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9/11 Climb to Remember and other events

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • Study Abroad Fair – Sept. 16
  • Spring 2026 WFU study abroad programs with openings
  • Career Fair – Sept. 17
  • Theranos and Bad Blood: Risking it All to Do the Right Thing – Leadership & Character event on Sept. 22
  • ACC men’s basketball schedule released

Today’s Daily Deac starts and ends with some reflections on 9/11.

At 6:30 a.m. this morning, I participated in the Climb to Remember – that is where any interested Wake Foresters, as well as members of the Winston-Salem community, climb 2,977 stairs (one for each life lost on 9/11) at our football stadium. This was the first time I had done the Climb, and it was a very moving experience.

There were a lot of participants: student-athletes, our ROTC cadets, other students; local fire department members, police, and sheriff’s offices (many of them in full gear); Wake staff members (I feel sure there were faculty too, I just didn’t see any in my group). There were also members of the local Winston-Salem community. So in total it was not only a large group, but a very wide variety of ages, fitness levels, etc.

The Climb consists of doing 13 circuits up and down a particular section of the football stadium. They had lanes set up for both walkers and runners. I managed to make 8 circuits (walking) before my legs turned to jelly – 1,832 stairs, which is not bad for a 55 year old woman who is not nearly as fit as your young Deacs are :)

I wore my late P’92 father’s well-loved FDNY hat during the climb. My dad was not a fireman, but he was a Marine for a couple of years after high school and always had a strong sense of patriotism and duty following his service, and 9/11 really impacted him. He’s been gone for almost 20 years, and it felt good to have a part of him with me during the Climb.

Many thanks to all our students who got up early and participated in the Climb, to our ROTC NO FEAR battalion for organizing it, to my Athletics colleagues for lending their beautiful stadium, and for everyone else who helped facilitate this event or participated in it. This morning represented the Wake Forest community at its very finest.

And now to the rest of today’s news…

Study Abroad Fair – Sept. 16

This item ran in today’s WFU Should Know student e-newsletter:

“Please join the Center for Global Programs and Studies at the Study Abroad Fair on Tuesday, September 16 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. in Benson 401. Representatives will be available to share information and answer questions about the variety of study abroad programs available to students. Learn more about study abroad opportunities at studyabroad.wfu.edu.”

This might apply most for ’29s and ’28s, but if you have a ’27 or even ’26 who hasn’t studied abroad and wants to, encourage them to go to the Study Abroad Fair and start making plans.  

Spring 2026 WFU study abroad programs with openings

Is your Deac interested in going abroad during Spring 2026? The following programs are still accepting applications: WFU Chile (History), WFU Vienna – Flow House (Accounting/Business and Enterprise Management), WFU Salamanca (Spanish), WFU London – Worrell House (Politics and International Affairs), WFU Salamanca Neuroscience, and WFU London INSTEP (opportunities for business and internships).

To learn more about these programs, your Deacs should visit studyabroad.wfu.edu or contact the Center for Global Programs and Studies at 336-758-5938 to schedule an appointment with an advisor; students can also schedule an appointment online.

And just an editorial aside from me: there is a huge benefit to going abroad in the spring vs. the fall: if you go abroad in the spring, you can select the housing of your choice for the fall, so you get to choose your building and roommate of choice. If you go abroad in the fall (and return to campus in the spring), you are going to be filling in open beds on campus: you may not know your roommate, and your friends might be in other buildings. So for students who are very particular about where they live and with whom, staying here for the fall semester and going abroad in the spring gives you maximum control over your living spaces. That’s my unsolicited advice :)

Career Fair – Sept. 17

Also in the WFU Should Know student e-newsletter was information about the OPCD’s upcoming Career Fair, which will be held on Sept. 17 from 12-4 p.m. in the Sutton Center:

“The fall career fair will provide students of all class years and majors with the opportunity to speak with employers who are seeking top talent for their job and internship opportunities. The event is open to Wake Forest University students of all class years and majors, and is for both those (1) who know exactly what they want to do and where they want to go and (2) to those who are in the exploration process and want to know what options might be available to them.”

Do encourage your students to register for the event in Handshake and attend!

And I know families tend to want to know about the career resources available to our students, so I am sharing some links that might be helpful:

Theranos and Bad Blood: Risking it All to Do the Right Thing – Leadership & Character event on Sept. 22

There is an upcoming event from the Program for Leadership and Character that might be especially resonant with your Deacs, as it involves having to make a very difficult ethical decision at the tender age of 22:

“At just 22 years old Tyler Shultz found himself at the center of a major ethical controversy as he uncovered duplicity and fraud at Theranos, the biotech company whose founder Elizabeth Holmes claimed their technology could run hundreds of tests on a single drop of blood. Despite family pressure, threats, legal action and even being under surveillance by private investigators hired by Theranos, Shultz played a pivotal role in exposing one of the most significant corporate frauds in Silicon Valley history. Join us on Monday, September 22 at 4 p.m. in Broyhill Auditorium (Farrell A31) as he reflects on his experiences, the leadership lessons he learned, and the role of character and moral courage in doing the right thing—even when it’s hard.”

One of the seven strategies that students (or any of us!) can use to develop our own character is by “engaging with virtuous exemplars.” I suspect that in hearing Tyler’s story, it might be very relatable content; the Program for Leadership and Character talks about how exemplars “demonstrate what it might look like to embody given virtues in concrete circumstances.”

ACC men’s basketball schedule released

For those of you who love ACC basketball and the lead up to March Madness, the men’s ACC basketball schedule got released earlier this week. You can find their full schedule (including non-conference), as well as the schedules for other sports at GoDeacs.com.

One more word on 9/11. There are undoubtedly folks reading the Daily Deac who were directly impacted by 9/11 in some way, and if you are one of them, my heart goes out to you. I lost a sister to an act of violence 30 years ago and know firsthand that your family is forever changed after a traumatic loss.

If this is a day that is hard for your Deacs and they need support, our 336-758-CARE (2273) or we.wfu.edu is available for them to get support, or for you to make a referral if you are concerned that your student is in distress. That resource is always there 24/7/265.

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