San Francisco | Today at ��Ƶ | ��Ƶ

The ��Ƶ LEADS Campaign launches in San Francisco

Emily Ambrose — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 19:34:53 +0000

Alumni, parents and friends gathered in San Francisco to celebrate the regional launch of ��Ƶ LEADS: Our University Campaign. The event allowed members of the ��Ƶ community to come together to learn more about the life-changing impact of the campaign, which calls for supporters to raise $250 million by May 31, 2022.

At the event, President Connie Ledoux Book shared how every member of the ��Ƶ community can find their role in the ��Ƶ LEADS Campaign and create thousands of student success stories with their gifts.

“There are thousands of stories of lives being changed as a result of your philanthropy and your commitment to ��Ƶ,” said Book. “��Ƶ leads as an institution because we lead as individuals.”

Attendees also heard from Colby Halligan ’15, who now lives in the Bay Area. Halligan grew up as one of five children in an organic farming community in southern Vermont. Resources were spread thin in her family, making Halligan’s dream of attending college a daunting one. Through the Susan Scholarship in the Odyssey Program, which was established by Furman Moseley ’56 and his wife, Susan, Halligan was able to attend ��Ƶ and pursue a dual degree in environmental science and public health.

“I’m so honored to be a Susan Scholar, an ��Ƶ alumna and a global citizen. I am also proud to give back to my university and contribute to the ��Ƶ LEADS Campaign, because I know my gifts matter and I am helping to make a difference in someone else’s life,” she said.

Halligan currently works in development at UC Berkeley, where she leads a research philanthropy team dedicated to raising resources for scholarships and other needs for students who are just like her.

The event in San Francisco was the fifth of six special Evening for ��Ƶ events across the country this fall celebrating the launch of the ��Ƶ LEADS Campaign. The next event will be held in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 4. Dates and locations for spring 2020 ��Ƶ LEADS events will be released in the coming months.

Visit the ��Ƶ LEADS website to learn more about the campaign.

Celebrate ��Ƶ LEADS in San Francisco

jhollis — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 18:19:05 +0000

Alumni, parents and friends of ��Ƶ are invited to come together for a special Evening for ��Ƶ in San Francisco to celebrate ��Ƶ LEADS: Our University Campaign.

Through the campaign, donors will build on ��Ƶ’s position as a leader in higher education by investing in graduates the world needs, engaged learning, mentors who matter and the university’s iconic learning environment.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Julia Morgan Ballroom. A reception including a hosted bar and hors d’oeuvres will begin at 6:30 p.m., immediately followed by a program featuring remarks by President Connie Book and special guests.

��Ƶ LEADS in San Francisco
A celebration of leadership and philanthropy with President Connie Book

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019
6:30 p.m. Reception
7:30 p.m. Remarks by President Book

The Julia Morgan Ballroom
465 California Street
San Francisco, California 94104

Business attire
Cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres

Please RSVP by Oct. 29 here: .

Contact Jill Hollis ’13 G’17 at jhollis@elon.edu with any questions.

��Ƶ senior, alumnus delve into disaster as part of News21 reporting investigation

Tommy Kopetskie — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 20:25:00 +0000

How did Anton Delgado ’20 end up on a helicopter this summer high above Shingletown, California, one of the state’s most wildfire-vulnerable communities? The News21 Fellow simply wasn’t afraid to ask.

Anton Delgado ’20 (left) and Alex Simon ’17 reunited this summer during the 2019 Carnegie-Knight News21 reporting initiative, titled “State of Emergency.” During the fellowship, the duo teamed with other top journalism students to investigate how the federal government has handled natural disasters, both historically, and as they are happening. Photo courtesy of Simon

“When our one source mentioned that he had a friend in charge of a helicopter tour agency, and that he used to fly with him, I asked, ‘Is there any chance we could take a flight?’” recalled Delgado. Tom Twist, deputy chief of the Shingletown Fire Safe Council, responded with, “How’s Friday at 9?’”

Thanks to his chutzpah, the journalism and international & global studies major took to the air with Twist, a former combat pilot, for nearly an hour to photograph the densely forested region 175 miles north of Sacramento. Accompanying Delgado was Dustin Patar, another News21 Fellow, taking video – albeit unsteady video because of the tight conditions and constant motion.

“This was something I never thought I would get a chance to do,” Delgado said of the flight. “But we were having a hard time contextualizing the area, and Tom offered to help. We had other images, but they didn’t really tell the story. This allowed us to show that Shingletown is really buried in the woods.”

