Being from Ohio, the first bold step in her plan was choosing to attend Auburn University despite knowing little about the school other than what she gathered through her own research and during her high school visit.

Silverthorn, now a current senior in the College of Human Sciences majoring in apparel merchandising (APME) and minoring in business, had zero family connections to Auburn and said she was one of just a few students from her high school that chose to attend college outside the state of Ohio.

“Obviously you hear a lot of fashion programs based out of New York and some others, but I’ve always wanted to go somewhere down here, just for a change of environment to experience something new,” said Silverthorn. “Looking through southern schools, Auburn obviously had a very good program for apparel, so I was drawn to it. I came to visit, and it was incredible, and I didn’t look back.”

What Silverthorn was clear on from the beginning was the field of study she wanted to pursue and that’s where the College of Human Sciences and the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences come into play.

“What led me to fashion was when I was around middle school age, I was watching shows like Pretty Little Liars and Hannah Montana where you can really see the character’s personality through what they’re wearing,” said Silverthorn. “That’s what really sparked my attention, and that led me to wanting to do more styling and fashion-type things. When I was looking into college, that’s really the only thing that interested me and I felt super passionate about. Just being able to help people express themselves through what they’re wearing.”

Once arriving as a freshman at Auburn, Silverthorn wasted no time getting involved within the College of Human Sciences by joining the Apparel Merchandising & Design Association (AMDA) fashion club and assisting with The Fashion Event that spring. Her achievements and involvement would only grow from there.

While Silverthorn believed she had her heart set on studying apparel merchandising, there was a brief period where she started second guessing if it was a realistic career path she could pursue. An opportunity that arose in May 2025 helped reaffirm her commitment to apparel merchandising and fashion.

“I was up in the air about whether this career was realistic or not. It’s so competitive and it can be such a hard market to get into,” said Silverthorn. “I ended up switching my major for one semester, hated it, and went right back to apparel merchandising. As soon as I switched back, I got an email about applications being due for the New York Study Tour. I reached out to the professor, and I asked if there was any way that I could get into the tour? That just felt like the moment for me when I realized okay, I’m going all in on this. This is what I’m going to do once I get accepted to the study tour.”

Once accepted, the five-day trip in May further reassured Silverthorn that the College of Human Sciences and apparel merchandising was where she needed to be.

“I went on that New York Study Tour with Dr. Amrut Sadachar along with about 20 students and that was incredible,” said Silverthorn. We toured everything about the industry. There were a bunch of different appointments that we attended to meet different people in the industry. We met with people that worked in different sections of our industry, like PR, designing and styling. I knew when I was on that trip that this is what I wanted to do.”

Serving as a visual merchandising intern in New York City in the summer of 2025, Silverthorn assisted with a variety of things and worked with a different team member for each week of the internship.

“I would help with the showroom presentation, taking it down and putting it back up and helping when different buyers came in under different appointments for what they were specifically looking for,” said Silverthorn. “I got to go on store visits and most importantly, I got to sit in on a lot of meetings and just watch and write notes on what their everyday life looks like, and how I could see myself in that situation.”

Her other daily responsibilities included working on month-long projects, helping with different launches and making companywide presentations that taught her to put a lot of precision into the work she was doing.

While ultimately Silverthorn landed the amazing internship at Giorgio Armani, her dedication and perseverance were a big reason for it as she applied to 178 internships in all, and it wasn’t until seeing the Giorgio Armani internship opportunity late one night scrolling on LinkedIn where she decided to apply.

That decision to apply at the last minute led to one of her favorite Auburn memories being the day she found out she got the Giorgio Armani internship.

“When I got my Armani internship that day was really, really special, because I just didn’t believe it,” said Silverthorn. “It was hard applying for those internships. Late one night at about 3 o’clock in the morning after I had just gotten rejected from a really good internship, I was just scrolling trying to find something. I saw the Armani one, applied to it and then, a week later, I heard back. After a few interviews I ended up getting it, and it was just so rewarding. I’d been so discouraged from the whole process before, and then for it all to pay off and be able to move to New York and live there for three months was my dream to get to do visual merchandising at a luxury company like that.”

For Silverthorn, she credits the College of Human Sciences and the apparel merchandising program and classes for preparing her for the internship.

“What Auburn and the APME program have helped me a lot with is we do a ton of group projects, and you’re rarely ever working on a project by yourself,” said Silverthorn. “All of the different team members under the Giorgio Armani visual merchandising department, they all have their own tasks, but at the end of the day, they are getting put into the same slide deck or in the same meeting, so I got to work really closely with everybody in the department, which was super cool to just complete all the tasks, and that’s very similar to what we do in a lot of our fashion classes.”

