Lilly Molina

Audience Engagement Manager

Lilly Molina '27 currently serves as Audience Engagement Manager.

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Recent Articles

NEWS 12/3/24 9:07am

School of business dean prepares for departure from Elon after 13 years

By Lilly Molina

Despite his departure as dean of the Love School of Business, Raghu Tadepalli won’t be gone for long. He will return after a yearlong sabbatical in 2026 and work remotely as dean emeritus and special assistant to Elon University President Connie Book. According to the American Conference of Academic Deans, the average time spent as a dean at a university is 5 years or less, which makes Tadepalli a clear outlier after 13 years. Because of this, he said he hopes whoever fills his shoes knows the importance of growth.

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LIFESTYLE 11/27/24 11:38am

Man with a silver thumb: 91-year-old Elon alum crafts silverware creations

By Lilly Molina

With shaky hands, Bob Rice '61 opened one of the various tall, plastic storage cabinets in his garage. Some are labeled vintage spoons, forks and coins, but that’s not what he is looking for. He eventually finds a box labeled knives, which are perfect for making rings. Instead of relaxing in his retirement, Rice sells hand-made jewelry at The Main Line, an artisan goods shop located in downtown Graham. Over the past five years, Rice estimates that he’s made around $50,000 in profit from this side hustle.

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LIFESTYLE 11/17/24 1:24pm

Burlington Preservation Salvage Shop saves historic homes from landfills

By Lilly Molina

Inside a World War II quonset hut, a building shaped like a silver half-moon, lies two cased doors resting along tall wooden crates. This door sticks out in the Salvage Shop like a sore thumb; it’s the tallest object in the entire shop, but it’s also quite beautiful. The top of the door has a half-circle structure with details on it to look like rays of sun. Besides the fade and chipping of paint, this door remains completely intact and in decent condition. The only thing it was missing is its story.

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LIFESTYLE 9/27/24 8:31am

The Main Line: where community meets artisan’s craft

By Lilly Molina

With the slam of her car door, Amy Wilkinson decided to go for a drive after quitting her job. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she drove aimlessly. She said to herself, ‘What did I do?’ She eventually found herself in Graham — North Main Street — to be exact. Amid her tears and blurry vision, she made out a sign that said “For Rent.” That beacon became The Main Line, an artisan good’s store that Wilkinson opened in 2014 on 134 N Main St. Now, every square inch of The Main Line is decked out in artisan goods.

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LIFESTYLE 9/18/24 11:15pm

Ay! Jarabe Mexicano celebrates border life at Elon University

By Lilly Molina

“Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Maracas shake and the guitarrón strums a tune. This might have been Jarabe Mexicano’s first time in North Carolina, but it got the crowd dancing Sept. 18 in McCrary Theatre. “Ay!” is a grito — or “rallying cry” — that originated in Mexican culture. It is often an interjection singers will say while singing and could be heard Wednesday night at Jarabe Mexicano’s performance. Jeff Clark, executive director of Cultural and Special Programs, was in charge of bringing the band to campus and said he was looking for more than just a mariachi band. 

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NEWS 9/16/24 1:29pm

Jarabe Mexicano band brings border stories to life at Elon University

By Lilly Molina

Mexican folk, reggae, rock and roll and cumbia are some of the genres Jarabe Mexicano plans to play at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 in McCrary Theatre. At the heart of the performance, Jarabe Mexicano sings about their experiences of living at the border. Gustavo Alcoser, the lead singer, said there is a lot that goes on in their show, but at the core, it is their experiences at the border. Jarabe Mexicano visiting Elon’s campus is one of many events hosted for Hispanic Heritage Month which lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

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NEWS 5/13/24 1:26pm

Elon welcomes Alpha Epsilon Phi as 10th sorority chapter

By Lilly Molina

Elon’s Panhellenic council announced the addition of AEPhi, a historically Jewish sorority, on May 13. Alpha Epsilon Phi was founded at Barnard College in 1909. AEPhi has been interested in founding a chapter at Elon for almost 20 years and visited Elon’s campus on May 2 to host an interest meeting. Voting on adding the sorority on campus was held last Tuesday, May 7 during a Panhellenic delegates meeting, but waited until the following Monday to announce the vote. 

