Despite how the word “expert” is commonly used in society, by the media, by educators, and maybe by you, the term is not limited to an individual with years of education and practice. An expert can include individuals with an accumulation of knowledge about a specific topic, regardless of what that topic is. While it’s true that most experts in science, math, or art have gone through years of study to master their fields, an expert, more importantly, is anyone with valuable insight into a topic.   

More often than not, students are not considered experts. The assumption is not irrational when looking at the traditional definition of an expert. We are young, we are still learning, and we are building on the work of those who came before us. However, students are experts in other aspects of our lives: we are experts in our own experiences as students, the languages we speak, the organizations we lead, and the communities we help shape. The problem then is not that students lack expertise, but that we have defined expertise too narrowly. When we recognize that knowledge can come from lived experience as well as formal education, we begin to see students not only as learners, but also as experts with valuable perspectives. 

Academic Backgrounds 

All of us have called Elon University our collegiate home, but the varied academic pathways we took to get here afford us a diverse perspective on learning. 

• We bring experiences from not just US public schools, but also performing digital arts magnet school, Christian school, Muslim school, and private school using the UK system.  
• Within those differing experiences, we experienced varied courseloads as well; including but not limited to, IB classes, AP classes, early college classes and programs, and Spanish immersion. 

Moving back to today, here’s where we’re bringing that experience to in higher education: 

• Majors: Finance, Public Health, Computer Science, Sports Management, Media Analytics, Exercise Science, Dance Science, Psychology, English: Creative Writing, Human Service Studies, and Outdoor Leadership and Education 
• Minors: Communications, Biology, Dance, Cybersecurity, Game Design, Anthropology, Business Analytics, Interreligious Studies, Philosophy 

Global and Linguistic Perspectives  

We also have varied geographic roots, global engagement experiences, and linguistic expertise: 

• Geographic roots and homes: Deep community ties stretching across North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Minnesota, and Virginia to international homes in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Guinea 
• Global engagement: Study abroad experience in Ireland, Turkey, Australia, Costa Rica, and upcoming experiences in Florence, New Zealand, Los Angeles, and India 
• Languages: Multilingual fluency navigating spaces in English, Spanish, Krio, and Fula 

Work and Professional Experiences 

We bring a variety of work and entrepreneurship experiences to our collaborations: 

• On-campus student jobs: Moseley front desk and mail room 
• Off campus jobs: Jersey Mike’s and grocery store 
• Teaching and mentorship: After-school program and teaching assistant (elementary art camp) 
• Work-integrated learning: Practicum experience and financial seminar leader 
• Entrepreneurship and business development: Clothing brand creation and management, lip gloss business, day trading, and video editing 

Campus Engagement 

We are active in our campus community: 

• Leadership roles: Positions of leadership we hold at Elon include being President of Phoenix Free Collegiate Recovery, Vice President of Africa Diaspora of Elon, SMART Mentor, Diversity Ambassador, Student Government Association Senator, Viewpoints Fellow, Phoenix Leader, and Teaching and Learning Assistant 
• Organizations and community involvement: Experiences and communities we contribute to and learn from include Elon Honors, Elon College Fellows, Ripple Conference, Writing Center, National Council of Negro Women, Elon Dance Lab, Elon Muslim Society, Odyssey Program, Programming Club, Data Fest Challenge, and over 1,000 hours of service in and around the greater Elon community 

Research Experiences 

We also aren’t novice researchers. 

• Cohorted programs with research requirements: Elon College Fellows, Elon Honors Fellows, Multifaith Scholars 
• Competitive research programs: Lumen Prize, Student Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) 
• CEL Student Scholars research: Neuroaffirming space design (in classrooms and in library study spaces), Learning on Location 
• Conference presentations 

These collective identities and prior experiences shape the cultural capital and expertise we bring to our work with the Center for Engaged Learning’s research seminars. 

About the Authors 

Ben Krasnow and Kaz Kelly (2024-2027 CEL Student Scholars); Amelia Weaver and Sanai Crosby (2025-2028 CEL Student Scholars); and Matthew Cornick, Mariama Jalloh, and Chiebuka Tor (2026- 2029 CEL Student Scholars) are undergraduate students whose diverse academic backgrounds and lived experiences shape their contributions to CEL’s research seminars and student partnership work. 

Learn more about the current Student Scholars.