Silverthorn provides valuable campus and consumer insights directly to the Champion® team, shaping products aligned with Auburn’s culture and identity.

“The EMBER program is more based on the forecasting and trend-setting side of our industry,” said Silverthorn. “For example, some of the tasks that I’ve been given, they ship me clothing or accessories and then I take pictures of how I would style them. Girls my age especially are doing the majority of online shopping right now, so it’s nice for Champion to know what designs they should be putting out, making sure that they are following the right trends for their next launch.”

Prior to graduating in May, Silverthorn was the recipient of the CHS Study Travel Scholarship that she used to attend the 2026 London Fashion Tour March 7-15.

Having never been out of the country before, she was beyond excited about the opportunity.

“I am really interested in the different trends to see how it’s different over in London,” said Silverthorn. “I’ve heard a lot of different things about how Europeans catch onto the trends like six months before America, so I’m just interested to see how it’s different. I don’t even really know what to expect, but I’m excited.”

Overall, Silverthorn credited several specific classes and her experiences in New York City for helping shape her solid college experience in the College of Human Sciences. Along with that, she was very appreciative of Dr. Annette Burnsed, senior lecturer and apparel merchandising internship coordinator, in the Department of Consumer & Design Sciences.

“Dr. Burnsed has done the most for me and you can really tell she just cares about her students,” said Silverthorn. “When I was searching for my internship, I would go into her office all the time and ask her what she thought about things and she was always 100% down to help. She’s definitely been very, very, influential to me during my time at Auburn.”

Burnsed was extremely complimentary of Silverthorn and emphasized she’s more than ready for a career in the apparel industry.

“Gracie is truly an exceptional student. She brings a positive attitude, strong work ethic and genuine enthusiasm into everything she does,” said Burnsed. “She consistently seeks out opportunities to grow, approaches challenges with professionalism and determination and sets a wonderful example for her peers. Her accomplishments reflect both her commitment and her readiness for the industry.”

Lastly, when reflecting on her time at Auburn and when asked what advice she would give to an incoming freshman wishing to pursue a degree in apparel, Silverthorn said the main thing is getting involved and take advantage of opportunities you are given.

“I would say, if this is what you’re passionate about, do everything you can to be as successful as possible, because it’s such a competitive industry, and you’re not going to get a competitive job, or your dream job, if you do the bare minimum and just go through the classes and do just what you’re assigned to do,” said Silverthorn. “If you don’t take those opportunities, make connections, meet people and really show an effort, then you’re not going to be successful in the industry. It really is a major where you must take what you’re given and explore on it rather than just completing the assignment for the grade.”

After graduating from Auburn, Silverthorn ultimately would love to go back to New York City to start her career but she’s keeping her options open and has a goal of working in visual merchandising or a showroom.

With more than a decade of experience in the global fashion industry before entering academia, Wu understands not only how to design functional apparel prototypes, but also how to move them toward scalable production and real-world implementation.

“Because I worked in the fashion industry for 11 years, I know how to transfer prototypes into mass production,” she said. “As both a scholar and educator, I want to prepare students to lead the next generation of technology-driven apparel design innovation.”

Wu is an up-and-coming researcher at Auburn’s Department of Consumer & Design Sciences (CADS). Her research focuses on developing technology-integrated wearable apparel systems that address the needs of populations often overlooked by traditional product development, such as patients, people with disabilities, aging adults and labor-intensive occupational groups.

One of Wu’s most visible research initiatives focuses on the development of textile-based biosensing underwear for menstrual health management among individuals with disabilities and their caregivers.

The design integrates adaptive construction with conductive textile sensors that detect moisture changes and trigger alerts when a product change is needed, addressing a critical physical and emotional burden identified by caregivers. Long-term, she would like to utilize biosensors to collect sodium, glucose, pH and body temperature measurements to track wearers’ health and perhaps even predict cancer.

Wu is not working on this project alone; she collaborates with colleagues Young-A Lee, Under Armour Professor and head of CADS, and Pengyu Chen, the Francis Family Associate Professor in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Their teamwork combines Lee’s expertise in design technologies and practices, Chen’s extensive experience in biomedical sensor technology and Wu’s adaptive apparel background, and their collaborative research is gaining growing attention.

