The Gentlemen Showcase

Elijah Acosta


Originally from Miami, Florida, Elijah Acosta is a graduating senior double majoring in Political Science and Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Elijah is an admirable student leader on campus by holding the Vice-Chairman position in College Republicans and being an active member of Young Americans for Liberty, College Democrats, as well as the National Society of Leadership and Success while still helping out with the Student Government Association. Elijah takes pride in being a community activist by being involved with Mecklenburg County Young Republicans and Lake Norman Young Professionals.

Elijah currently holds a manager position with a Christian-based boutique in the Concord Mills Outlet Mall in Concord, North Carolina. Striving to live out his Christian beliefs of serving others, giving compassion, providing wisdom, and being thankful, Elijah truly demonstrates what most gentlemen - young and old - should be.


By having a heart for kids, Elijah chose the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital as his charity of choice. Founded in 1962, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children’s catastrophic diseases, particularly leukemia and other cancers. After studies, it was found that the hospital costs about $2.4 million to run each day, with no cost to patients and their families.


The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Elijah has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his constant willingness to go out of his way to help those around him. Elijah is a hard-working and ambitious young man who looks to his peers to better himself and challenge his beliefs. A modern day gentleman is kind, caring, and generous. Elijah has demonstrated all of that and more.

Michael DeSantis


Originally from Apex, North Carolina, Michael DeSantis is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte double majoring in International Studies and Political Science. Involved on campus by being a brother of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and College Republicans, Michael constantly displays that he is a naturally strong leader. Through volunteering with several campaigns, Michael has proven to be motivated and hard working.


Most recently, Michael DeSantis held the position of Field Director for the RNC during the 2018 General Election. Starting in the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina, Michael worked side by side with N.C. Senator Jeff Tarte and other local candidates. Towards the end of the election cycle, Michael was moved to the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina to help Mark Harris succeed in his demanding campaign against Dan McCreedy.

Michael has chosen the UNC Heart and Vascular as his Charity of Choice. This organization is one that is close to Michael as his father was treated there a few years ago. He believes this is an organization that has helped so many in the community and in the state as it is dedicated to the health and wellness of his community.


The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Michael has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his hard work and dedication to many organizations as well as helping others. Michael is an outstanding citizen, community leader, NeW Mascot, and friend. A modern-day gentleman is considerate, trustworthy, and determined. Michael has demonstrated all of that and more.


Camden Diggs


Originally from Norwood, North Carolina, Camden Diggs is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte double majoring in Political Science and History. In high school, Camden started getting involved in his community by serving as an NC House of Representatives Page and NC Senate Page, as well as being recognized for an outstanding delegate at the Atlanta Model UN Competition. More recently, Camden is involved on campus through the Delta Chi Fraternity, where he served as Brotherhood Chair, Social Chair, and Fundraising Chair.


Camden is currently a Supervisor at Your Event Source which hosts special events in the Charlotte area. Camden's position has helped him gain professional skills and be able to express his creativity in planning. By working with upper-level clients, Camden has learned to display poise, critical thinking, and generosity which he brings back to campus.

Camden's charity of choice is GHA Autism Supports which is a non-profit organization that helps individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and hosts visitors from all over the world who are interested in using similar practices in their native countries. This charity is close to Camden as his mom has been employed with the organization for over twenty (20) years. While growing up, Camden had the opportunity to volunteer at special events and not only become familiar with the agency but also to personally coach individuals in Swimming during the Special Olympics. For over ten (10) years, Camden has volunteered at the annual Duck Derby fundraiser. Another highlight was when he was able to volunteer while GHA hosted international visitors from Japan to tour sites.


The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Camden has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his compassionate characteristics towards absolutely everybody. As a true community server, Camden is always willing to help friends, peers, and those around him. A modern day gentleman is someone who is dependable, trustworthy and caring. Camden has demonstrated all of that and more.


Keith Maples


Originally from Gastonia, North Carolina, Keith Maples is a graduating senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte double majoring in Global Studies and Political Science. As the former Chairman of UNC Charlotte College Republicans, Keith is heavily involved in local politics as he was also a member of Christians United for Israel on campus and worked on U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry’s campaign over the past few years.

After graduation in May, Keith is planning on attending Officer Candidates School for the United States Marine Corps. This is a rigorous and challenging program with high reward for those who complete it. Keith strongly believes in serving one’s country - especially the greatest country in the world. Keith is extremely excited to undergo this next journey and looks forward to giving back to a country that has given him so much.

With a passion for the military and veterans, Keith chose The Independence Fund for his charity of choice. The Independence Fund is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina and is committed to empowering our nation’s catastrophically wounded, injured, or ill Veterans to overcome physical, mental, and emotional wounds incurred in the line of duty. Keith has volunteered with the Independence Fund for years and would be proud to donate $1,000 to The Independence Fund.