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NEWS 5/3/24 10:46am

AEPhi visits Elon, hosts interest meeting

By Lilly Molina

AEPhi, a historically Jewish sorority, visited Elon’s campus on May 2 in order to gauge interest in bringing a chapter to Elon. They hosted an interesting meeting in upstairs Moseley with a little over 20 people in attendance. Junior Natalie Schuver said she has been thinking about bringing and joining a Jewish sorority to Elon since she contacted the student involvement office during her freshman year. Sharon Raphael, National President of AEPhi, also said that Elon has been on their radar for at least 20 years.

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NEWS 4/25/24 10:27am

Elon continues DEI commitments despite national backlash

By Lilly Molina

After a recent national trend of defunding Diversity, Education and Inclusion efforts, Naeemah Clark, associate provost for Academic Inclusive Excellence, wants to ensure Elon’s DEI efforts remain strong. Clark specifically said she is frustrated with institutions such as the University of Florida which are now defunding or taking away DEI departments or initiatives entirely. Last week the UNC Board of Governors Committee voted unanimously to strip away its DEI policies. Some people fear learning about DEI will further the “divide” of this idea of the oppressed v. the oppressor, but when students embrace DEI they can feel empowered, Clark said.

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NEWS 4/24/24 10:49pm

2024 Earth Week keynote speaker offers advice on coping with climate anxiety

By Lilly Molina

Britt Wray, author of “Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in the Age of Climate Anxiety,” spoke to Elon University on April 24 as the 2024 keynote speaker for Earth week. Wray began by linking the idea that major fossil fuel companies, powerful lawyers and lobbyists choose to ignore damages inflicted by businesses. These efforts, according to Wray, have hindered people from taking action to stop them — which Wray deemed a global crime scene. She said by 2070, an estimated 19% of the planet will be inhabitable due to increases in global warming.

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LIFESTYLE 4/23/24 11:07am

Ines Bakery: from street corner to big dreams in every bite

By Lilly Molina

Ines Roets smelled the hints of tobacco on the streets of Calle Ocho in Miami as she sold her empanadas to tobacco rollers and other businesses. With one hand guiding a stroller, her infant son inside, and her other hand holding a cooler filled with savory empanadas, this is where Roets got her start.  Every morning and afternoon Ines returned to Calle Ocho and people couldn’t get enough of her empanadas. This is when she realized there was something special here, so she held onto it. 

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NEWS 4/8/24 9:24pm

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean announces departure

By Lilly Molina

Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean Raghu Tadepalli has announced his departure from deanship after 12 years in the role. His deanship will conclude after the 2024-25 academic year and the university will begin its search for a replacement in fall 2024. This is the sixth senior staff member to leave their position within the past two years. Despite his departure from this role, Tadepalli will be returning in the 2026-27 academic year after a yearlong sabbatical to serve as dean emeritus and special assistant to Elon University President Connie Book.

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NEWS 4/3/24 9:00pm

Elon University launches Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

By Lilly Molina

George Dou, assistant director for the Center of Race Ethnicity Diversity Education, said that the first time he got to explore his Asian roots was during Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Though API Heritage Month is typically celebrated in May, Elon changed the month to April to avoid conflicting with exams and have the opportunity to celebrate it fully. Dou and others within CREDE organized the kick-off event on April 3 at Medallion Plaza. This is the second annual kickoff and Dou said he hopes that API students get a chance to further explore their identities.

