Fall 2025, Volume 50, Number 3
Features
Meredith College Launches New Academic Programs in Data Sciences
New Offerings Help Students Meet Changing Workforce Needs
By Rocio Antelis
As of the fall 2025 semester, Meredith College offers majors in Statistical and Data Sciences and Data Analytics. Data science and data analytics are growing career fields as data has become more integrated into our daily lives.
Giving Day 2026 | 2.24.26
Make It Count for Meredith | 24 Hour Giving Challenge | Our Goal: $1.5 Million
On February 24, 2026, Let’s Make It Count for Meredith! Mark your calendar to make a gift to support students.
Go Avenging Angels. Go Meredith.
How Investing in Athletics Supports the Future of Meredith College
By Melyssa Allen
In September, Meredith College held a ribbon-cutting for its newest athletics facility. The Estes-Speight Family Athletic Center is visible evidence of the growth and success of Meredith’s Avenging Angels athletics.
Your Gifts Matter at Meredith
How Fundraisers Work with Donors
By Emily Parker
Every gift to Meredith – large or small – has an impact. From scholarships to facility improvements and new programs, each donor’s choice of where to give aligns with Meredith’s needs, helping the College continue to grow and thrive.
Are you a Meredith alumna who owns a business?
The Office of Alumnae Relations is seeking to provide the Meredith community with a list of STRONG alumnae business owners from all over the country in a wide variety of industries.
News
By Melyssa Allen
Meredith College welcomed new students on its annual Move-In Day on Saturday, Aug. 16, and approximately 417 new students, including first-time freshmen and transfer students, were enrolled when the new academic year began on August 20.
By Melyssa Allen
A new book called The Feather Detective tells the story of Meredith College alumna Roxie Collie Laybourne, a trailblazing woman who was the world’s first forensic ornithologist.
Alumnae Reunion Weekend
Save the Date • May 15-17, 2026
Join us on campus in May to relive your Meredith Days! All alumnae are invited to attend Alumnae Reunion Weekend, and classes ending in a six or one will be celebrating a special class reunion.
By Rocio Antelis
Students in the Spring 2025 Honors colloquium course, Data Storytelling for Societal Impact, created a guidebook on data storytelling for nonprofit organizations.
By Emily Parker
Meredith College mourned the loss of Dorothy “Dot” Loftin Goodwin, ’47, former caretaker of the Meredith class doll collection, who died on June 29, 2025, at age 98.
By Melyssa Allen
Meredith College was a filming location for A Good Fight, an upcoming movie produced by White Lightning Studios this summer. The film production is the start of a new partnership between Meredith and the North Carolina-based studio.
By Emily Parker
On Move-In Day, Meredith’s Office of Alumnae Relations started a new tradition by hosting a legacy pinning ceremony and reception. The event celebrated students whose mothers or grandmothers attended Meredith. In this first year, current legacy students who are sophomores, juniors, and seniors were invited to attend, along with new first-year students and transfers.
By Melyssa Allen
Meredith College’s AACSB accreditation was reaffirmed in May 2025. AACSB International is recognized worldwide as the highest standard of quality for business education.
Show Your Pride with a Meredith License Plate
It is a great way for North Carolina drivers to show their Meredith pride wherever they drive and to promote the College to future Angels.
By Melyssa Allen
Meredith College is expanding its accelerated degree options with a new program that will allow the completion of an undergraduate and graduate degree in just five years.
By Melyssa Allen
Each summer for the past 25 years, the Meredith campus has served as the host campus for North Carolina Governor’s School East. The College welcomed the 2025 participants on June 22 for the four-week program.
Angel Adventures: Meredith College Travel Program
California Wine & Wonders Tour | July 8-17, 2026
Explore the Golden State with Meredith Alumnae and Friends
By Melyssa Allen
Two recent graduates of Meredith College, Aniston Sennett, ’25, and Claire Jacoby, ’24, have been selected for prestigious Fulbright programs. Sennett is participating in the Binational Business Program in Mexico, while Jacoby received a Fulbright Research Award to Italy.
By Melyssa Allen
The Meredith College community was saddened by the loss of Kevin Walker, director of the Print & Copy Center, who passed away in July. He was a longtime staff member who also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Avenging Angels basketball team.
2025 Christmas Ornament
$30 | Available Now
Limited quantity available. Sales runs through December 1 or while supplies last. Pick-up and shipping options available.
Newsmakers
Patty Blackwell, a staff member in Meredith’s Facilities Services, was a guest speaker at Durham County’s inaugural Women Veterans Recognition Day Celebration on June 12, 2025. Isaac Johnson, Military Board Director for Congresswoman Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), presented certificates of Special Congressional Recognition to Blackwell and two other guest speaker veterans. Blackwell, who served in the U.S. Air Force, is the co-chair of Meredith’s Honoring Women Veterans committee, which organizes the College’s annual Veterans Day service.
