Cheri Elkin

Cheri Elkin was nominated by Dr. Fara Elikai, associate professor of accountancy, who said “Cheri is one of the best students in the Cameron School of Business. Her classroom performance has been both consistent and outstanding. She is a person who can be counted on to perform without the need for constant supervision.”

Cheri is a 46-year-old accounting major who currently maintains a 3.9 GPA. She is a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda, a National Honor Society for Adult Learners in Continuing Higher Education at UNCW. She was also inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, a National Business Honorary which recognizes students possessing high scholarship and good character, and is the highest scholastic honor a student in the Cameron School of Business can achieve. In addition, she was named to the Dean’s List in 2003 and 2004. However, Cheri feels that her greatest achievements at UNCW have been earning straight A’s for three semesters in a row and getting an A in Dr. Robert Burrus’s macroeconomic’s class.

Despite all of her successes, Cheri also acknowledges some challenges that she has faced as a non-traditional student. “Group projects are a hassle for me. It’s hard to try to fit in when you are usually the oldest person in the class and this usually includes the professor. Studying isn’t easy for an older person. We want to strive for very good grades and yet it seems to take longer to learn things.”

Cheri has also faced one very unique challenge due to her age. “I walked onto UNCW’S tennis team 3 years ago. I had to fight the NCAA for my right to participate on the team as a 44 year old. I made the team and played for two years and won the award for the most doubles wins with my partner my first year. Being an athlete at UNCW in my forties was a pretty challenging thing to do. But I had a good time and I learned what my daughter had to go through when she played tennis and tried to get good grades. Sports take a lot of work and then you have to do your school work as well.”

Cheri made quite an impression as an athlete at UNCW. She received both the CAA Commissioners Academic Award and the Golden Seahawk Academic Award in 2003 and 2004. Her participation in collegiate athletics as a non-trad also served as an inspiration to opposing coaches. “One coach in particular told me that after he saw me out there trying to compete with all those young athletes, he decided he wasn’t too old to try to play the piano. He is now taking lessons and having fun and he’s older than me!”

When asked about faculty and staff who have been helpful or responsive to her needs as a non-trad, Cheri said, “All of my professors have been very helpful. Colleen Kolb, the academic advisor with the Cameron School of Business, has been extremely helpful to me in the last three years.”

Cheri also wanted to recognize her family for their help and support along her journey. “The most important person has been my husband, Tim. He went to every tennis match and most of the practices and continues to encourage me with my studies. I’m sure that he will be as proud when I graduate, and he will be relieved that there won’t be any more tests to help me study for,” she says. “I would also like to thank my kids for encouraging me.” (Her son is a senior at UNCW and her daughter is in graduate school at Clemson University.) “They also supported me when I was playing on the tennis team. I would also like to thank my Mom and my five brothers and sisters and many relatives who supported me while I was playing tennis.”

Cheri would also like to thank Dr. Elikai for nominating her. She jokingly says, “He’s just glad I’ll be graduating in the spring so I can’t bother him anymore!”

Cheri’s words of wisdom for other non-trads are, “It has been a lot of work but we will get through it. You need to ask for help when it’s needed and just do the best you can.”

After graduation, Cheri will travel to Clemson University to watch her daughter graduate with a Master’s degree in Chemistry. Other than that, she has not made any other plans for the future.

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The Seahawk Perch congratulates Cheri Elkin as our October 2004 Non-Trad of the Month!