A desire to help others has always been in Eric Schubert's DNA. It's the motivation that has guided the Elizabethtown College senior and genealogy expert through the busiest times of his Etown experience.

It is what pushed him when Schubert was working up to 25 hours a week on genealogy research cases, juggling 20 clients, multiple press requests, and balancing a full college course load. It was the driving force behind his decision to mentor countless first-generation College students as a Kinesis Peer Academic Advisor in Etown's Momentum program—an aspect of his college experience that Schubert is most proud of.

An emphasis on service is also what compelled him to attend an institution that lives and breathes its Educate For Service mission.

"I think service plays a role in every student's Etown experience, whether they know it or not," Eric shared. "Our professors are saying it all the time. Your work reflects it. The events we have on- and off-campus reflect it. It's a huge part of the campus identity."

As a History major, Eric has combined his passion for service with a passion for genealogy work that began as a hobby when he was only 10-years-old. Through a tireless pursuit for answers and using his knowledge, energy, and talents, Eric estimates that he's solved thousands of cases over the years, ranging from traditional family tree research to helping police crack decades-old cold cases.

In early 2022, Eric was thrust into the national spotlight after helping Pennsylvania State Police solve the murder of 9-year-old Marise Chiverella. By using DNA to run down genetic leads, his efforts eventually helped the Pennsylvania State Police close the book on the 57-year-old cold case.

The story of a then 20-year-old college student playing a key role in solving such a prominent murder case immediately grabbed the nation's attention as Eric was featured on ABC News' Good Morning America, along with national publications such as People Magazine, The New York Times, and Newsweek.

"I never expected my work on the Chiverella case to get the attention that it did," Eric said. "So having opportunities to share more about everything that went into solving the case, and getting justice for Marise and her family, is an honor."

The move to remote learning came as a shock to Caitlin Henning. The news came just a week after spring break of her first year at Etown, and just days before she was to set out on a service trip working with children in Philadelphia as a part of her Occupational Therapy (OT) courses. It also meant participating in volunteer opportunities, a major reason she came to Etown to become an Occupational Therapist, was nearly impossible.

One way that Caitlin found she could still give back to the community and connect with others was by becoming a Blue Jay Ambassador for the Office of Admissions. It helped her to get to know other students outside of her major, while also serving as a source of information, comfort, and assurance to prospective students who were exploring Etown.

Now, as she completes her bachelor's degree and embarks on her fifth year at Etown to pursue her master's in OT, she is looking forward to making up for lost time with service opportunities through organizations like the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA), continuing to share her experiences with prospective students as an Admissions Student Supervisor, and conducting research on treating complex vision deficits in adults, which she'll complete next spring and present as a part of Etown's annual OT Graduate Research Symposium.

When the pandemic forced remote learning during Jason Nazarenus' first year, it kept him from his passion of working with his hands in the engineering classroom and playing the sport he loved as defender for Blue Jays Men's Lacrosse team. However, he optimistically reflects that it prepared him for a highly digital world of remote work and virtual job interviews.

Jason landed an internship at Volvo Group Trucks, located Hagerstown, Md. during his junior year. He credits earning the internship offer to Shaun Martin '13, a fellow Blue Jay student- athlete and engineering major (swimming) who interviewed him and immediately connected over their shared Etown experience.

The internship allowed Jason to work directly on the assembly line at the truck manufacturer, offering the return to working with his hands that he enjoyed so much, while applying the theory he learned at Etown to the job. It even allowed him to develop a tool using CAD software was put into use and now saves the company $40,000 annually in repair costs.

Jason has accepted a position as a Manufacturing Engineer at STULZ Air Technology Systems in Frederick, Md. and will take the foundation of knowledge and experiences he gained while at Etown to do what he loves, albeit in a much different world than when he started.

