Lilly Molina

Lilly Molina '27 is an Odyssey scholar and Communications Fellow majoring in journalism and media analytics with a minor in peace and conflict studies. She currently serves as the Audience Engagement Manager and previously served as News Editor. Find her best work on her portfolio.

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Recent Articles

LIFESTYLE 1/9/26 8:12am

Buried in Elon: Story of early international student resurfaces

By Lilly Molina

Elon University recently renamed Global Commons to Sato Commons after Toshio Sato, the first international student to graduate from Elon in 1920. However, Sato wasn’t the only international student attending Elon at the time. There was also 35-year-old Modesto Lopez from Spain. “Mr. Lopez had not learned to speak English, so we could not know him well, but his ambition and efforts were worthy and commendable,” Elon Archivist and Assistant Librarian Randall Bowman read an excerpt from the Christian Sun, a newspaper of the church Elon had been affiliated with before the university became a multifaith campus.  

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LIFESTYLE 1/9/26 8:11am

Enterrado en Elon: La historia de unos de los primeros estudiantes internacionales resurge

By Lilly Molina

La Universidad de Elon renombró recientemente el edificio Global Commons como Sato Commons en honor a Toshio Sato, el primer estudiante internacional en graduarse de Elon en 1920. Sin embargo, Sato no era el único estudiante internacional que asistía a Elon en ese entonces. También estaba Modesto López, de 35 años, originario de España. "El Sr. López no había aprendido a hablar inglés, por lo que no pudimos conocerlo bien, pero su ambición y esfuerzo fueron dignos de admiración", leyó Randall Bowman, archivista y bibliotecario auxiliar de Elon, un fragmento del Christian Sun, un periódico de la iglesia a la que Elon estaba afiliada antes de que la universidad se convirtiera en un campus multirreligioso.

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SPORTS 11/23/25 10:26am

Elon University graduate student finds fulfillment beyond the court

By Lilly Molina

Graduate student and redshirt senior Kamryn Doty stood at the end of the call line. At the beginning of a basketball game, the announcer tells the audience who is in the starting lineup. Those players run through a manmade tunnel before waving to the audience. Except, this time, Doty was waiting for them at the end, giving them a high five and wishing them good luck. “I’m just really thankful that I had the opportunity to come back,” Doty said. “I’m really just hoping to get a sense of fulfillment out of it.”

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NEWS 11/19/25 9:08am

NC sheriffs must work more closely with ICE under new law

By Lilly Molina

House Bill 318 now requires North Carolina sheriffs to work more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Originally vetoed by Gov. Josh Stein, the NC House of Representatives and Senate overrode the veto and the bill took into effect Oct. 1. The Criminal Illegal Alien Act requires sheriffs to contact ICE if a person without legal immigration status is to be charged with a felony, such as certain sexual offenses or DWI. It also requires local sheriffs to notify ICE two hours after the time they would normally be released. “It forces some sheriffs that didn’t want to work with ICE to have to work with ICE,” Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

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SPORTS 11/17/25 2:59pm

Phoenix forward embraces confidence on court

By Lilly Molina

Between last season and this one, junior forward Isaac Harrell “had to grow up.” “This offseason really forced me to become a leader for this program,” Harrell said. “I think with everyone leaving, it made me become like a different person, as in, I had to grow up.” With the nine transfers that left Schar Center last year, Harrell and four others were the only returning players. Harrell is the only returning player who spent time in the starting lineup last year. “It was definitely a hard time when everyone left, just because those become your best friends,” Harrell said. “But I figured that staying was best for me because I love the coaching staff.”

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NEWS 10/30/25 12:16pm

Los estudiantes universitarios recurren a medicamentos para perder peso a pesar de los efectos secundarios y los costos

By Charlotte Pfabe and Lilly Molina

Cada vez más estadounidenses recurren a medicamentos para bajar de peso como Wegovy, incluyendo estudiantes de la Universidad de Elon. Si bien muchos de quienes toman estos medicamentos afirman que han mejorado su calidad de vida, algunos expertos están preocupados por los efectos a largo plazo de estos fármacos relativamente nuevos. "Una vez que se apruebe su comercialización, recopilarán datos durante aproximadamente un año, y eso es todo", comentó Alexis Moore, profesora adjunta de estudios de asistente médico y médica de formación. "Por lo tanto, dado que este medicamento es relativamente nuevo, desconocemos sus efectos a largo plazo".

