Elease Dillard
Months before her high school graduation, Elease made the tough decision to deny the opportunity to pursue playing college basketball and pursue academics instead. After making that last-minute decision, she did not want to make paying for college a financial burden on her parents. Therefore, she concluded that she would pay for college herself. However, there was one problem—she had no clue how or where to start!
With that goal in mind, Elease developed a plan of action and was able to graduate college debt-free plus have money left over. She graduated Cum Laude from Georgia Gwinnett College and currently holds a B.S. in Cell Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology. As a freshman and sophomore in college, Elease was accepted twice into the Neuroscience Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. In addition, during her junior year of college, she was selected by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to do research at The University of California San Francisco, where she conducted an independent study.
Aside from graduating debt-free, it was important to Elease to maximize her educational experience while in college—and to do it with excellence:
President and Vice President
Senator of the Year Award Recipient (Science & Technology)
Academic Life Committee Member
Engaged Leadership Award Recipient
Executive Member
Student Assistant
Experienced at winning scholarships and landing internships, Elease founded The Student Navigator because she wants to help ease the stress and frustration that is commonly associated with paying for a degree and pursuing a career. In addition, she wants to encourage students to maximize their educational experience. Elease hopes that her story will inspire others to take action towards living in freedom, passion, and purpose.
Most recently, Elease was selected by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce as a semi-finalist recipient for the 2016 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for her work with The Student Navigator. Congratulations, Elease!