Trista Panagakos

Politics Editor

Trista Panagakos ’28 is studying journalism with a minor in political science. She serves as the politics editor for Elon News Network. Outside of Elon News Network, Panagakos is part of the production crew for the Elon Student Television show Jam Session and a member of ElonDocs. She is interested in political and investigative video journalism.

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Recent Articles

NEWS 2/22/26 9:16pm

Community gathers at vigil commemorating lynching victim Wyatt Outlaw

By Trista Panagakos

Members of the community and Alamance County Remembrance Coalition gathered outside of the Alamance County Courthouse on Feb. 22 to hold a vigil honoring the life of Wyatt Outlaw. Outlaw was lynched by a mob of White Brotherhood members outside the courthouse on Feb. 26, 1870.

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NEWS 2/21/26 8:33pm

U.S. House passes SAVE America Act, Senate to consider it soon

By Trista Panagakos

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 218-213 on Feb. 11, with one Democrat breaking party lines to vote to pass the bill. The bill will now be considered by the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to pass before going to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. 

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NEWS 2/20/26 7:30pm

New SNAP work requirements implemented in North Carolina

By Trista Panagakos

SNAP is a program that provides food assistance to lower-income individuals and families to help offset the cost of groceries. The program is funded by the federal government and state governments offset administrative costs. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, over one million North Carolinians receive SNAP benefits. 

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LIFESTYLE 2/16/26 5:54pm

Elon alum details the experiences of fatherhood in children's book ‘We Love you ForAva!’

By Trista Panagakos

For Jeffrey and Corddarryl Williamson-Rose, adoption was an option they were considering months before their wedding. They debated other ways to grow their family, but after getting married in September 2022, they began the adoption process. The Williamson-Roses’ adoption journey began with a home study, a procedure where a social worker ensures the parents hoping to adopt are fit to care for and provide for a child. 

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NEWS 1/28/26 2:22pm

Elon Town Council discusses possible acquisition of Labcorp property

By Trista Panagakos

The Elon Town Council discussed possible funding paths for a new municipal building and police station. The Town agreed to purchase a Labcorp property at 112 Orange Drive in the fall. The purchase has not gone through and members debated costs Jan. 27. There were no participants in the public comments portion of the meeting. 

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NEWS 1/5/26 9:34am

Elon University’s SGA to implement suggestion boxes on campus, look to make an impact in the spring

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University’s Student Government Association had an eventful fall semester following the implementation of a new funding model, freshman elections and an atypical town hall. “Change is change,” Vice President of Communications for SGA Kennedy Steiner said. “People don't always love change, but I think for the future, I think this could be really good, people asking, maybe why something didn't get funded, and just making sure everything was as equitable as possible for organizations.” 

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LIFESTYLE 12/27/25 9:06am

Not just a label: Elon University first-generation students get involved on campus

By Trista Panagakos

Elon senior Carlos Gomez Lopez was first introduced to Elon University in ninth grade, when his teachers encouraged him to apply for Elon Academy, a college access program offered to Alamance County high schoolers. Students stay on Elon’s campus for three weeks during the summer, living in residence halls, eating in dining halls and meeting members of Elon’s staff. Gomez Lopez said the program helped him become familiar with the school and was one of the reasons he chose to be a student at Elon. 

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NEWS 11/5/25 12:20am

Alamance County Democratic Party hosts watch party on Election Day

By Trista Panagakos

As polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on election day, candidates, supporters and family members gathered at the Alamance County Democratic Party watch party awaiting results of the 2025 municipal election. Supporters filled Alkimia Mexican Bar and Grill in downtown Burlington to wait for the results to come in. Burlington mayoral candidate Beth Kennett had supporters and family members join her with many wearing sweatshirts and t-shirts from her campaign. “We’ve done all the things, shown up at places in the community,” Kennett said. “If hard work wins an election, we got this, if money, the influence of money wins, we’ve done the work.”

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NEWS 10/29/25 9:39am

North Carolina Republicans approve new congressional map

By Trista Panagakos

The North Carolina state legislature approved a new congressional map. This change comes after the Trump administration has been pressuring Republican states to change their congressional maps to ensure Republicans continue to control Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, North Carolina senate leader Phil Berger said, “The NCGA is ready to help Republicans secure Congress and move Donald Trump’s agenda forward.” The North Carolina House of Representatives voted 66-48 in favor of the new map on Oct. 22. This will affect voters in the 1st and 3rd congressional districts.

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NEWS 10/29/25 9:39am

Los republicanos de Carolina del Norte aprueban un nuevo mapa congresional

By Trista Panagakos

La legislatura del estado de Carolina del Norte aprobó un nuevo mapa congresional el 22 de octubre. Este cambio llega después de que la administración de Trump presionó a los estados republicanos para que modifiquen sus mapas congresionales y aseguren que los republicanos continúen controlando el Congreso después de las elecciones de medio mandato de 2026. La Cámara de Representantes de Carolina del Norte votó 65-48 a favor del nuevo mapa, que afectará a los votantes de los distritos congresionales 1 y 3. El representante Don Davis, demócrata, es el representante del distrito 1, que ganó en 2024 por solo dos puntos. El nuevo mapa aumentaría las posibilidades de que los republicanos obtengan un escaño en las elecciones de medio mandato del próximo año.

