Self Employment

Some Elon University students are witnessing tragedy firsthand.The students are in California, getting an up-close-and-personal look at the massive wildfires raging in Los Angeles. The students are currently there for a business class, and actually had to be moved out of East Hollywood. They’re now in a hotel in Irvine, where the air quality is significantly better.”When I see it on TV, it’s hard to believe that it’s so close to us,” said Elon University student Sarah Hanchey. We’ve seen the devastating images of wildfires raging across California.”It’s so scary to watch people’s lives be taken away,” Hanchey said.The students are witnessing what’s unfolding just over the hill.”Our viewpoint was close enough to where it was very scary,” said Elon University student Timothy Oligino. “But also, it was interesting because we were in direct view of the Hollywood sign so we saw the efforts to save Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign, which is an icon of L.A.”The group has been in California since Jan. 2 for an Intro to Business course.”The wildfires are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Hanchey. “The pure amount of fire and smoke in the air is crazy.”The group has used the tragedy in its studies, learning about response and resilience, as the students watch the western part of the country unite in hopes of rebuilding what’s been lost.”We haven’t missed a beat,” said Elon School of Business professor Alyssa Martina. “We are tired and we’ve been scared but they haven’t panicked or gone into panic mode, and they’ve learned to roll with the punches, and I’m so proud of every single one of them. Amid this tragedy, there’s growth. And I think that’s been really remarkable.”Another group of Elon students, scheduled to head to California for a film festival, will now be heading to Utah instead. The students currently in California plan to leave on Jan. 23.