giving them a few hours to do whatever they like."

While Landreth said raising funds for St. Jude's is ESA's primary focus, it also tries to help out as much as possible in Alamance County,too.

"We want all of our members to be engaged members of their community," Landreth said.

In December the sorority will again be giving back to the community by participating in Christmas Cheer. The members will have the chance to give the gift of Christmas to one family in the Alamance community.

"We will be given the ages of the children of our family, told of their most immediate basic needs, as well as a suggestion for a fun toy they may enjoy," Landreth said. "Our members love participating in Christmas Cheer because they know they got to help make a family's Christmas a little brighter."

Landreth said he feels Elon is already doing a good job attracting engaged students, but needs to continue getting the word out about how students can get involved in the community from the moment they come to Elon.

"If you have a good experience with community service as a freshman, you are likely to continue," Landreth said.

Shedding light where appropriate

I apologize for being so negligent about my blog lately. I will try and post most of my stories that have run since the last post, although a few of them are really only relevant to Elon students, thus, I will leave those out. 

The students at Elon are constantly being recognized for their stellar achievements, and while I certainly do not wish to make light of these achievements, I feel that the work of our outstanding professors is too often overlooked. In this article I attempted to shed light on just a few of the amazing projects Elon professors have undertaken.

Going behind the scenes of faculty research

A look into life outside the classroom 

by Laura Wainman, November 4, 2009 

College is akin to the production of a play. The students spend months learning their lines and rehearsing. As the final performance nears, they begin to frantically cram, spending night after night surviving on caffeine alone.

Finally, the big moment arrives, the curtain is raised and the audience prepares to judge the performance. The limitation of the audience, though, is they miss out on 90 percent of the process, as they only view the finished product.

Just as a student's knowledge cannot accurately be garnered from the final exam grade, the work of a professor cannot be assessed from their time spent in the classroom alone.                                                                                                                                                                       
Students are aware of the "teacher" role their professors play, but what often goes unrecognized is the months of research faculty members conduct. 

Jean Schwind

Most college professors spend very little time thinking about high school, but for
Jean Schwind, associate professor of English, it is a subject that is on her mind daily, especially its representation in American film and fiction.

"Art not only reflects our culture, but shapes it as well," Schwind said. "Portrayals of high school in film and fiction also shape how we view secondary education and teaching, which as a teacher is a subject I am very interested in."

Schwind's research subject is a fairly new topic to be included in fiction, since children served mainly as income contributors before the Depression, and high school was something only wealthy families could afford. This led Schwind to choose to use cultural materialism and new historical criticism to examine this phenomenon.

"I am looking at published documents that discuss things such as how a high school should be designed, both in terms of curriculum and architecture," Schwind said.

Currently, Schwind is still debating what the finished product of her research will be. In the past, she has written a series of articles as she goes along the research process and then compiles them into a book to market once she is completely finished.

"Right now I am working on an article about the role of the foreign exchange student in film and fiction regarding high school," Schwind said.

Most of Schwind's research is individual. But she does teach an upper level GST course on American adolescence every other year, and she said students often undertake research projects that help her with her own.
Safia Swimelar
Safia Swimelar, a political science professor, has long been a believer in the power of images and films as teaching tools, as she said they can help illuminate difficult topics more clearly for students. Now she is putting her theories to the test as she studies how feature films are useful in an International Relations course.

"I am not going into this study assuming that the films will be useful, but rather attempting to determine if they are and how so in order to learn how to better use films in college courses," Swimelar said. "I think that film is used often in the classroom, but perhaps not always to its fullest extent. I think all professors, including myself, could benefit from having a deeper understanding of how films can enrich the classroom experience and engage students more in the learning process."

Swimelar's classroom has become her laboratory as she involves her current international relations students in her research. 

Throughout the course, students will watch five feature films, and produce film responses within 24 hours after seeing the film. Though Swimelar said she is not currently reading the responses for anything other than grading purposes, she will review them after the completion of the course and utilize what students gained from each film for her own research.

Essays written during the semester, as well as classroom discussions, will also be valuable to her research at a later stage.

"I am not doing research just for research sake, but for the purpose of helping professors become better teachers and students to become better learners," Swimelar said. "Research forces you to be more aware of how you teach and how students learn, which is what I am always aiming to improve upon."

