The John L. Georgeo Scholarship has given Jocelyn Gomez ’27 the freedom to explore her interests, gain experience abroad and put her education to work for others.
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Jocelyn Gomez ’27 knew she wanted to study business. She also knew her interest in healthcare wasn’t going away.
When she arrived at Elon, she planned to pursue international financial law. But as she considered her future, she began looking for a way to bring those two interests together. She reached out to department chairs across campus, asking questions about different majors and where they might lead.
A conversation with Professor of Public Health and Human Service Studies Cindy Fair helped her find that connection in public health. Studying its sociocultural dimensions alongside finance offered a path toward healthcare administration, a career she hadn’t previously considered.
For Gomez, the ability to explore that path began with the support that brought her to Elon.
An Odyssey Program Scholar and Business Fellow from Sanford, North Carolina, Gomez receives the John L. Georgeo Scholarship. She credits the scholarship and the Odyssey Program with easing the financial pressure on her family and giving her room to make the most of college.
“I think without that, I don’t even know if Elon could have been an option for me,” she said.
That support shaped more than her decision to attend. It allowed her to consider opportunities based on what she could learn, including an experience abroad supported by an additional Odyssey grant.
“It’s really nice to be able to go to college and just focus on being at college, not to focus about the financials of it,” she said.
Gomez came to Elon after earning an associate degree from Central Carolina Community College while attending Lee Early College. The experience helped her develop study habits, explore possible careers and learn how to seek out resources. At Elon, she continued asking questions and building relationships with people who could help her find her direction.
Her interests came together during an internship with Cura Systems in Singapore. There, she worked with nursing homes transitioning from handwritten records to a digital system.
Gomez helped set up tablets, developed instructions and guided staff through unfamiliar technology. Working with employees from different countries also challenged her to communicate across language barriers and build trust as they learned together.
As the company’s first intern, she had a chance to help shape her role. What began as an unfamiliar assignment became an opportunity to see how business processes and technology could support healthcare work.
“I didn’t ever think I’d be in a technology consulting role, but I really enjoyed it,” she said.
Her time abroad also gave her a clearer sense of herself. While studying in Australia, she began waking early to watch the sunrise and noticed how often people made time to be outside before and after work. She brought that routine back to Charlotte for her next internship, taking morning walks and walking to the office.
The experience helped her become more comfortable on her own and more deliberate about the life she wanted to build.
Back in North Carolina, Gomez applied what she was learning through a practicum with the Alamance County Health Department. Its baby closet provides donated clothing, diapers and wipes to local families. Gomez helped move its handwritten tracking process into a digital format, making information about visits and needed supplies easier to organize.
She has also explored food insecurity closer to campus. Through her PACE job as food justice coordinator in the Office of Environmental and Place-Based Education, Gomez works with Professor of Education Scott Morrison to research how universities help students access meals.
Being part of the Odyssey Program made her aware of the difference financial support can make. It also prompted her to think about students outside the program who might face similar needs. She has researched campus food pantries and meal swipe donation programs, hoping that work can contribute to additional resources at Elon.
Gomez credits mentorship with helping her turn those interests into action. Business Fellows Director Tina Doss has been a consistent source of guidance, while Morrison encouraged her to become more involved in public health.
Those relationships have shaped how she approaches her own roles in admissions and student government. When younger students have questions, she wants to help them find someone who can answer.
“It’s just advocating for yourself and others is the biggest thing that you have to do,” she said.
After two summer internships with EY in Charlotte, Gomez plans to return to the firm full time after graduation. During her most recent internship, she worked with healthcare and life sciences clients, continuing to connect her finance education with her interest in health.
She also found a network of Elon alumni at EY who made time to meet with interns and share advice. As she begins her career, she hopes to help develop more formal mentorship opportunities for interns in tax and audit.
The scholarship that helped Gomez attend Elon gave her the freedom to explore an unexpected direction. The people she met along the way helped her pursue it. Now, she wants to offer that same guidance to students following her.
“I want everyone to succeed, honestly, more than I have,” she said.
Source: www.elon.edu