The pandemic put a lot of things on hold for Jalen Belgrave. As a Student Senator, it brought a halt to the campus programs and events he had been planning. As a member of the Men's Track and Field team, it cut short his spring season. However, he looks back at that time as a critical moment in his Etown experience. The disruption it brought provided him the opportunity to step back and focus on how he could advocate for others.

In 2021, Jalen was awarded the Humanity in Action Fellowship, a prestigious and highly selective international award which gives college students the tools and training to develop an Action Project - an independent venture focused on promoting democratic values within the students' own communities. In collaboration with the Office of Admissions, Jalen began developing a summer program for underrepresented high school students, where they could strengthen their leadership skills while also gaining exposure to what college is like through connecting with faculty, staff, and student mentors.

After a year of planning, the Social and Civic Leadership Academy launched successfully in the summer of 2022. The most rewarding outcome from the program was that going in, roughly 25% of the campers had an interest in attending college. Upon completion, that number grew to 75%. The Academy will return to Elizabethtown College during the summer of 2023.

Jalen has been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania where he will pursue a Master of Science in Social Policy. His goals are to work in the private sector, working for a corporation where he can focus on policies centered around equity and belonging.

As a first-year student, studying abroad was a goal of Laura Cardona. She had applied to and was named and alternate for a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Persian with the plan of learning Farsi in Tajikistan. However, when the COVID-19 became serious that spring, the program went virtual and meant she would not be able to participate. Instead, she pursued a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Internship program where she gained perspective on the importance of language cultural exchange with China.

That internship led to her reapplying for a CLS, this time in Mandarin, and earning the award. In her senior year, she participated in CLS Spark, a program designed during the pandemic to allow American students to study critical languages virtually when they may not have access to language learning on their campuses or the ability to travel overseas. Mandarin is now the fourth language she has studied. She is also proficient in French and fluent in English and Spanish.

Laura has accepted an analyst position at BlackRock, a multi-national investment firm based in New York City with an eye toward applying to law school to study international law.

As the United States and institutions like Elizabethtown College began to ramp up COVID-19 protocols including lockdowns and remote learning, Camilo Arenas' home country of Colombia had already closed its borders to protect against the spread of the virus. So, while most Etown students returned home, he was one of a few who stayed, along with many other international students who didn't have that option. Eventually, several weeks after the closure of campus, he was able to secure an emergency Humanitarian Flight home in April of 2020.

Since high school, Camilo knew he wanted to work in the field of biotechnology but it wasn't until he arrived at Etown that he realized majoring in the sciences didn't allow for many opportunities to work on his communication skills, particularly in his second language of English. That's when he decided to take advantage of Etown's Individualized Major option where he could build his own unique major, Biomedical Research and Communications. This program would incorporate his passion for science while also developing his writing skills. This decision led him to working with Professor of Biology, Jane Cavender, who he credits as a mentor and for getting him involved in the College's Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP). His summer research focused on developing nuanced ways to target harmful cells while avoiding healthy cells during cancer treatment.

Upon graduation this spring, Camilo is looking to translate his education and experience into a job in the U.S. where he can continue to work in a lab and conduct research in service to others.

The pandemic taught Emily Ward a great deal. As an Engineering and Fine Arts double major, adaptability is a large part of both of areas of study. Whether it's taking on complex engineering problems with an adaptive mindset or taking on new and different art mediums, it's a very important skill she took away from her last four years. She also saw it as an opportunity to help.

As the pandemic peaked in the summer of 2020, Emily partnered with faculty in the Engineering Department to fabricate face shields using her personal 3D printer and assembled cloth masks which were added to the College's supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to students during the fall 2021 semester.

Since adding on her Fine Arts major in her sophomore year, Emily has enjoyed the challenge of finding ways to intertwine her perceived contrasting majors. The summer after her junior year she took on a Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP) Project working in both the Bollman Fabrication lab and the Steinman Art Studio, researching laser cutting technology with ceramic, sculpture, printmaking applications.

Upon graduation, Emily wants to pursue a Ph.D. in Fine Arts with the ultimate plan to become an art professor.