Elon offers a variety of programs for professors to set up specific times to work on research, such as the course release program, which allows a couple of professors in every department to drop one course for the semester and spend that time researching.

"Elon promotes research aimed at improving teaching, whereas a lot of schools only want pure academic research," Swimelar said. "I think Elon is unique in the fact that it values both and recognizes that opportunities must be given to ensure professors can produce quality research ."

Hal Walker

Surveys are created by the dozen to evaluate how effectively students were prepared for college. But what often goes unanalyzed is how students feel their college curriculum equipped them for the dreaded "real world."

Hal Walker,  a leisure and sport management professor, plans to change that.

Though Walker is currently writing a textbook, he has also undertaken a second research project with the goal of creating a valid and reliable tool to measure how prepared college seniors feel to venture into the workforce.

The idea stemmed from a simple survey conducted among the leisure and sports management majors to assess what their career paths would be.  Walker decided to expand the project to conclude what courses were most valuable to Elon students and how the curriculum could be adjusted to best suit the needs of future leisure and sport management majors.

"My plan is to write appropriate questions to measure the topic and have them reviewed by five or six experts in the field before it is disseminated to students," Walker said. "I will ask the students to answer the survey twice, waiting about a month in between each set of responses to ensure that their answers remain consistent. The long-term plan is to try and catch back up with the same set of students four or five years down the road and ask them to re-evaluate the effectiveness of their college curriculum from the perspective of the workforce."

Walker reiterated Swimelar's sentiments of not merely doing research for research's sake, but wanting his results to help further develop the direction of the leisure and sport management major and the students. He said he appreciated Elon placing an emphasis on combining teaching, research and service in the classroom.

"I have always been interested in applying research because I am a pragmatic person," Walker said. "Maybe I am just an idealist, but I feel that my job as a professor is to always be thinking about what is best for the program and our students. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of our curriculum and adjusting accordingly will certainly benefit students down the road."

Why should professors pursue faculty research?

There is a widespread belief professors must either choose to teach or do research, but they simply cannot engage in both simultaneously. For Earl Honeycutt, a marketing professor and the 2008-2009 Distinguished Scholar at Elon, this is completely inaccurate as he said he believes research forms the basis of a university and promulgates the growth and development of both faculty and students alike.

"I truly don't think there can be a university without scholars, and you do not have scholars if research is not being done," Honeycutt said. "Professors need to be maintaining their own knowledge in order to profess knowledge to their students, and the best way to do that is to remain active in academic endeavors."

Honeycutt said he also sees research as the best tool for progress, particularly in fields that are constantly changing.

"If I don't stay abreast of the changes in my field, I will get left behind," Honeycutt said. "The greats are never complacent, they are always working toward improvement, and I think that should be the goal of every professor at Elon. There is no better way to accomplish that than through doing research in your field of study."

According to Honeycutt, the benefits of faculty research extend beyond the personal realm of the professor and spill into students' lives, as well.

"Students whose professors have taken on research questions are getting the most current knowledge from professors who are truly excited about their discipline," Honeycutt said. "These individuals are the ones who go the extra mile to learn as much about a topic as they can and are more likely to have gotten input about their teaching methods from other colleagues. This is nothing but beneficial to the students."

Honeycutt finished his fourth book last fall and is currently working on several articles, including one on attempting to reduce turnover in the sales force.
What resources are available to professors interested in faculty research?

Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

CATL works with faculty to promote a comprehensive understanding of the learning process and different learning styles, improve teaching skill, implement new learning techniques and above all foster growth of the Elon Teacher-Scholar attitude. A team of consultants are available to work one on one with faculty engaged in research regarding teaching as well as assist in obtaining grants and filling out Institutional Review Board applications. Classroom observation and videotaped analysis by members of the consultant team are also methods of evaluating faculty research.

Elon Teaching and Learning Partnership

ETLP combines the resources of high school teachers from Alamance and Orange counties as well as college faculty to improve the teaching at both levels and bridge the divide that can form between secondary and post-secondary educators. The communities of faculty explore common questions surrounding teaching and student learning methods and many professors choose to partner with ETLP to conduct their own research. Elon's ETLP facilitators include Dr. Peter King, Dr. Katie King, Megan Isaac and Ben McFadyen.