The trio recently received a Research Support Program grant from Auburn’s Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Development, which has allowed them to apply for external funding. They also won first place in last summer’s Launch Your Societal Impact! Program — a six-week workshop hosted by the College of Sciences and Mathematics and New Venture Accelerator that brought together a dozen interdisciplinary teams to explore how research can translate into real-world solutions.

Beyond textile-based biosensors, Wu’s research portfolio also includes integrating motion sensors and eye-tracking systems into clinical training garments for medical education. She is currently collaborating on the development of a sensor-integrated clinical training suit designed to help young physicians practice patient handling in trauma simulations.

“There are some reports that there’s a gap in physician training for safe patient positioning,” she said. “A smart training suit could be used to help young physicians learn to place a patient in the bed so they won’t hurt themselves, and it could also incorporate motion capture, respiration/electrocardiography and eye tracking technology.”

Another area of her work focuses on occupational health. Wu is exploring multi-sensor smart clothing to monitor the health of Alabama’s agricultural workers. She sees this work as part of a larger pipeline connecting research innovation, industry application and educational training.

At the same time, Wu’s classroom teaching mirrors her research mission. She has received two grants from Auburn’s Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning: a Daniel F. Breeden Grant to introduce 3D body-scanning technologies in the classroom, allowing students to translate human form into digital design environments, and an AUX: Immersive Learning Experiences grant to develop virtual reality fashion presentation environments, enabling students to showcase digital garments in simulated runways, bridging design, technology and professional practice.

Though she’s been at Auburn for less than two years, Wu is already building relationships in the community, having worked with East Alabama Health and Auburn’s Regional Autism Network to survey families of people with disabilities about apparel-based solutions that could make their lives life easier. Whatever she does in the future, Stephen Erath, Human Sciences’ associate dean of research, knows Wu will have a huge impact.

“When you look at Dr. Wu’s work, you will clearly see her compassion and commitment to health and well-being, her creative and interdisciplinary approach to problems and her rigorous and technologically sophisticated process for testing and improving solutions,” he said.

Arnold’s recent transformational gift to the College of Human Sciences is among the largest single gifts in the history of the college. While Arnold has chosen to give back to Auburn in several different ways in the past — providing support for general academic scholarships, Tigers Unlimited and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering — the College of Human Sciences stood out because of its grand vision for the future and the pursuit of excellence for current and prospective students.

“When you think about the impact that Auburn’s had on my family, and specifically on me, I’m not sure there’s another place throughout life’s journey that I experienced such a transformation and such an opportunity than while I was a student at Auburn,” said Arnold. “We’ve been incredibly blessed with the opportunity to invest. I call it investing, because my thinking is it’s going to hopefully be the seeds of something much greater in the future, in the way that Auburn stewards it.”

Although Arnold loves his alma mater and is a huge supporter of Auburn University, there was a time in his life he didn’t yell “War Eagle.”

“I grew up in a family that was multiple generations of University of Alabama graduates, and I was actually a huge Alabama fan growing up,” said Arnold. “I didn’t miss a football game at Legion Field from 1971 to 1982.”

However, Arnold’s stepdad was an Auburn alumnus, and he remembers getting his first taste of Auburn while visiting with his stepdad and thinking the campus was quaint and appealing.

When it came time to choose where he would attend college, Arnold chose Auburn to pursue an engineering degree and joined his older sister who started school at Auburn two years prior.

“When I was a freshman, my stepsister transferred to Auburn so all three of us in that generation were at Auburn,” Arnold said. “After that, my sister had a son that went to Auburn, and my stepsister had a daughter that graduated from Auburn and has a current junior at Auburn. And finally, two out of my three kids ended up going to Auburn. So, we’ve transferred the power from Alabama to Auburn in the family, and that’s been a really cool transformation that’s occurred.”

Present day, Arnold is the former president and chief executive officer of LPL Financial, a leading retail investment advisory firm that serves and supports independent financial advisors and institutions. He served as CEO from January 2017 until October 2024 and in all, has more than 30 years of industry experience.

As Arnold reflects on his incredibly successful career, he can’t help but link the success back to Auburn where he was given an incredible education and a foundation that he hopes future students in the College of Human Sciences can reach similar goals and dreams after attending Auburn.