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NEWS 10/1/25 1:32pm

Gov. Stein signs executive order to implement AI in North Carolina government

By Trista Panagakos

As artificial intelligence becomes more prominent in the lives of students, workers and everyday citizens, the North Carolina state government is tapping into the transformative technology. Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order Sept. 2 that focused on how artificial intelligence can enhance the state government and technology sector of North Carolina. The executive order established an AI leadership council, an AI accelerator, oversight teams for each state agency and training programs for AI literacy and fraud prevention.

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NEWS 9/21/25 4:57pm

Elon University student organizations react to new funding request model

By Trista Panagakos

As student organizations prepare to host events and welcome new members, many have already been affected by the new funding model the Student Government Association is utilizing for funding requests. SGA receives a portion of the student activity fees students are charged to distribute to organizations.  The funding request model was changed last spring to follow a quarterly system, where organizations will have to request money in advance for events and celebrations they wish to hold. The previous model allowed for organizations to request funds on a rolling basis. 

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NEWS 9/5/25 5:36pm

Elon University SGA announces priorities for the year in first meeting of semester

By Trista Panagakos

The Student Government Association held their first meeting of the semester, which brought the executive council, made up of Executive President Anya Bratić, Vice President Sammy Azúa, Vice President of Communications Kennedy Steiner, Vice President of Finance Ian Brecker and Speaker of the Senate Selma Maric in front of the senate to detail the five priorities they worked on over the summer. “In several years past with other execs, we’ve had really, really, wonderful priorities, but not one that necessarily been all cohesive and or surrounded around one another. That’s where we really succeeded. This year we decided that it was really important for us to all have a common goal.” 

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NEWS 8/26/25 6:11pm

Elon University student activity fees fund various organizations, campus events and traditions

By Trista Panagakos

As students prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, they might notice a $146 fee for student activities as part of their fall tuition bill. This fee is charged every semester to full time students, providing funding for different events, traditions and organizations on campus. Part time students are charged $73 each semester. The Student Government Association receives a large portion of the fee — $440,000 annually. They allocate this money to various organizations and activities through funding requests.

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LIFESTYLE 8/26/25 6:53am

Elon University Living-Learning Communities host kickoff event

By Trista Panagakos

One of the last events of orientation weekend for members of Elon’s Living-Learning Communities is the LLC Kickoff, hosted in McKinnon Hall. There, all 27 of Elon’s LLCs gathered to engage with each other, play trivia, learn about upcoming events and engage in breakout groups. “I think definitely the community at Elon played a huge part in me coming here,” Emma Luckman, a member of the Communications LLC, said. “I think that the learning living community was kind of an addition to that, in knowing that I was obviously going to have a community and a strong family.”

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NEWS 8/22/25 10:48am

Elon University class of 2029 arrives to Historic Neighborhood for move in

By Kate Gray and Trista Panagakos

Student volunteers welcomed the class of 2029 to Elon's Historic Neighborhood Aug. 22. Student volunteers stood outside residence halls to unload arriving cars. Rylan Shibley, a member of the football team, is an incoming freshman who already moved into his dorm. He spent his morning helping other freshmen move in and said he was looking forward to meeting fellow freshmen.“On the football team, we had a little bit of a head start, so I kind of know what everyone’s going through, kind of what to expect, but I think it’s good that we get to meet and greet other people."

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NEWS 5/26/25 10:45am

6 Elon University faculty members retire

By Trista Panagakos , Megan Walsh and Ruby Burckle

With the 2024-25 academic year over, six Elon University faculty members are retiring. The retiring faculty members include Martin Fowler, Nancy Harris, Betty Garrison, Pieter Swanepoel, Joyce Davis and Mary Jo Festle. These faculty members have worked at Elon University teaching classes, sitting on committees and leading Winter Term trips. As the six retiring faculty members prepare to leave Elon University, they reminisced on their time at Elon Univeristy and how Elon has changed and shared their plans for their future. 

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NEWS 5/5/25 2:56pm

Elon University SGA president works to create connections, plans for next year

By Trista Panagakos

Student Government Association’s Executive President and junior Anya Bratic said during her campaign that she wanted to be a connector for students on campus. After being elected, Bratic still believes her role as executive president is to be a liaison between students and the resources Elon University offers. Together with the senate, Bratic said she wants to better communicate with the student body on information they may not be aware of. After the election, some of the senate seats were left vacant, but Bratic has appointed 10 senators who have all been unanimously voted on by the senate.

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LIFESTYLE 4/30/25 11:56am

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center to hold Spring Pride

By Trista Panagakos

Elon University’s Gender and LGBTQIA Center is holding its Spring Pride event from 5 to 7 p.m. May 1 in Young Commons. The event will feature tabling from other organizations and on-campus services such as the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education, Disability Services, and Counseling Services. This year Spring Pride will be Western themed which is  different from previous years, when the theme would center around spring or flower power. Part of the GLC’s plans for Spring Pride is to ensure students are aware of the community building efforts of the organization. 

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NEWS 4/29/25 3:26pm

Elon Poll finds Americans expect higher prices due to tariffs

By Trista Panagakos

A poll conducted by Elon University Poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and found 80% of respondents anticipate higher prices due to President Trump’s trade policies. On April 2, Trump announced 10% tariffs on all countries and separate tailored tariffs on other countries such as China, who Trump has placed 145% tariffs on. Elon Poll found partisan divides among respondents about how higher tariffs will impact respondents' financial situations. The poll found 90% of Democrat respondents had much higher concern compared to 41% of Republican respondents. 

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