Brinkley-Lane Profile: Eleanor Maupin
A quick glance at Eleanor Maupin’s resume shows myriad leadership and service roles — a list she hopes to continue adding to while at East Carolina University, especially community service.
“To me, being a Brinkley-Lane Scholar means seeking out your passion and recognizing where it is needed in your community and implementing it,” she said. “We have a certain responsibility to take advantage of this incredible privilege and use it to benefit and serve others. We all have different passions, interests and capabilities, but it is our job to put these to use in our own unique and innovative way.”
The daughter of Chad Maupin and Jessica Gregory will join the newest cohort of Brinkley-Lane Scholars, the most prestigious undergraduate award program offered at ECU. The four-year merit scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement and strong leadership skills. Recipients receive a fully funded education, covering the cost of tuition, fees, room and board for both in-state and out-of-state students and unique high impact experiences, as well as the ability to explore the world with a $5,000 study abroad stipend.
Being a scholar was only one reason for Eleanor to choose ECU. As an intended community and regional planning major, she was able to speak directly with Dr. Misun Hur, associate professor in community and regional planning, during a virtual open house.
“No other schools provided such a personalized experience throughout the exploration and application process,” said the Charlotte native. “ECU truly made me feel valued as a prospective student; it was my top choice for college, and I had already accepted before I was awarded the Brinkley-Lane scholarship.”
She’s already thinking of where she might like to study abroad and is intrigued by the faculty-led study abroad trip to South Korea with Hur.
The small nature of the Brinkley-Lane Scholars program appealed to Maupin as someone who has always attended small schools. She’s looking forward to experiencing the wide array of opportunities offered at a university of ECU’s size, while still having the smaller environment of the Honors College.
“A public Montessori education since pre-K has been a meaningful experience in my life, and a pillar of the Montessori philosophy is community,” she said. “This year, I look forward to becoming close to my Brinkley-Lane Scholar big and learning the ways of the program from them. In future years, I look forward to mentoring others as an upperclassman. As a Montessori student, this is the model that I have been accustomed to throughout my schooling, so I find it exciting to participate in a natural continuation of it.”
This summer, she will continue her internship with the City of Charlotte in the housing and neighborhood services department. Previously, she worked with the long-range planning department on ways to engage the youth by creating a high school community area planning club. In her free time, she enjoys sewing her own clothes, especially historic patterns and classic fashion of the 1940s-1960s.
“To me, being a Brinkley-Lane Scholar means seeking out your passion and recognizing where it is needed in your community and implementing it.”
High school: John Taylor Williams Secondary Montessori School
Intended major: Community and regional planning
Current City: Charlotte