Growing up, Elizabeth Foster ’15 could be found twirling in her dance studio, pitching on the softball field, singing in the church choir, or working with charities alongside her family in her Annandale, Virginia, community.
“I’ve always been a community-focused person,” said Foster, who, in high school, became a middle school cheerleading coach and, as an adult, coached high school softball for years.
Today, she is still giving back to her community as a near-decade-long volunteer for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a nonprofit that aims to cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of all patients and their families.
“Giving back is really important to me,” said Foster. “While I don’t have a personal connection to blood cancer specifically, cancer has touched my family in multiple ways. My grandmother was a breast cancer survivor, so I do a lot of my work in honor of her.”
Before Foster became a vital volunteer for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, she connected with others on and off the Gettysburg College campus. In the classroom, she double majored in organization and management studies (now business, organizations, and management) and Spanish/Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino studies. As a junior, she studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2013 and embarked on an immersion trip to Nicaragua in 2015, leading to her being named a Global Leader of Gettysburg College.
Outside the classroom, she was the vice president of operations for the Tri Sigma sorority, a member of the dance ensemble and its board, the Gettysburg College Choir, and a Residence Life Community Advisor. She was also deeply involved with the Newman Association, the Catholic ministry on campus, and tutored at Vida Charter School, using her bilingual skills.
“Gettysburg helped make me a well-rounded person,” Foster said. “All of my opportunities on campus and off gave me a lot of great leadership experience. I was able to leverage a lot of those experiences—growing as a person, interacting with people, public speaking, managing my time—in a way that helped me in my professional life and as I became a leader in my charity work.”
When Foster graduated from Gettysburg, she immediately pursued community service opportunities with her employers, such as clothing drives. Since 2016, when she was a business process analyst at CSRA, Inc., now known as General Dynamics Information Technology, she led the Light The Night walk corporate team for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This annual nationwide fundraising effort brings together different regions nationwide through organized walks lit by lanterns, which “drive out the darkness of cancer.”
“Every year, I have led a corporate team in the Washington, D.C. Light The Night walk that takes place on the National Mall,” said Foster. Since 2016, she has raised more than $130,000 to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
“The event is so much fun, featuring a band and an emcee,” she continued. “Everyone walks with lanterns that have different meanings based on their color: white is for a survivor or person currently living with cancer, red is for a supporter, and yellow is in memory of someone who passed. It’s one of my favorite things to do every year, and I encourage others to get involved to help this tremendous cause.”
When she transitioned to Deloitte, she took her unwavering commitment to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with her. In 2024, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society asked her to participate in the Visionaries of the Year campaign, a philanthropic competition for leaders in local communities across the United States.
“All of my opportunities on campus and off gave me a lot of great leadership experience. I was able to leverage a lot of those experiences—growing as a person, interacting with people, public speaking, managing my time—in a way that helped me in my professional life and as I became a leader in my charity work.”
“The Visionaries of the Year campaign is a 10-week friendly competition to raise as much money as possible for one of three pillars—blood cancer research, patient support, or policy and advocacy—and it was an honor to be asked,” explained Foster.
As a Visionary, Foster built “Team Fostering Hope,” fundraising for the policy and advocacy pillar with 14 individuals. She spent countless hours doing grassroots fundraising and community outreach. She even hosted a comedy night and happy hour to raise additional funds. Team Hope raised $55,000, and Foster was recognized with the Mission Pillar Award for Policy and Advocacy at the charity gala on June 8, 2024.
With her recent 10-year reunion at Gettysburg College, Foster stays connected to campus, encouraging the next generation of Gettysburgians to give back as leaders in their communities. After graduation, she helped revamp the Young Alumni Leadership Program through the Garthwait Leadership Center. She recently graduated with an MBA in corporate finance and strategy from the NYU Stern School of Business, where she was the class representative for the 50-person cohort.
“I really love helping people grow and learn and find their path, just like other people did for me,” said Foster. “Gettysburg does a great job of staying connected with its alumni and providing opportunities to stay involved. I encourage students and alumni to stay engaged with Gettysburg, connect with their communities, and get involved in local charity work.”
By Katelyn Silva
Posted: 08/27/25