Dr. Lynn Owens, Associate Professor of Communication, was a recipient of the Television Academy’s 2025 Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship, created in honor of the late “Jeopardy!” host. The Academy sent Owens to Los Angeles to attend the Media Educators Conference in October 2025. During the conference, educators learned from media professionals, creators, and top Hollywood executives about the latest trends and skills in the industry.
Professor Emerita Fran Page received the Raleigh Youth Choir’s Bob Goodale Noteworthy Service Award in recognition of her work as a music educator and visionary creator of the Capital City Girls Choir. The award was presented during the annual Raleigh Youth Choir Gala, which took place on Friday, April 11, at the MacGregor Downs Country Club. Page was the inaugural recipient of the Goodale Award.
Meredith’s Sports Sciences Association was featured in the summer issue of Kinesiology Today. The student organization received the 2025 National Undergraduate Student Group Impact Award from the American Kinesiology Association. The purpose of the organization is to promote and enhance kinesiology as a unified field of study and advance its many applications.
Have You Joined Meredith Mentors?
Are you trying to connect with graduates who are in your field? Are you looking to launch a new career or business or thinking about returning to school and needing some advice or guidance? Meredith Mentors may just be the tool you need.
Strong Stories
Serena Danieli, ’25
Expressing Personal & Cultural Stories Through Fashion
“I’ve been surrounded by fashion my whole life. My mom is a designer, so creativity and style have always been part of my world.
Growing up in a small town, I wasn’t exposed to the many ways fashion could become a career, so I initially planned to major in business and keep fashion as a side passion. But after taking my first design courses at Meredith, I quickly realized how much I loved translating ideas into garments. I fell in love with the process, especially the way fashion gives me a way to express personal and cultural stories. I knew I didn’t just want fashion to be part of my life – I wanted it to be my future.”
Need to Order a Class Ring? Repair a Ring?
In March 2024, Meredith College began a new partnership with Balfour & Co. to produce the College class rings, graduation products, and regalia. Students and alumnae can expect artisan craftsmanship and excellent customer service from both the company and our campus representative.
Making an Impact.
Alumnae Connection
Show Your Meredith Spirit Year-Round
Looking for a unique gift for an Angel in your life? Need to refresh your Meredith gear? Head to the campus store! Shop in-person or online and
check back often – we’re getting new arrivals all the time!
By Rocio Antelis
Perseverance led Amy Brown, ’00, to serve as a U.S. Army sergeant major, one of the highest military ranks and one only a few women have earned.
Honor Roll
By Rocio Antelis
Mary Hemphill, ’05, is limitless. As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, she began her career as a third-grade teacher after graduating from Meredith College.
Alumnae Referral Program
As a proud Meredith alumna, you’ve experienced the value of a strong education. Now, you can help the next generation discover it too. Invite the college-bound women in your life to attend our upcoming visitation days – where they’ll connect with the Meredith community, ask questions, and envision their future.
Meredith Magazine
Volume 50, Number 3
Fall 2025
Kristi Eaves-McLennan, '14, MBA
Executive Editor
Melyssa Allen
Managing Editor
Emily Parker
Writer
Vanessa Harris
Art Director
Katie Bryant, '07
Senior Graphic Designer
Charlotte Claypoole McKinney
Videographer and Photographer
Zorah Olivia
Videographer and Photographer
Liza Bunce
Web Designer and Developer
Rocio Antelis
Writer
Hilary Allen, '01
Alumnae Connection Editor
Photographers:
Marissa De La Cruz, ’21
Flyboy Photo & Media
Matthew Lester Photography
Abbey Marie Photography
Charlotte Claypoole McKinney
Zorah Olivia
Marc Ridel Creative
Meredith College Students, Faculty & Staff
Kristi Eaves-McLennan, ’14, MBA
Executive Editor
Melyssa Allen
Managing Editor
Emily Parker
Writer
Hilary Allen, ’01
Alumni Connection Editor
Vanessa Harris
Art Director
Charlotte Claypoole McKinney
Videographer and Photographer
Zorah Olivia
Videographer and Photographer
Katie Bryant, ’07
Senior Graphic Designer
Liza Bunce
Web Designer and Developer
Rocio Antelis
Writer
Photographers:
Marissa De La Cruz, ’21
Flyboy Photo & Media
Matthew Lester Photography
Abbey Marie Photography
Charlotte Claypoole McKinney
Zorah Olivia
Marc Ridel Creative
Meredith College Students, Faculty & Staff