The office of Sponsored Programs

The Sponsored Programs office assists faculty in securing external funding for research projects and encourages the involvement of students in grant projects. Faculty can also seek assistance from this office in the development of projects and proposals.

 

Legacy Phoenix: The journey to Elon

The greatest thing about being a journalist with the Pendulum is that I get an opportunity to learn about my fellow students every day. I have met people doing incredible things that I never would have known about had it not been for a pendulum interview. An 18 year old with a book published, a stunt driver, a girl who performed the lead in a broadway musical for a year etc. etc. Well for my last special projects story I got to delve into the lives of four legacy families at Elon. It was a blast learning about the family connections these students have and how this has changed their college experience. Keep reading to see what I learned.

Legacy Phoenix 
For most students, starting college means beginning with a fresh, clean slate. It is an opportunity to completely redefine how they are known. But what about those students who come to Elon with a distinct family name? Legacy students — the sons, daughters, grandsons or granddaughters of Elon alumni — are sometimes viewed as students who got into Elon based more on their last name rather than their credentials, a myth Vice President of Admissions Susan Klopman wants to dispel.

"The notion behind legacies has been misrepresented in the press," Klopman said. "This is the best way for people to stay connected to their university for generations. That may mean that great ideas are generated, or it may mean that financial support is given. Obviously, if the relationship is abused it is negative because you aren't doing those students any favors by letting them into a school they are not qualified to attend."

Klopman said the likelihood of a family making a sizable donation to Elon increases when the second generation attends the school.

"It is a positive thing to let legacies in, because the support they give the university benefits all students," Klopman said. "And let's be honest here — if only 32 of 1,298 students are legacies, they don't even make up a large majority of the student body."

Though the story that brought each legacy to Elon differs, the students are united in a common bond they all acknowledge: coming to Elon felt like their destiny.

Hillary Smithdeal
Every family has their traditions. Perhaps it is a family reunion in the summer or an outing to cut down the Christmas tree in the winter. For sophomore Hillary Smithdeal, the all-important decision of choosing a college meant choosing between two family traditions: would she be the fourth generation of Tarheel Smithdeals at University of North Carolina, or fly her third generation Phoenix wings at Elon University?

"When I was little, I always wanted to go to UNC because my whole dad's side of the family had gone there," Smithdeal said. "My mom always talked about considering Elon, but I told her to stop pressuring me to go to a school I had no interest in. But junior year I had a minor panic attack realizing how difficult it is to get into, and my mom finally convinced me to take a tour of Elon and at least consider it. Well, as the saying goes, the moment I stepped on campus, I had made my decision."

Smithdeal said it was a huge deal for her family when she made the decision to go to Elon since she was the only grandchild who was considering it.

"I got my acceptance letter a few days before Christmas, so when we all got together that year I felt like I had suddenly joined the club," Smithdeal said. "It has brought me so much closer to my family because we now have this really important aspect of our lives in common."

Smithdeal's connection to Elon dates all the way back to Earl J. Danieley's presidency, when her great-grandmother, Mary Thomas, was his secretary. Her great-great uncle, Horace Hendrickson, was a football coach at Elon and holds a place in the sports Hall of Fame. The new field house is going to be named after the Hendricksons since her great aunt and uncle, Amy and Jay Hendrickson, raised a large portion of the money needed to build it.

Smithdeal is well-known at Elon and cannot easily escape her family legacy.

"I definitely have a name to live up to because so many people know me here," Smithdeal said. "I actually had Dr. Danieley for chemistry before I dropped the class, and I went up to introduce myself to him after the first class and he recognized me. I can't afford to misbehave here."

Smithdeal's Elon alumni include mother Lisa Smithdel, grandmother Mary Anne Johnston, grandfather Leslie Johnston, great-aunt Amy Hendrickson, great-uncle Jay Hendrickson, great-uncle Ray Thomas, cousin Lee Thomas and great-great uncle Horace Hendrickson.

Max and Casey Pickler
Freshman Max Pickler filled the days of his senior year of high school with studying, football and spending time with friends, just like most of his classmates. But when it came time to choose a college, Pickler was atypically calm and worry-free. He had known where he wanted to go his entire life: Elon University, to join a long list of Phoenix relatives, including his big brother, senior Casey Pickler. But he made the decision completely on his own, free of pressure from his parents or brother.

