Today, we are honoring Ellie Chappell, ECB’s 2016 Senior Class 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.
What position did you hold?
Senior Class President of 2015/2016
What university are you graduating from?
East Carolina University
What degree are you graduating with? Are you graduating with honors? Feel free to share GPA or honors designation.
I am graduating with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education with a Concentration in Social Studies, Summa Cum Laude with a 3.93 GPA.
What’s your favorite ECB memory?
Learning Together was the charity chosen for my senior year. It was so impactful to get to visit the school and actually meet/get to know the people we were fundraising for. We even created a dance party for the pre-schoolers and had so much fun playing all the classic kid songs and jamming out together! I also loved the hustle-and-bustle of the day-of ECB. So many hilarious memories of trying to manage coat check/drinks/photography/all of the other behind the scenes things that we chipped in to help with. It was so rewarding…but definitely chaotic and funny!
How has ECB impacted your life? How has it influenced your next move after college?
ECB has definitely impacted my life in so many ways! It has encouraged me to seek out leadership/involvement opportunities in college, to better my community through service, and to dream big (sounds cheesy but for real…never would have thought some teenagers could raise thousands of dollars for charity)! ECB also had a role in my decision to pursue a future career in Higher Education Administration. I loved getting to watch our advisors work with the students to make sure we all felt supported to try new things and better our school community. I hope to have that same relationship with my future students!
Are you involved in any service organizations and/or student government? Elaborate.
I was the College of Education Representative of ECU’s Student Government Association. I also served on the Committee for University Affairs. Additionally, I was the Student Body Representative of the Admissions and Retention Faculty Senate Committee. I was also a part of the Gamma Sigma Sigma Service Sorority for some time where I worked on service projects for the American Red Cross, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, March of Dimes, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
What are your future plans career-wise?
I am moving back to Raleigh this Fall to pursue my M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration at North Carolina State University. I’m currently working as an Undergraduate Research Intern for the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey at NCSU along with Johnson C. Smith’s Biddle Institute as an Academic Advising Intern. I’ll be starting a Graduate Assistantship in the Poole College of Management’s Academic Advising Center in August and plan to pursue a similar full-time role in college counseling at a university upon graduating.
Do you have any advice for future ECB leaders?
Keep up the hard work! Put yourself out there are reach out to others in the community for support – people love being helpful! Take it one day at a time and don’t get too overwhelmed. You’re doing amazing things and should feel so accomplished. I am so proud of you and can’t wait to keep cheering you on!
