EHS CLASS OF ’16 CHRISTINE LONG GRADUATES FROM NC STATE

Home  /  Posts  /  EHS CLASS OF ’16 CHRISTINE LONG GRADUATES FROM NC STATE

Today, we are honoring Christine Long, ECB’s 2016 Student Body President. Due to COVID-19, the graduating class of 2020 was unable to experience traditional graduation celebrations and ceremonies. ECB interviewed each member of the 2016 senior leadership team to get a sense for how Enloe Charity Ball impacted their journey through college and how they will continue to be #AlivewithPurpose.

Christine Long Site

What position did you hold?

Student Body President

What university are you graduating from? 

North Carolina State University (go pack baby!!!) 

What degree are you graduating with? Are you graduating with honors? Feel free to share GPA or honors designation. 

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, completion of the Data Analytics Honors Program, and a minor in Spanish. I am graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. 

What’s your favorite ECB memory?

All of them! I especially loved the day that Kevin, Emma, Isabelle, Lyric and I sat in the car outside Learning Together and just looked at each other and knew that LT was our charity. All of our hard work in the following months stemmed out of the excitement from that day when we bought into Learning Together’s mission. 

Also when we got ready in the girls bathroom together (Kevin was such a trooper, bless him) and ate pizza and FaceTimed our first StuBo (Lauren Frey) to tell her we had passed $100K for the first time in Charity Ball history. Our freshman year, Lauren and her Prez/VP led us to raise $50,000 for InterAct, which everyone thought was impossible at the time. It still amazes me how fast ECB grew over those four years.

How has ECB impacted your life? How has it influenced your next move after college?

Oh wow, this is a big one. On a practical level, ECB introduced me to some very real needs in our community and a lot of incredible organizations working to meet those needs. My whole life I dreamed of getting away from Raleigh and going somewhere new (which I still plan on doing) but I chose to stay in Raleigh for college and ECB was a big part of that decision. ECB showed me so much good in Raleigh and gave me a desire to be a part of that for just a little longer. ECB gave me a passion for philanthropy and using my opportunities to better my community. Through ECB, I learned how to lead people and how to do the impossible 🙂 

While ECB did not directly impact my next move after college, it has absolutely impacted the person I have become. I am a better leader, friend, and community member because of ECB.

Are you involved in any service organizations and/or student government? Elaborate. 

I am not involved with any through my college but have been involved in a variety of service organizations through my church. I took a semester off of college at one point to volunteer as an English teacher in Spain which was an awesome opportunity. I was able to learn about a unique culture (Basque) and participate in some service work with their community. 

What are your future plans career-wise?

I am working as a Project Manager at Red Hat in Raleigh. I am hoping to move to London in about a year with the same role 🙂 Also I am getting a cat, that feels worth mentioning. 

Do you have any advice for future ECB leaders? 

It’s difficult to understand what an incredible thing ECB is while you are in the midst of it. Over time I’ve started to see what an absurdly amazing thing it is that we have all pulled off (through lots of hard work, of course.) So my biggest piece of advice would be to try and see what a phenomenal thing it is that you are doing. I don’t mean that to make you cocky, but so that you can give yourself and others grace and appreciate the value of your service rather than obsessing over a number. I know that Charity Ball will change over time and maybe it’s not what it was for us, but the temptation to put everything onto that goal number was hard to resist. Please remember that your goal doesn’t define you— let your hard work and passion to help people be what really shows through ECB. 

Also, please don’t be a slacker. Be a team player and don’t let drama get in the way of getting good work done. Listen to Barry but don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. Give it your all, because you only get to lead Charity Ball once. And it is an experience you will never forget 🙂 

charity ball

First day we went to LT

IMG_0448


Comments are closed.