The chance to gather aerial footage to support their wildfire news coverage excited both Delgado and Patar. These boots on the ground – err, boots in the air – opportunities were why the duo embarked on a 15-day reporting trip up and down the West Coast in June. In all, they conducted 17 interviews with politicians, first responders, activists, residents and others affected by wildfires.

In June, Delgado photographed areas burned by the Woodbury Fire with other news media near a strike camp outside of Roosevelt, Arizona. (Photo courtesy of Delgado)

Their final written product is a 2,000-word piece, titled “,” published on Aug. 13 with the unveiling of the 2019 Carnegie-Knight News21 expansive reporting initiative, “.” Established by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the 10-week investigative reporting assignment is headquartered at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School and provides a platform for college students to produce in-depth multimedia projects on a national scale.

As one of the most prestigious student journalism internships in the country, News21 attracts the nation’s leading student journalists. This year was no different with Delgado working alongside 36 other top journalism students from 19 universities in the U.S., Canada and Ireland to investigate how the federal government has handled natural disasters.

Among those joining Delgado was a familiar face in Alex Simon ’17, an ��Ƶ alumnus studying in ASU’s M.A. in Sports Journalism graduate program.

This year’s News21 cohort was both driven and selfless, Delgado explained.

“It’s very rare that you see 37 ambitious journalists, most likely vying for similar positions in the field, working so cohesively and selflessly,” Delgado said. “That is what I’m most proud of. We not only did great reporting, we worked well together as a team.”

Bleeding blue

As coolant trickled out of Patar’s SUV, all over the darkened parking lot of their Motel 6, Delgado didn’t know exactly what caused the leak. It could have been a rock, tree stump or a downed tree limb.

The News21 traveling companions had been “off-roading” with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, when a pipe was punctured. “We just bled blue the rest of the day,” Delgado said.

Unfortunately, their quick fix lasted less than a day. On the bright side, Patar’s Mitsubishi Montero made it to their next stop, a helicopter hangar, where a few friendly engineers helped create a more permanent solution.

Delgado takes a picture of an Unmanned Aerial System and two drone operations specialists who monitored the Woodbury Fire in the desert outside of Roosevelt, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Brigette Waltermire/News21

Welcome to life on the road.

Delgado said his two weeks traveling across California regularly included 12- to 14-hour days, 100-plus degree heat, and several late-night Denny’s runs — mostly because it was the only eatery open late.

“Dustin and I weren’t feeling at the top of our game physically, but that’s OK,” Delgado said. “We were doing great journalism. That’s what counts.”

While their schedule was hectic, the two reporters were relentless, driving more than 2,300 miles and securing all of their planned interviews, including a sit-down with the aptly named California Assemblyman Jim Wood, who worked on a wildfire hardening bill. They also compiled nearly 9,000 images and dozens of hours of video.

Yet, Delgado’s time on the road wasn’t over. Upon his return to Phoenix, Delgado was then redeployed to cover the Woodbury Fire in Arizona, which consumed close to 124,000 acres. It stands as the fifth largest wildfire in state history.

“That is what News21 is like,” Delgado said. “People were always willing to say yes and always willing to do the work.”

At Woodbury, Delgado got close to the action. So close that when visiting a fire line, he could feel the heat.

In addition to the “Wildfire-vulnerable communities …” article, Delgado provided himself a capable multimedia journalist at News21. He authored two blogposts – and – recorded his first-ever podcast segment, contributed five images to a pictorial gallery titled “,” and even earned a producer credit in a documentary Patar directed.

But Delgado had one additional contribution to News21, which had an ��Ƶ connection.

The ‘Power of Power’

This summer, Alex Simon traded the press box for the power grid.

Anyone who knows the ��Ƶ alumnus and ASU grad student understands sports reporting is his calling. Yet, Simon enjoyed flexing his journalistic muscles this summer, investigating how natural disasters impact the country’s power supply.

“One of the most important issues post-disaster is restoring power,” Simon said. “Most people can put up with no power for six or seven hours, but what about three, four or five days? People may not know what to do. When things get to a point where you are uncomfortable, that’s what we wanted to find and report on.”

Admittedly, Simon called the topic “completely foreign to me” at the beginning of his investigation. But through time-consuming data analysis, Simon educated himself, identifying the most pressing power-related obstacles following a disaster, as well as locations facing what he called “systemic issues.”

Simon (right) talks with Kaleb Kinder, a worker with West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, as they walk across a bridge from WV VOAD’s Bridge Project in Clendenin, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Briana Castan~o´n/News21

Internally, Simon and reporting partner Molly Duerig, another an ASU grad student, were called the “Power of Power” team.

