Elwopp Hall
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2017 Beechcroft High School Graduate
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2023 The Ohio State University Graduate
When Elwopp Hall was a senior at Beechcroft High School in 2017, college was the last thing on his mind. He had no plan for life after graduation and was hoping to just figure things out as he went. But one day, after an impromptu meeting with his I Know I Can advisor, everything changed.
Hall happened to be sitting in the I Know I Can advisor’s office at Beechcroft with his then-girlfriend, and what started as just tagging along turned into a life-changing conversation. That advisor saw something in Hall and offered him a kind of support and encouragement he hadn’t experienced from other adults at school.
“It was the first time I felt like someone really saw past my academic struggles,” Hall recalled. “My I Know I Can advisor and one of my teachers made me feel seen — like I was more than my grades. They believed in me, and that gave me the push I needed.”
That small spark of motivation led Hall to complete his FAFSA and apply to Columbus State Community College. He admits he initially planned to bail on the idea, but the encouragement he found through I Know I Can and his teacher kept him going. Hall enrolled at Columbus State, and step by step, he began to believe in his own potential.
After earning his associate degree, Hall transferred to The Ohio State University, where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2023. But his journey didn’t end there. In what became a full-circle moment, Hall went on to become a Student Success Coach at Otterbein University, providing support to college students.
“Now, I get to be the person that understands these students and sees beyond their struggles,” Hall said. “You have to be able to see a student who isn’t doing well and see that they have the ability to do well. Just like my I Know I Can advisor and teacher did for me.”
Elwopp Hall’s story is a testament to the power of a single conversation and the transformative role I Know I Can played in changing the course of his life. It’s a reminder that sometimes, all it takes is one person seeing your potential to change the entire course of your future.
