For a fall 2006 senate meeting, then SGA executive officers, secretary Sarah Schupp, president Michael Bumbry, treasurer Garrett Kachellek and vice president David Morrow thank Alan Woodlief, associate dean of the Elon School of Law, for speaking to the senate. The senate traveled to the law school for a special meeting.

Bumbry has made a name for himself at Elon, known for his prominent two year role as Student Government Association president. When he came to Elon he could not have imagined his time here to be as great as it was.

In fact, it was only by chance that Bumbry came to Elon. After deferrance from his number one choice, his high school adviser suggested Elon and Bumbry applied to appease him. He is not entirely sure what won him over about the school.

“I think it was the warm welcome you get, honest people always smiling,” Bumbry said. He also credits his first tour guide, Ryan Turner ’05, who made the school look great. There was just a feeling of genuineness that other schools lacked.

“I took a chance because I liked high school, but I wanted to challenge myself and not be stuck in the high school mentality,” he said. He knew no one from his school had ever gone to Elon, and it was quite different from the schools most of his high school peers went to.

Bumbry has never regretted the decision.

“I don’t think I could have expected to be as fortunate as I have,” Bumbry said.

When he arrived at college, Bumbry expected to be involved, but not to the extent that he has been. Bumbry was freshman class vice president, sophomore class president and SGA executive president for his junior and senior years. He had planned a steady incline, with the possibility of executive president his senior year, but when an opportunity came up to run when he was only a sophomore, he took it.

“Though I had reservations, I thought I could do it. Two terms allowed me to have more influence and stability,” Bumbry said. He said it was very intimidating to run as a sophomore because it is not a job you want to mess up.

Bumbry enjoyed the opportunities that the position of SGA president gave him to interact with people. He called his position a conversation starter, which helped lead to discussion about campus issues. He enjoyed the interaction with students, faculty and staffmembers the most. He realizes how few people get some of the opportunities that he has had, such as talking to 1,200 students at convocation.

Thankful for the opportunities he had to influence change, he credits the SGA organization as a whole. As an organization under his leadership, it has influenced changes in meal plans, homecoming, safety and more. Personally and internally, Bumbry believes he has created a level of consistency through his two-year term.

Bumbry has tried to speak out about not only community issues, but social issues as well.

“I think people have begun to reevaluate their previous conceptions of gay people,” Bumbry said. “Changing perceptions happens at all colleges, but it helps to have a face to associate it with.”

He said Elon is different and that at another college you wouldn’t see on a day to day basis what you see here. People are so segregated in social circles, but he is happy to transcend social norms.

“I hope I have been able to give perspective interacting in the social circles while still being myself and not having to conform,” he said.

Along with SGA, Bumbry was also involved with Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, reseidence life as a resident adviser, the Service Learning Community, an admissions counselor and Moseley Center staff.

Bumbry is a broadcast communications major and psychology minor, but does not plan to go into either field. After completing an internship, he found he was not really passionate about broadcast

communications.

“You really need to have a passion because you’re always on the go, constantly committed,” Bumbry said. “I didn’t have that level of commitment.”

However, communications is good to know, no matter what career you choose, and Bumbry hopes his studies at Elon will help him in future endeavors.

In the fall he will attend N.C. State University pursuing a graduate degree in Higher Education Administration.

The program trains students to work at the collegiate level as a professional staffer, in things like counseling, mentoring and advising. He is excited to have a career where he is constantly around young people and has the chance to help shape identities.

His passion for higher education came from his interaction with the professional staff. Dr. Jana Lynn Patterson, associate dean of students and SGA adviser, was a mentor to him. She was always straightforward with him, whether he liked the response or not.

“I really look up to her like a second mother,” Bumbry said.

Dr. Connie Book, associate dean of the school of communications and Bumbry’s adviser, has also influenced his time here. She was always willing to write recommendations, gave honest opinions and looked out for his best interests.

“She knows what she’s doing, I really respect her,” he said.

He has had so many good experiences in his four years, he cannot just pick one as the best.

“I have no regrets. I am more confident in myself, I don’t hold back if I feel like something is good for me in respect to others,” he said. “Things happen for a reason, even if it’s a bad one it’s an experience.”

To his fellow students who are not graduating, Bumbry said. “Take advantage of every single second here at Elon. It goes by so fast. Be yourself and have fun; there is no other time to explore and have fun in a massive setting where you can try new things.”

He will miss the relationships and day-to-day interactions and even though he will only be a few hours away, it will never be the same.

He is also a youth member of the Board of Trustees for two years, so he will still be around. He will miss all he connections he made with people, many of which are life-long.

“I hope everyone in the Class of 2007 lived happy prosperous lives,” Bumbry said. “It’s been a great meeting all of you. Even if we never met, we still identify as a class and all had similar experiences.”

“I came to college confused about myself,” Bumbry said. “While I don’t have all my answers, I did learn so much more about who I am, my strengths and weaknesses, because of my time at Elon.”