"I never even considered another school," Max said. "My entire family graduated from Elon and everyone only had good stuff to say. Why wouldn't I want to come here?"

Though many legacy students admit to feeling pressure to live up to the family name, both the Pickler boys said this pressure isn't really an issue in their family.

"I think it was more of an issue in high school to be honest," Casey said. "All the men in our family played football, so since everyone always saw us doing the same thing, they expected the same results from each of us. At Elon I get to do my own thing and be my own person."

Max said since they have all majored in different areas, it is his responsibility to make his name known and create his own path.

Casey is not only following in his parents' footsteps by choosing Elon, but also in finding his future wife at Elon. Casey proposed to his fiancée, senior Rae Hinkle, during the summer and just as his parents met at Elon, Casey met Hinkle during his sophomore year at Elon.

"It wasn't like I had to find someone at Elon — it just kind of happened," Casey said. "It was just a coincidence. We hit it off right away and haven't looked back since."

And how does little brother Max feel about this newly started tradition?

"It would certainly be nice to find a girl here, but I'm only a freshman," Max said. "I definitely don't feel any pressure."

The Pickler brothers' Elon alumni include parents Gerald and Dawn Pickler, older brother Brian Pickler, aunt Debbie Luciano and cousin Jamie Luciano.
 
Megan Morgan
Junior Megan Morgan vividly remembers sitting Under the Oaks waiting for commencement to begin. She stood on her chair craning her neck to see, but all she cared about was her itchy dress. After all, she was only 7. Though Morgan has been visiting Elon for as long as she can remember, this was the first memory she recalled at her sister's graduation in 1996.

"Elon was always in my life, but I never really thought about it until I got older," Morgan said. "My family left the decision up to me, although my mom did joke a few times that she didn't understand why no one wanted to go to U-Penn."

For Morgan, the decision to attend Elon was not simply a given, as she chose to look at other schools.

"I was on the fence between Elon and Georgia Southern University because I didn't want to just do what everyone else in my family had done," Morgan said. "In the end, I loved Elon's campus and the size was a much better fit than GSU."

Despite Morgan's qualms about following her dad, sister and brother, she said it was easy to find her own place at Elon because they all had such varied interests. While her sister chose to participate in Zeta Phi Beta and her brother was a member of the Fire of the Carolinas, she found her own niche in the rugby club.

"Even though things are very different at Elon than when my dad was here, it is really comforting knowing that he can relate to things I deal with," Morgan said.

Morgan's father, Marvin Morgan, had a dramatically different experience at Elon than his children did as he was one of the first black graduates, and his oldest daughter, Akilah Morgan Hill, was the first black legacy at Elon.

"I think my family is definitely attracted to the progressiveness of Elon," Megan said. "My dad was here at a difficult time for our race, and while he experienced some resistance, the majority of his time at Elon was spent in a comfortable environment."

Quintin Roper
Junior Quintin Roper is not only a legacy student, but a legacy of a parent who works at Elon. Yet, when given the opportunity to experience life outside this shadow, Roper found he would rather be at Elon and made the decision to transfer as a junior.

"Having Quintin at Elon is something my husband and I have always dreamed of," said Roper's mother, Lisa Roper, assistant director of alumni relations. "Elon is family for us, and it is comforting to know that the same people who took care of us are now doing the same thing for our son. My undergraduate advisor, Pam Kiser, actually remembers me bringing Quintin to class with me."

Roper said his family would definitely like it to become a tradition to go to Elon, and his sister is next in line.

"I have a daughter who is a junior in high school, and she has already visited Elon for an admissions event," Lisa said.

breakdown of legacies at Elon

A taste of luxury

The Winery at Iron Gate Farm

Photos courtesy of my lovely and talented roomie Ashley Barnas

This weekend I got to cover the most fun piece I have worked on since starting with the Pendulum! Ashley and I traveled to Mebane, NC to check out a new local winery and we had a total blast! Though it turned out to be an expensive piece (we both bought wine) we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. You know life is rough when your job tells you to go to a wine tasting at a gorgeous scenic vineyard. Here is the story:

Iron Gate winery uncorks local tastes
by Laura Wainman, October 6, 2009
Pour. Swirl. Sniff. Sip. These four words are instructions given daily at The Winery at Iron Gate Farm in wine tastings held throughout the day.