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NEWS 3/20/24 11:35am

HealthEU moves toward new wellness center

By Lilly Molina

Elon officials noticed there were different programs dedicated to students' well-being for years, but they were all scattered across campus, Elon University Dean of Students Jana Lynn Patterson said. In August 2022, the University launched HealthEU, Elon University’s health and wellness initiative, to organize those already existing organizations, but also promote them to students. Patterson said HealthEU is not only for students to take advantage of, but also for faculty and staff. The initiative consists of six pillars: community, emotional, physical, financial, purpose and social well-being. Patterson said all of these pillars are interconnected and centralized.

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NEWS 3/8/24 9:54am

Elon becomes largest university contributor to Daffodil Project in US

By Lilly Molina

The Daffodil project is an initiative from Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust and genocide education and awareness organization. With over 900,000 planted, its mission is to plant 1.5 million daffodils across the globe to honor the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust, according to the founder of the Daffodil Project Andrea Videlefsy. The project began in 2010, but the conception of the idea formed in 2008. Elon joined the project as a partner in 2013 and as of 2024 has planted approximately 30,000 bulbs across campus, making Elon its biggest contributor compared to any other university in the country.

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NEWS 3/7/24 11:09am

First-generation LLC hopes to give sense of belonging to Elon University students

By Lilly Molina

Sophomore Carlos Gomez Lopez could have decided to live off campus next year as many upperclassmen chose to do, but instead, he wanted to live in the First Generation Living Learning Community. Lopez moved into Colonnades his freshman year and noticed his peers knew a bit more of what college would be like because their parents had already been in their shoes. Lopez said he felt like he was going in blind because he couldn’t go to his parents for advice. Paula DiBiasio, professor of physical therapy education, will be one of the advisers for the LLC and said she had been working on this idea since 2022.

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NEWS 2/26/24 9:06pm

Elon Town Council votes to open green space to public

By Lilly Molina

Elon's Town Council hosted their second work session of the year, where they unanimously decided to make the green space on North Holt Avenue open to the public in order to bring more people into Elon. Monti Allison, mayor pro tem, said he wanted to open the greenspace — previously a beer garden for Toasty Kettlyst — as a place for special events, such as more beer sales. This in turn would call for the expansion of the social district. Downtown Development Director Jill Weston also announced that Med Deli would be opening Thursday, Feb. 29.

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NEWS 2/12/24 7:54am

Elon University’s Advancing Equity Requirement focuses on bringing diversity into education

By Lilly Molina

Freshman Julia Swartz considered herself to be a fairly open-minded person before coming to Elon. Yet when Swartz decided to take WGS 1100: Sex and Gender Studies course her first semester, she found her perspective challenged in ways she hadn’t considered. WGS 1100 fulfills Elon’s new advancing equity requirement which are classes that help promote diversity, equity and inclusion within an educational setting. Through this course, Swartz said she was exposed to historical and modern feminists from various backgrounds — something she hadn’t learned about until coming to Elon.

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NEWS 2/9/24 10:28am

Elon Law's Flex Program receives approval in Charlotte

By Lilly Molina

Elon Law’s Flex program has gotten the go-ahead by the American Bar Association and The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to begin enrollment. The part-time law program is accepting applications and will welcome in their first cohort in the fall. Dean of Elon Law Zak Kramer said that Elon Law had been thinking about branching out into Charlotte with a law program for a while, but it accelerated last year when they applied to the two law school accreditors over the summer.

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NEWS 1/28/24 1:51pm

Sororities, fraternities gear up for recruitment at Elon University

By Lilly Molina

Lindsey Palazzolo is the recruitment chair for Tri Sigma at Elon University. She said that before COVID, roughly 700 Potential New Members were registered to rush. Though numbers had been down since the pandemic, Palazzolo said she is excited to see numbers rising again. She said this year there are roughly 560 PNMs. The rushing process for sororities happens from Saturday, Jan. 27 to Wednesday, Jan. 31 — Bid Day. According to Palazzolo, so much preparation goes into the recruitment process that she has been planning rush logistics since August 2023.

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