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NEWS 10/30/25 12:16pm

More than a shot: Weight loss drugs are reshaping student health, identity

By Charlotte Pfabe and Lilly Molina

An increasing number of Americans are turning to weight loss drugs like Wegovy to lose weight, including students on Elon University’s campus. While many on the medications said they have changed their lives for the better, some experts are concerned about the long-term effects of these relatively new drugs. “Once it’s approved on the market, they’ll collect data for like, a year, and that’s it,” said Alexis Moore, assistant professor of Physician Assistant studies and a clinician by training. “So, since this drug is relatively new, we don’t know the outcomes over time.”

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LIFESTYLE 9/20/25 11:23am

More than cars: Alamance County’s lowriders bring culture, community

By Keely Garcia and Lilly Molina

Lowriding is a car culture, significant within Mexican-American culture, that involves customizing cars with hydraulics in order to move them up and down. To spectators, this might seem intriguing, but to Maria this is a way of life. Maria Leon and her husband Salvador are members of the Lowyalty Car Club, Alamance County’s lowriding car club and have a a light gold 1989 Lincoln Town Car. Despite having the Lincoln for two years now, Maria and Salvador joined Lowyalty a month ago.

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LIFESTYLE 9/20/25 11:23am

Más que autos: los “lowriders” de Alamance County aportan cultura y comunidad

By Keely Garcia and Lilly Molina

El lowriding es una cultura automovilística, importante en la cultura mexicoamericana, que consiste en personalizar los autos con sistemas hidráulicos para moverlos hacia arriba y hacia abajo. Para los espectadores, esto puede parecer intrigante, pero para María es una forma de vida. María León y su esposo Salvador son miembros del Lowyalty Car Club, el club de lowriding del condado de Alamance, y tienen un Lincoln Town Car dorado claro de 1989. A pesar de tener el Lincoln desde hace dos años, María y Salvador se unieron a Lowyalty hace un mes.

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LIFESTYLE 9/17/25 10:06pm

Labubus make their entrance onto Elon University’s campus

By Lilly Molina

From Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter World Tour to Elon University’s campus, junior Andrew Kochman’s Labubu has been with him every step of the way. “She goes everywhere with me — in the car, on campus, on a plane,” Kochman said. “She’s been to four states.” Though Pop Mart, a Chinese company that sells collectables, introduced the toys in October 2023, during this past summer, only one thing has been coming up on students' social media: Labubus. The plushies come in different series or themes and due to high demand, each blind box can range from $30 to $100. 

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LIFESTYLE 9/12/25 5:24pm

Eso! Jarabe Mexicano returns to perform at Elon

By Lilly Molina

On Sept. 11, Jarabe Mexicano played their Fiesta and Familia program in McCrary Theatre. This is Jarabe Mexicano’s second time on campus after performing last year. During Jarabe Mexicano’s last visit to Elon, they were in a rush to get back to the West Coast, according to Acoser. However, this time the band has time to check out the local community. “We often like to go out and visit your community and go see the sites or both,” Alcoser said. “Maybe visit the Hispanic community, the nearest Hispanic community.”

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NEWS 9/4/25 2:03pm

Q&A: Orange-striped oakworms: why you probably don’t need to worry

By Lilly Molina

As orange-striped oakworms cover Elon University, professor of forestry and environmental resources at NC State Kelly Often sat down with Elon News Network to discuss these leaf eating critters. She specializes in forest health and posts content on NC State’s Extension Forestry website about bugs impact on trees. "We like trees for the shade they provide and all these other ecosystem services, but they generally don’t impact the long term tree health," Oten said in an interview with Elon News Network.

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NEWS 8/31/25 6:09pm

Alamance local organizes fundraiser for summer flood victims

By Lilly Molina

Lemon Ninjas, a lemonade company owned and operated by a local family in Alamance County, hosted a flood fundraiser to help raise funds and donations for those affected by Tropical Storm Chantal. From vintage cars to a pygmy goat named Oliver, the fundraiser at Straightway Baptist Church included gospel performances, car shows, a petting zoo, vendors and, of course, lemonade. “We wanted to give back to the people that were closer to us too,” owner of Lemon Ninjas and coordinator of the event Christine Jordan said. 