“Looking back, I could not have envisioned that an entrepreneurial opportunity to transform and grow a small firm would create a pathway to eventually becoming the CEO of a publicly traded $25 billion market cap company,” said Arnold. “Who would have ever thought that? That pathway wasn’t even on my radar when I left Auburn. But I think the foundation that Auburn gave me and the willingness to continue to learn, grow and transform myself multiple times over a professional career led to those wonderful, unique opportunities. Going forward, I feel very responsible for taking that wonderful privilege and invest-ing in others to help them along that type of journey.”

Arnold’s relationship with the College of Human Sciences formed over the last decade. In that time frame, he was able to learn the overall vision from Dean Susan Hubbard for the future of the college that trickled all the way down to understanding the passion the students have for their respective majors and seeing their incredible talents.

“Dan Arnold’s generous gift comes at a time of unprecedented growth and forward movement for the College of Human Sciences,” said Hubbard. “Our college is advancing on every front — with innovative programs and groundbreaking research, all while looking ahead to a new, state-of-the-art facility that will transform the way we teach, learn and connect. As dean, I am grateful for Dan’s gift and his commitment to changing lives. This donation will have a lasting impact on our students, faculty, and staff as we continue to shape the future of human sciences.”

One of the most exciting future developments will be the construction of the Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility, the future home of the College of Human Sciences. The new four-story, 138,000-square-foot facility will bring together the college’s academic programming, classes, labs and offices under one roof and is scheduled to open its doors prior to the 2027 fall semester.

Arnold’s gift to the College of Human Sciences supports that new facility, as well as providing an endowed professorship, scholarship opportunities and programmatic support within the college.

In the end, Arnold made it clear that this gift is in no way about him and he wholeheartedly believes his investment is a sustainable commitment that will truly make a difference in the college now and well into the future.

Galbraith devoted a large majority of her life to education — where she began as a teaching assistant and research fellow at Purdue University in 1947. Following stints at the University of Illinois and the University of Tennessee mainly working with textiles and teaching clothing courses, Galbraith made her way to the Plains.

Beginning in 1970, Galbraith served as a professor and head of the Department of Consumer Affairs until 1973. Her largest impact with the College of Human Sciences came from 1973-1985 when she served as dean.

With a stellar background in chemistry research, Galbraith helped elevate the then School of Home Economics that offered 11 programs of study across three departments at the time — the Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Family and Child Development and the Department of Nutrition and Foods.

Consumer and Design Sciences Department Head Emerita Dr. Carol Warfield worked closely with Galbraith at the University of Illinois and at Auburn University. When Warfield took a position as assistant professor in Auburn’s Department of Consumer Affairs she reconnected with Galbraith, who had moved from Department Head of Consumer Affairs to Dean of the School of Home Economics.

Warfield praised Galbraith’s mentorship skills for both students and faculty members alike.

“Dr. Galbraith exemplified the best in mentorship — she followed, supported, encouraged and led her graduate students and faculty to always strive for the best, reaching for the top,” said Warfield. “She followed her former graduate students throughout their careers, quietly cheering them on to continued success.”

In an era when home economics programs around the country faced being disbanded to cut costs, Auburn was looked upon as a leader thanks to the vision and lofty goals set by Galbraith and then experienced continued growth in the decades to follow under Henton, and now Susan Hubbard.

“Ruth Galbraith devoted 15 extraordinary years to shaping the College of Human Sciences with a vision that kept us at the forefront of our field and positioned generations of students and faculty for success,” said current College of Human Sciences Dean Susan Hubbard. “Even after her formal service, she remained a constant champion of this college, offering encouragement, wisdom and unwavering support even beyond the age of 100. Her legacy is woven into who we are today, and we are profoundly grateful for a life so fully dedicated to advancing human sciences and uplifting our community.”

Dr. Ian Hardin, a 1965 Auburn alumnus, was offered a textile chemistry position within the school and then later, he was offered the position of department head of Consumer Affairs once Galbraith was selected to become dean of the School of Home Economics in 1973, and he spoke of the great working relationship they held after first meeting in 1971.

“I always had a very good relationship with Dr. Galbraith and admired how she had overcome several major obstacles in her career,” said Hardin. “She did her Ph.D. in chemistry at a time when this was very unusual for a woman. I know that she was very proud of being a mentor to the likes of Carol Warfield, Barbara Stowe and Kay Obendorf; all became nationally known as distinguished textile scientists. I am very grateful to Dean Galbraith for the opportunities that she provided me that helped me mature into a fairly well-rounded and effective faculty member.”

Throughout her distinguished career, Galbraith earned multiple accolades and served on several distinguished committees and organizations.

