On former Elon University student Aidan Steinbach’s desk rests a framed photograph of his mother, Michelle Mayer, alongside a note from his peer written on his first day as an Elon University leadership fellow. It reads: “You make her proud.”
Steinbach ’23, now 25 years old, lost his mother to scleroderma, a terminal autoimmune disease, when he was just 7 years old. Before her death, Mayer, a research assistant professor in health policy and management at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, prepared birthday gifts for him to open every birthday until he turned 18.
“Each gift was some lesson that I would carry with me for the rest of my life,” Steinbach said. “She left me ties. People judge you first on your appearance, and second on who you are. She left me Hardy Boys books to stay curious, and a compass because life is confusing and hard.”…