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LIFESTYLE 8/10/25 9:39am

Inside the hive: Alamance County Beekeepers and their fight for honeybee survival

By Lilly Molina

Ira Poston begins his day on his farm at 8 a.m. and cares for the over 70 bee colonies on his property. Poston is the Regional Director of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association, and the former President of the Alamance County Beekeepers for 10 years. The Alamance County Beekeepers is a chapter of the state’s beekeepers associations. It is a nonprofit club focused on educating the community about honeybees by visiting schools, local clubs and even teaching a bee school for aspiring beekeepers. 

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NEWS 7/24/25 2:07pm

Elon students showcase summer research at annual SURE poster presentation

By Lilly Molina

On July 24 students participating in Elon University's Summer Undergraduate Research Forum. SURE is a high intensity research program that students can apply for where they spend a portion of the summer on campus working on their research project with a specific goal in mind. Elon University also holds a Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, for students to show off the research they have conducted throughout their time at Elon. While students who participate in SURF can spend a large portion of their time at Elon working on their research, students who participate in SURE spend eight weeks working on theirs.

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NEWS 5/19/25 10:52am

The revival of downtown Gibsonville: how locals are rebuilding a thriving Main Street

By Lilly Molina

When Neil Bromilow moved to Gibsonville in 1995, one early morning his wife and he drove through downtown Gibsonville and thought it looked “sketchy” and “tired.” It wasn’t until 2005, when he got appointed onto the Board of Aldermen and then chairman of Downtown Gibsonville Revitalization Commission, that a downtown makeover went into effect. For the next six months, he and fourteen other board members and volunteers put together a report detailing 83 initiatives that could be implemented to enhance downtown based on survey responses. The town approved $60,000 for the effort, and it’s only grown since. 

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NEWS 5/3/25 1:09pm

A hushed legacy: Samuel Merritt’s story as a descendant of a lynching victim

By Lilly Molina

Samuel Merritt’s great-great grandfather, Wyatt Outlaw, was lynched on Feb. 26, 1870. Outlaw was dragged out of his home in the middle of the night by a mob of 60 and hanged on an Elm tree in the corner of downtown Graham. His body is nowhere to be found, and for a long time his legacy was hidden within the Outlaw family. Merritt remembers reading about lynchings in history books but could have never imagined that his family would have been affected. The Vietnam veteran and retired microbiologist can only feel proud of his ancestor.

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LIFESTYLE 4/7/25 3:35pm

Downtown Gibsonville hosts 4th annual Gibsonville Girls Night

By Lilly Molina

A line of pink could be seen down West Main Street as local women gathered for Gibsonville Girls Night on April 4. With shops open until 8 p.m., attendees dress in pink and go shopping. Chelsea Dickey, a contracted economic development director for the small town; Wanda Small, owner of Just be You; and Maghon Taylor, owner of All She Wrote Notes; noticed that there were many female-owned small businesses in downtown Gibsonville. “We were looking to come together and do something fun as girls,” Dickey said. “But also do something fun for the girls of Gibsonville.”

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LIFESTYLE 4/5/25 5:14pm

Elon University celebrates Asian Pacific Island Heritage Month with annual kickoff

By Lilly Molina

On April 3, students celebrated Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the third annual kickoff event. API Heritage Month is usually celebrated in May, but the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education plans events for April due to the semester ending in the next month. The event featured various Asian cuisines, Asian owned businesses and dance performances. This year's theme is “Building Bouquets: Coming Together,” where the CREDE hopes to bring people together within the community to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander culture and heritage.

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SPORTS 3/23/25 3:46pm

Mitrovich’s mindset, execution and excellence

By Lilly Molina

When junior Justin Mitrovich stands firm on the mound one word is going through his head: execution. He scans the field and remembers his set plan for every single person on his opponents team. Mitrovich researched and studied the team a few days before and now watches as the team’s next hitter took their place at the home base. All he can do now is hope he can execute and perform his job as the Friday night starting pitcher for Elon’s baseball team.

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