Ellie Ford '28
Current Student
When Ellie Ford ’28 first toured Illinois College, she fell in love with campus and the people who made it feel like home. “Everyone was just so friendly,” she recalls. “When I met with the political science faculty, they explained the internships and the program in such detail that I knew this was where I belonged.”
Now double-majoring in political science and communication and rhetorical studies with a pre-law minor, Ford has immersed herself in campus life. She serves as a resident assistant in Lincoln Hall, vice chair of the Cultural Identity Council, and founder of Bloom, a women’s faith organization.
Through the Honors Program, Ford has explored creative research, including a project on the ethics of true-crime media that paired essay writing with hand-made art. “The Honors Program connects me with other students who are passionate about learning,” she explains. “It’s pushed me to go beyond the classroom and reach out to professors to make my ideas real.”
Her summer IC Explorer internship at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum gave her a front-row seat to history. “I got to hold the Emancipation Proclamation,” she says. “It was incredible.” For Ford, IC has provided the space and support “to figure out who I am, what matters to me, and how to make an impact.”