Scholarships empower futures

Joeroyal Evans ’15 always knew he wanted to work in hospitality management.

At East Carolina University, an Aramark scholarship and an on-campus student manager job with the food service company connected Evans’ dreams with the money to pay for college and the start of his 13-year career.

Evans was studying business management and hospitality management and began applying for “any scholarships and internships I could really get my hands on.”

“It definitely validated, motivated and encouraged me to really strive harder and to be successful,” Evans says. “The scholarship definitely helped reduce some of the stress. I got that opportunity, and I wanted to make sure I made the most of it.”

He also applied for Aramark’s student manager job and was hired to work as a manager at Aramark’s Einstein Bros. Bagels location in the Wright Annex. Evans served in that role for three years.

Throughout college, he also worked in his family’s Jamaican restaurant in Wilson and Rocky Mount.

“Just growing up in that environment, I knew that hospitality was the place for me,” Evans says.

Today, he works as director of operations for Aramark at Elon University. He got his first post-graduate job at Fayetteville State University, where he served in multiple roles for Aramark.

“Within the eight years that I was there, I grew into the general manager role, and that led me here to Elon University,” Evans says.

“Honestly, I love the people piece we have and the opportunity to touch lives, and the impact that we have on the students, whether they decide to work with us or not, is huge,” Evans says. “Food plays a huge role in their experience. I tell my team every day, you have the ability to impact a student every day, so let’s make it a positive impact because it’s lasting and it truly makes a huge difference.”

Evans has worked to incorporate the Aramark programs at FSU and Elon that helped him as a student.

“I’m always looking for opportunities to grow individuals,” he says. “When I was at Fayetteville State, we kicked off the student manager program. Oddly enough, I have one of those student managers working with me here at Elon.”

From scholarship to law school

Earning an Access Scholarship allowed Anna Spagnuolo ’22 to pursue law school after she earned a degree in criminal justice. She graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law in May 2025.

“I was able to step into law school with a clean slate, and if I hadn’t had the Access Scholarship, my decision to go to law school may have been a little more iffy,” Spagnuolo says. “Having the Access Scholarship and being able to leave undergrad without a large amount of debt helped me to take that step into going to law school because I knew I wasn’t taking undergrad loans and then combining it with thousands of dollars from law school.”

The Access Scholars program was a motivating factor for Spagnuolo’s choice to attend ECU. The scholarship made her ECU education possible and surrounded her with people who enhanced her student experience.

“I had never heard of the Access Scholars program, and when I ended up getting a letter in the mail about it, it was this whole new world. I really do think it’s one of the hidden gems at ECU,” Spagnuolo says. “It’s the best program. Everybody was so supportive. These were the people that I went and talked to about wanting to go to law school. There’s such a sense of community at ECU that I feel like you don’t always get everywhere. Regardless of what I was going through, everybody around me wanted to see me succeed.”

Because of relationships she made in the Access Scholars program, Spagnuolo was able to get an internship in the Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services and Child Support Division of the Pitt County Department of Social Services.

She is guided by a desire to serve and put that mission into practice in South Carolina, where she worked with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps at Fort Jackson during her second and third sessions of law school.

“Those experiences gave me firsthand insight into the ways legal professionals can make a tangible difference in service of others and inspired me to pursue a career in federal service,” she says.

She served as a member of the editorial staff of the South Carolina Law Review from 2023 to 2025.

“My career plans are focused on building a meaningful career in public service, where I can apply my legal training to help others and contribute to larger missions that affect people’s lives in tangible ways,” Spagnuolo says. “I am particularly motivated by opportunities where I can address complex legal challenges, advise clients and colleagues, and contribute meaningfully to the mission of the federal government.”

Giving back, one patient at a time

Earning the first Phillips Family Foundation Scholarship to the ECU School of Dental Medicine changed the trajectory of Dr. Kyle Duncan’s career and will influence the dental healthcare of residents of western North Carolina for years to come.

Contributed photo

The scholarship, primarily supporting students from rural, economically distressed communities in western North Carolina, provides full tuition, fees and living expenses for four years of dental school at ECU. It was a perfect match for Duncan ’15, who was born and raised in Mitchell County, a small rural community of about 15,000 people. He developed an interest in dentistry early on because of his positive relationship with his childhood dentist.

He earned an associate degree from Mayland Community College and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Appalachian State University. He entered the ECU School of Dental Medicine as a member of the inaugural class.

“I chose ECU because of its mission to provide healthcare to the rural areas of our state. This mission aligns with my personal goal of bringing quality healthcare to the rural community I call home,” Duncan says.

Duncan said the education and training he received at ECU were instrumental in preparing him for a rural practice. The clinical experiences at community service-learning centers allowed him to become proficient enough to open his own practice immediately following graduation.

The Phillips Family Foundation Scholarship was the primary factor that allowed Duncan to return home in 2019 and start a private dental practice in Burnsville, Appalachian Family Dentistry. His wife, Dr. Rebecca Duncan ’15, whom he met at ECU, also sees patients there. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024, the practice stayed open even on days without water service to treat dental emergencies.

“Without the burden of student loan debt, I was able to take on the financial responsibility of opening a business right after school. Otherwise, I would have been forced to seek employment elsewhere, as there are limited opportunities for associateships in smaller rural areas,” Duncan says. “This scholarship helped me overcome a significant barrier to practicing in the community where I was raised.”