Some of her career accomplishments include earning the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who for her leadership in the fields of higher education and academic administration in 2019, serving as an elected fellow of the American Institute of Chemists and past president of the Alabama Home Economics Association, a longtime member and section chairman of the American Home Economics Association, a 1984 Outstanding Home Economist Award recipient, a Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue University in 1970, among many others.

Born in Lecompte, LA, in 1923, Galbraith grew up on a farm in a small town in central Indiana. Outside of her academic career, Galbraith loved gardening, traveling and was an avid reader.

Associate Professor Emerita Dr. Mary Ann Potter, who taught interior design and furnishings and worked with Galbraith for years, fondly remembers how every Christmas Galbraith would bake fruitcake loaves and gift one to each faculty member.

Following retirement, Galbraith enjoyed seeing the world, taking several cruises and continued to call Auburn home.

At 99-years-old, 1948 Auburn University alumna Doris Griffith made her way up three flights of stairs in the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center to a celebration she’s had circled on her calendar for months.

Serving as her main form of exercise at nearly 100-years-old, Griffith was adamant on walking up the stairs rather than take the elevator, to join more than 70 College of Human Sciences alumni who returned for the Golden Eagles celebration on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 honoring graduates from 1975 and prior.

Griffith, who was accompanied by her daughter Wanda Bared, was excited for the reunion luncheon as College of Human Sciences alumni spanning several decades got to reconnect, learn of future updates regarding the construction of the new Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility and reminiscence on fond memories of their time on the Plains.

After graduating from Auburn, Bared shared more details of her mother’s background saying she taught as a home economics teacher at Elmore County High School in Eclectic, Alabama and even taught Bared’s husband Roy Granger who is now 84 years old.

“As I have said many times when you have heard me speak, we have nationally ranked and recognized programs in every single department in the College of Human Sciences and our facilities are the last thing to come aboard,” said Hubbard. “Finally, we will have nationally ranked facilities and that is exciting, so we look forward to moving toward that point. Thank you for allowing us to rekindle friendships, make new ones and we want you to be a part of us in human sciences as we continue to grow and make you proud. We want to work hard every single day to do just that.”

A first-time attendee of the Golden Eagles celebration was Edith Hovater Jones, a 1975 alumna who majored in fashion merchandising and recalled a special trip north as one of her favorite memories.

“One of my favorite memories was of my professor Dr. Barry taking a group of us to New York where we were able to go to a lot of cool places and one of the things we got to do was meet Oscar de la Renta,” said Jones. “We also went to the cotton headquarters, and it was just a fabulous trip and I learned a lot from that.”

“I would say it was a combination of both the classes I took, the professors and some of the business classes I took that really prepared me for a career in retail,” said Jones.

Traveling all the way from Delaware to make the Golden Eagles celebration for the first time, 1965 alumna Cissy Howell majored in home management and shared she was inside Spidle Hall when news broke during a sad time in U.S. history.

“One of the things I will always remember is being in Spidle Hall when I heard the news of the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963 and the professor came in and announced it to the class,” said Howell. “It’s something you always remember where you were when you heard it. It’s not a happy memory but one I always remember.”

When asked about the future, Howell said the tremendous growth of the college makes her proud.

Serving as a host for the second time since 2012, more than 27 of the leading colleges in hospitality management converged on Auburn University’s campus — more specifically — the College of Human Sciences’ Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center where they were treated to guided tours of the state-of-the-art academic building to learn how Auburn’s graduate students gain a true leg up on their next step, learning in one of the most innovative hospitality education environments in the world.

With graduate students and faculty members being the focal point of the conference, the submission of research papers focusing on topics relevant to research, education and industry practices in hospitality, tourism and related fields of study were highly encouraged.

One of the key benefits of attending a large-scale conference is being able to view other researchers’ work and gaining inspiration to try new ideas and strengthen your own understanding of topics like consumer behavior in hospitality and tourism.

In addition to the stand-up and poster research presentations, guests were treated to a deeply inspiring keynote address from Horst Schulze, namesake of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management, co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and founder of Capella Hotel Group. His message powerfully emphasized purpose-driven leadership, challenging those in attendance to infuse their work and teaching with meaning so that students embody higher intent and uphold service excellence with integrity.

Honored during an Outreach and Engaged Scholars Recognition Ceremony in late August, Johnson became the third recipient of the award presented annually to an individual who understands civic and community engagement, interpersonal relationships and serving the underserved.