While Duerig focused much of her attention on Puerto Rico and the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Simon’s reporting took him to the Midwest and Ohio River Valley.

After flying to Chicago, Simon and Briana Castañón, a News21 photographer, racked up more than 2,000 miles traversing through Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia over the course of nine days. The trip yielded numerous compelling story angles, including a News21 blog entry authored by Simon titled “.”

“What we found is that some of the best stuff you are going to get, you won’t find until you to go that place,” Simon said. “The one thing I took away is you can’t necessary report on something on the phone. You wouldn’t get the full understanding of the story unless you get on the ground.”

After returning to Arizona, Simon and Duerig took on support to wrap up their lengthy investigation, enlisting the help of … Delgado.

The trio published an in-depth piece, titled “,” which delves into the complexity of the power grid. “It’s getting more complex as time goes on,” Simon said. “And we, as a society, are facing a lot of tough choices on how much we want to spend on it and how much it takes to be prepared to fight power outages.

“It is a very complicated story, and we tried to make it as conversational as possible.”

Simon, who overlapped with Delgado at ��Ƶ News Network during the 2016-17 academic year, called working with the ��Ƶ senior “absolutely phenomenal.”

“Anton is probably the best co-writer I have ever worked with in my life,” Simon said.

For Delgado, his ��Ƶ reporting experience has come full circle. Simon was Delgado’s first sports editor and, during his freshman year, even taught him where to put the battery into a video camera.

In addition to his own reporting, Simon also oversaw content on the , a massive undertaking with regular updates throughout June and July.

“I definitely think a lot of what I did this summer overlaps with sports,” Simon said. “Sports is so inherently statistics based, investigative based. Much of what I learned can be applied to sports, from different reporting techniques to different ways to tell stories.

“Plus, through publishing the blog, I have found that being an editor is a career path I might want to go down someday.”

The ��Ƶ family

Airbnb might not have an alternative ��Ƶ app, but it might need one.

Delgado and Patar bunked with ��Ƶ alumna Stephanie Hays ’18 three separate times during their travels in Northern California. When their accommodations fell through outside of San Francisco, the duo also spent the night at the home of Angie and Michael Simon, Alex Simon’s parents.

Likewise, on Simon’s travels through Michigan and Ohio, he bunked with ��Ƶ alumnus Andrew Feather ’17, as well as with Maureen and Thomas Hamzik, parents of Tommy Hamzik ’17.

Cal Fire Capt. Greg Babcock was one of five individuals Delgado photographed for News21’s “The Faces of Disaster” photo gallery. Babcock led a team of 26 firefighters as they cleared areas that burned during the 2018 Carr Fire near Redding, California. Photo courtesy of Delgado

“In all honesty, our News21 reporting trips would not have been possible without the welcoming ��Ƶ community,” Simon said. “To me, this definitely showed how strong the ��Ƶ community is.”

Hays’ generosity was a lifesaver, Delgado pointed out. “Staying with Stephanie allowed us to get off the road and spend more time with our sources,” Delgado said. “She was so hospitable and always woke us up with a cup of coffee.

“The ��Ƶ California family really showed up for our trip.”

Simon and Delgado also praised the unwavering support they received from the News21 leadership team, led by Executive Editor Jacquee Petchel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Likewise, the duo expressed appreciation for their fellow News21 participants, especially those they built bonds with while on the road.

Delgado profusely thanked Patar, his Northern California companion, for the many miles he drove through the Golden State.

Originally from the Philippines, Delgado was relegated to attentive co-pilot and DJ because he doesn’t have a U.S. driver’s license. Yep, he didn’t drive a single mile of the duo’s 2,300-mile trek.

“Dustin had to drive the whole time, and I felt terrible about it,” Delgado said. “But I promised him that anytime he’s in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand or the Philippines, driving’s on me.”

San Francisco Welcome to the City Event

Emily Ambrose — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, Sept. 10
6:30-9 p.m.
The Emporium in San Francisco
616 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94117

Join fellow alumni and friends to welcome new alumni to the area! We will be providing appetizers and ��Ƶ swag. All alumni, guests and friends are welcome.

Please contact alumni@elon.edu with any questions.

San Francisco Alumni Chapter serves at GLIDE

Brittany Sadler — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 13:40:00 +0000

On April 17, ��Ƶ alumni in the San Francisco Bay area volunteered with the GLIDE Church to serve breakfast to those in need.

According to Kevin Beach '13, 612 meals were provided throughout the morning. GLIDE is a supportive community and resource provider in the impoverished Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco that strives to diminish the prominence of poverty and marginalization throughout the surrounding area. The Daily Free Meals Program serves three meals a day to the needy for 364 days each year.

