Elks National Foundation Blog

  by Gabriella Haire 2015 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Gabriella Haire and I am a junior studying biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota. Beyond dreaming up medical innovations, I enjoy volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, training for cross country ski races, and exploring new cities one ice cream shop at a time. Following a typical track practice in March 2015, I received an atypical email. It was an invitation to the Elks Most Valuable Student Leadership Weekend and the promise of an Elks National Foundation scholarship. I was elated as I celebrated in the locker room, but I didn’t fully realize how that email and the Leadership Weekend were just the beginning of my relationship with the Elks. After a physics lecture in November 2015, I received an email confirming my acceptance to the Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip in Oakland, California. I was eager to connect with Elks scholars for a whole week, rather than just a weekend. As it

by Marc Rademaker 2017 Most Valuable Student Scholar My name is Marc Rademaker and I am a first-year at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. I’m majoring in Biology on the pre-medicine track with a minor in Chemistry.   Traveling to Asheville with my fellow Elks scholars marked my second service trip with the Elks after Santa Monica this past winter. Entering the Asheville Service Trip, I had very high expectations for the week. My experience in Santa Monica had been so incredible that I couldn’t wait for another great week with the Elks. I was not disappointed. Arriving at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, I immediately began to form connections with my fellow Elks scholars. Because it was a smaller trip, we were able to grow close almost immediately while sharing our stories and ambitions with one another. These new friends came from Alaska, Puerto Rico, and everywhere in between to serve together.   As I witnessed the sunrise on the first day of service, I knew that