“I was in disbelief even up until I walked on stage to receive the award because I try to have laser focus and work really hard and then you realize people are paying attention all along,” said Johnson. “I was just overwhelmed really with gratitude.”

Named in honor of Dr. Royrickers Cook, an internationally recognized leader in higher education and Auburn’s Vice President for University Outreach and Associate Provost, the award recognizes a faculty or staff member who demonstrates an ongoing and purposeful commitment to outreach.

“Portia Johnson’s work exemplifies the spirit of this award,” Cook stated in a release. “Her commitment to financial literacy and educational access is transforming lives and communities.”

Johnson’s stellar work and leadership creating the Alabama FAST (FAFSA Application Survival Toolkit) program, which has helped more than 10,000 students and families across 90 Alabama high schools navigate financial aid and college planning were cited as a large reason for her award nomination and ultimately winning the award.

A first-generation college graduate, Johnson launched ALFAST in 2022, combining her expertise in consumer behavior with a passion for educational access. Her work has significantly boosted Alabama’s FAFSA completion rates, especially in underserved communities, and earned multiple national accolades. She is also piloting a new initiative, the ALFAST Career Explorer, to connect students with high-demand career paths.

Among the many individuals Johnson thanked for the continued growth and success of Alabama FAST, Career Coach Mentor Jill Prince at the Alabama State Department of Education was singled out for her support and she attended the recognition ceremony honoring Johnson.

“I would largely attribute a lot of the growth to the career coaches and the schools that really took to the program,” said Johnson. “One of those is Jill Prince who is responsible for managing and supervising the career coaches and she has been an amazing supporter of this program. Without her opening the door to her career coaches — over 100 of them employed by the state department — we probably would not be in as many schools as we had the opportunity to be in.”

As for the future, Johnson will build on the success of Alabama FAST by implementing the Career FAST to help students navigate what their path might be after high school.

“I built more into the program so now it’s five different options of classes designed to last an entire school year,” said Johnson. “So, the first step is getting the FAFSA ID. Secondly, it’s exploring colleges and careers which is the Career Explorer and from there they apply to FAFSA. The next steps are applying to schools, submitting FAFSA and getting offers and acceptance letters from colleges. We then help them compare all these offers and look at the best options available. Finally, at the end of the semester we talk about what campus life will look like and the resources available on campus.”

Reflecting on her time in the College of Human Sciences, Johnson said she’s been set up for success because of the tremendous support she’s received and credited several mentors.

“Speaking from my experience in the College of Human Sciences, from day one I felt very supported,” said Johnson. “I can be very specific about the people with the first being Dr. Jennifer Kerpelman. She gave me such good insight into what it meant to work in extension, and she gave me great advice early on. She also paired me with a great mentor, Dr. Adrienne Duke Marks, who I think is a model extension specialist. She went far beyond what a formal mentor would be expected to do in coaching me. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention Sidney James when she was at the Cary Center. She was extremely helpful and provided a lot of mentorship around the culture of Auburn and in community work. Lastly, Dr. Laura Downey because she manages the agents who do my program and her support, down to the software and physical space is huge. She makes sure I have the resources I need to be successful.”

Crowe, also an Auburn alumna, founded the national nonprofit based in Atlanta and since 2005, she and her team have guided the Rally Foundation to award more than $40.5 million in research grants nationally and internationally through a dual peer-review process.

While back in the classroom at Auburn, Crowe gave students essential advice pertaining to running nonprofits including the importance of an elevator pitch while dealing with potential donors, having a strong C-suite document, the need to understand basic business and economic terminology, having strong ethics and morals and more.

“Something my daddy taught me and it is something you can take with you for the rest of your life especially going into fundraising or business and that is that everyone puts their pants on the same way and that is one leg at a time,” said Crowe. “That said, no one is better than you and there’s never a reason to be intimidated. No matter if you are speaking to a CEO or who it may be, just take a deep breath and realize they are no different than you.”

“A huge part of our mission is education and awareness. Just being here and sharing with you about childhood cancer alone is fulfilling our mission,” said Crowe. “I don’t know what seed is being planted right now in this classroom. Where will you be in five years and where’s your career going to take you 10 years from now? You might meet someone or you are going to know someone personally affected by childhood cancer. Then you can tell them about me and the Rally Foundation as a whole.”

In closing, Crowe said one litmus test that has gotten the foundation to where it is today is to ask, “is it legal, is it ethical and is it moral?” If the answer is yes to all three of those, then you are making a good decision. If the answer is no to any of those, then the foundation says no.