Though Elon is home to an abundant number of student activities, sometimes a short escape from the bubble is a necessity.  For students who are looking for a taste of the adult world, this little known treasure, located right down the road in Mebane, provides just that.

At Iron Gate Farm, students of age have the opportunity to taste 14 of the wines grown at the farm for $5 and to take a tour of the vineyard. Drinking does not have to be on the agenda, though, as many visitors to Iron Gate come simply to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. Picnics by the lake or conversations on the front porch are popular options.

"We don't typically see an unusually large number of college students visit Iron Gate, except during Family Weekends at the local schools," owner Debbie Stikeleather said. "Then we get parents who are looking for a relaxing activity they can share with their son or daughter."

Though college students are not Iron Gate's typical clientele, the winery hosts many events Stikeleather said she believes would appeal to students.

"I think college students would love our annual ‘Pumpkin Chunkin and Cornhole Tournament' since it is interactive and seems right up their alley," Stikeleather said.

At the tournament held Oct. 31, the participants, who must be 21 to enter, will use a catapult to "chunk" pumpkins toward a target and bottles of wine will be given as prizes for those whose pumpkins hit the Bull's Eye, get the closest to the target or send their pumpkins the farthest distance. A cornhole tournament will also be held for the first time this year. The proceeds will benefit The Women's Resource Center.

The winery will be highlighting its new Conservators' Collection wines from 7-10 p.m. this Saturday at their Wine in the Wild event. Visitors can enjoy an evening filled with award-winning wine and food, excellent company, live music and a great cause as a portion of every bottle bought goes to the North Carolina Conservators' Center.

Stikeleather also created a private label wine collection to benefit the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership, as she lost both her stepfather and aunt to lung cancer.

"I wanted to do something to help a cause that was personal to me, and this felt like the right thing to do," Stikeleather said.

Keeping the farm a pillar of the community has always been important to Stikeleather, which is why she has chosen to partner with several local organizations, including N.C. State University.

Students and faculty from the agriculture departments come twice a month to test the grapes and ensure everything is on track at the farm. Local artist Kenny Glenn designs all the wine labels, which was another way for Stikeleather to support the community that has given so much to her.

Two of Stikeleather's wines that are showcased in the wine tasting were designed specifically for her neighbors. The Pack House Red was created with the locals in mind because it goes well with anything, particularly bold, grilled foods. Stikeleather's best-selling wine, Flue Fire, was intended to appeal to her neighbors, who made their wine as the description boasts "tastes like the grapes you plucked from your grandma's vine."

The front porch of Iron Gate has become a popular hangout spot for visitors and neighbors alike, which Stikeleather said is exactly the way she wanted it.

"We have a real community atmosphere and my neighbors are always visiting me and my guests," Stikeleather said. "When we have big events coming up, my neighbors offer to help set up. So they are always welcome at any of our events, which is why we don't charge them an entrance fee. They are absolutely great."

 

 

It sure took me long enough...

I am falling in love. Don't get too excited, mom. There are absolutely no prospective boyfriends in my life currently. I am instead engaging in a long-anticipated love affair with Elon. I can still vividly recall lying awake on warm summer nights dreaming of how I would instantly know that I was where I belonged the moment I moved into my home away from home. Yet, the feeling never truly came. I kept waiting for the magical movie moment to occur, and boy am I glad I didn't hold my breath on that one. I was so busy running off to Virginia Tech every weekend to cultivate my blossoming relationship there that I completely forgot to fall in love with my college like I was supposed to.

Well, just when I had completely given up hope of ever having that birds singing, sun shining, head over heels in love revelation, wouldn't you know it happened. It absolutely shocked me today when it hit me. I have fallen for Elon. I am totally crazy for my swim team and Pendulum friends and they have made all the difference. I am busier than I ever have been in my entire life and loving (almost) every minute of it! I have a purpose here; I have a role to fill and people who I couldn't bear to disappoint.


While some may say I really messed up and will wake up one day cursing my misguided priorities I hold firm in my belief that I won't regret my college experience. It may have taken me  a few years too many to feel this way, but at least I got there. And I have eight beautiful months left to enjoy my new love. :)

Je suis dans l'amour. Enfin.