Aurora Shafer
Aurora Shafer is ready to use opportunity and community to succeed at ECU.
Shafer, a 17-year-old from Orlando, Florida, is one of 20 freshmen entering ECU this fall as an EC Scholar, the most prestigious undergraduate award program offered at ECU. The merit scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement and strong leadership skills. Recipients receive an Honors College scholarship for four years, along with a stipend for study abroad, for a total value of nearly $63,000.
“Being an EC Scholar means that I will have the extra attention and resources I need to succeed along with a close-knit community of people at ECU who share my passion for knowledge and achievement,” she said. “I look forward to receiving valuable advice from older scholars and passing advice down to younger scholars.”
Shafer said she is ecstatic to begin working in one of the many speech and language research labs on campus, and to join ECU’s chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.
“I chose ECU because of its well-known speech and hearing major and an unrivaled amount of research spaces,” she said. “No other college I looked at offered me as many resources as an undergraduate in my major as ECU.”
With her opportunity to study abroad, she plans to travel to a Spanish-speaking country such as Spain or Peru, or an English-speaking country such as England or Australia.
“After graduation, I will go on to graduate school to obtain my master’s in speech-language pathology,” she said. “As a speech-language pathologist, I plan on working with children to help them better communicate with their peers and build their confidence, much like my speech-language pathologist did for me.”
She is the daughter of Paul and Mary Louise Shafer.
Her plans over the summer include spending time with family and friends.
“Being an EC Scholar means that I will have the extra attention and resources I need to succeed along with a close-knit community of people at ECU who share my passion for knowledge and achievement.”
High school: Edgewater High School
Intended major: Speech and hearing sciences
Hometown: Orlando, Florida