Each year, many of ��Ƶ's regional alumni chapters are encouraged to plan service events for the area's alumni to come together and help their local communities. Reflecting on his time at GLIDE, Sam Kahane '13 remarked, "We were really able to make an amazing impact and help improve San Francisco as a whole."

To learn more about GLIDE, visit their website at .

Stephanie Hays ’18, Alex Toma ’20 recognized in collegiate design competition

Tommy Kopetskie — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 12:40:00 +0000

Stephanie Hays ’18 now works as the lead designer at the Sacramento Business Journal, but that hasn’t stopped the accolades from accumulating to recognize her undergraduate work.

Stephanie Hays ’18 (left) and Alex Toma ’20 earned four awards in the 2018 Michigan State University Design Contest for College Students, which began in 2000 as a way for students to receive recognition for work completed on campus, in class, on the job, or at an internship.

The recent ��Ƶ graduate and Alex Toma ’20 – both members of ��Ƶ News Network – received awards in the , a national competition presented by MSU’s Edmund C. Arnold Chapter of the Society for News Design (MSUSND).

Hays, a communication design major, captured first-place and honorable mention finishes in Front Page Design and earned another first-place award in Sports Page Design. A strategic communications and media analytics double major, Toma received an honorable mention in the contest’s Special Section category.

“It’s a tough competition with so many talented designers, so I feel really lucky to have my work be recognized,” Hays said. “While recognition is far from the most important part of journalism, it’s nice to know that professionals enjoy my designs and find them compelling.”

This isn’t the first time Hays has been honored on a national stage. In 2017, she was named the competition.

A look at Hays’ “Diversifying the decision” layout, published in the Sept. 20, 2017, issue of The Pendulum. The design earned first place in the MSUSND contest’s Front Page Design category.

Hays is especially proud of her “Diversifying the decision” layout, which won first place in the MSUSND contest’s Front Page Design category. The Pendulum front page, published on Sept. 20, 2017, offered a comprehensive look at the diversity of college presidents in North Carolina and included headshots of 130 college leaders.

Hays credits her ENN design staff for the award-winning page, calling the project a “big team effort.” She said she enlisted the help of multiple designers and news editors to compile content and make sure the page was accurate and completed on deadline.

“It’s one thing to read about how it’s not a diverse group of people, but when you can actually see what each person looks like and just how many are white and male, it has a lot of impact,” Hays said of the layout. ‘I wanted people to say, ‘Wow, this is a problem in higher education.’ I wanted it to be an immediate response.”

During her summer 2017 internship with The Virginian-Pilot, Hays produced this sports front highlighting an article about athletes receiving fan mail. The layout won a first-place award in Sports Page Design.

Hays’ other first-place layout, “Piling Up,” was completed during her summer 2017 internship with The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia. It features an illustration of a mailbox with letters and baseball stamps to demonstrate how much fan mail athletes receive. (The “Piling Up” layout is mislabeled on the MSUSND contest website and inadvertently credits another contestant for Hays’ work.)

“I wanted that page to be fun,” she said. “It’s a story that people don’t think about much – that athletes must get a lot of fan mail, and how they deal with it varies. And since the photos weren’t really exciting, having an illustration that kind of jumps off the page and runs up into the header provides a lot more interest – and it really let me emphasize the sheer volume of mail. Plus, it plays into the kind of classic overflowing mailbox look that (while not very common anymore) is immediately recognizable from cartoons.”

Hays’ “Best of 2017” Pendulum cover also received honorable mention in the Front Page category. The issue was published on Jan. 31, 2018.

Additionally, Toma earned an honorable mention in the Special Section category for his design of The Pendulum’s 2017 Fall Sports Preview.

The 2018 Welcome to the City Event Series Continues through October

jhollis — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 21:30:00 +0000

Beginning August 16, ��Ƶ‘s 38 alumni chapters have hosted Welcome to the City events to help introduce the Class of 2018 and recently relocated alumni to their local ��Ƶ networks. Alumni chapters in five cities kicked off the event series in mid-August with many more events to come throughout the month of September.

Alumni of all generations are encouraged to attend as we kick off a new year of chapter events. Family, friends and guests are welcome to join. Free food and ��Ƶ gear will be available at all events. This is an opportunity to connect with other local ��Ƶ graduates and hear from chapter leaders about what is in store for the upcoming year.

Learn more and register for your chapter’s event by clicking the name of your city below:

Alumni chapters in Alamance County, the Triad (Greensboro), Richmond, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. hosted events in mid-August. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at alumni@elon.edu or (336) 278-7500.

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