The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Keith has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for two years in a row for his dedication to helping those around him. Keith is outgoing, unselfish, and genuine. A modern day gentleman is someone who is considerate, polite, and noble. Keith demonstrates all of that and more.

John Padgett


Originally from Forest City, North Carolina, John Padgett is a graduating senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte majoring in Computer Engineering. John is an activist for Conservative ideologies on and off campus by serving as the former Chairman of College Republicans, working on local elections for the past few years, and a proud member of the National Rifle Association. Geared towards his major, John is a member of the Charlotte Area Robotics team.


After recently taking an internship with Duke Energy, John takes pride in his ability to assist his local community. Duke Energy is a prominent energy company in the Carolinas and serves millions of citizens. John is passionate about what he studies and is excited to implement that into the workforce in May.

As a lifelong North Carolina State University fan, John admires Jim Valvano, an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. While John was not alive for his most memorable career moments such as winning the 1983 college basketball championship with N.C. State and delivering “arguably the best ESPY speech of all time”, Mr. Valvano left an impression on him. John admires Jimmy Valvano’s determination, perseverance to win the fight against cancer by starting the V. Foundation: A Victory of Cancer. A family member of John’s has battled and survived cancer, so he knows the struggles and hardships a cancer patient can face during treatment, leading him to chose the V. Foundation as his charity of choice.

The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. John has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his admirable respect and dedication to helping those around him. John is a strong-minded and determined young man who challenges his peers to see things differently and promote a hard-working attitude. A modern day gentleman is kind, caring, smart, and generous. John has demonstrated all of that and more.

Hunter Pearce



Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Hunter Pearce is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Political Science. As a brother of the Sigma Tau Fraternity, Hunter is an active student on and off campus. As a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda Honors, Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honors, Pre-Law Society, College Republicans, and Criminal Justice Association, Hunter is a strong-willed and determined student.

After recently taking an internship with Conservative Connections, an up and coming political consulting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hunter is always looking for ways to get involved in his surrounding community. As a Criminal Justice major, Hunter can often be found on ride-alongs with local law enforcement and sitting in on court cases.


Hunter has a passion for helping others as well as for sports. His charity of choice is his fraternity’s philanthropy, Special Olympics. Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities providing year-round training and competitions to five million athletes and Unified Sports partners in one hundred and seventy-two (172) countries. Each year, Sigma Tau Gamma hosts “Gold Medalist” and “Sig Tacos” for Special Olympics.


“Gold Medalist” is a global messenger involvement that is partnered with the official Spread the Word to End the Word campaign. During this event, an athlete comes to speak in order to share perspectives of what dollars actually contribute to and how much it means to the great cause of Special Olympics. “Sig Tacos” is an awareness campaign of Person-First Language designed to get individuals to understand how to address people with disabilities and talk to them and recognize them as people first. Both of these events help make the Sigma Tau Gamma Chapter more aware of Special Olympics and designed to get brothers to pledge to be a community leader.

The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Hunter has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his willingness to go out of his way to help others. As a true friend, Hunter is always there when someone needs assistance no matter what the cost - literally. A modern day gentleman is someone who is kind, caring, smart, and generous. Hunter has demonstrated all of that and more.

Collin Petruska


Originally from Gastonia, North Carolina, Collin Petruska is a graduating senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte majoring in Political Science and minoring in America Studies. Collin is involved on campus through holding the Treasurer position for Young Americans for Liberty and by being a member of the Sports Marketing Association.

During the summers, Collin works as a Sales and Operations Intern for the Gastonia Grizzlies which is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. In his position, Collin has the opportunity to interact with fans along with the team. Over the past few summers, Collin has been able to learn what it takes to manage a sports team. This position has helped Collin become the outgoing guy he is today.

Collin’s charity of choice is The Gaston Young Guns Shooting Sports. Gaston Young Guns Shooting Sports (GYG) is a non-profit organization that aims to keep the shooting sports alive through educating and training youth. Collin has chosen this charity because he was a member of Gaston Young Guns (GYG) while he was growing up and admired Captain Steve Duncan who his winning $1,000 charitable donation would be in memory of. Having no prior shooting experience, Collin joined GYG. Struggling at first, Collin persisted and eventually became one of the top youth shooters all across the nation. He was then given the opportunity to compete all across the top youth and at the NSSA Junior World Championships for multiple years. Not only did this organization teach Collin how to be safe with firearms and how to shoot, but it also shaped Collin into a leader. He served as team Caption for a year and learned the value of teamwork, friendship, and encouragement. Gaston Young Guns has given Collin several great memories and beneficial characteristics.

The Gentlemen Showcase aims to recognize modern-day chivalry on college campuses. Collin has been nominated by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Network of enlightened Women for his free spirit and generous heart. Collin is always looking for ways to give back to others. A modern day gentleman is someone who is strong minded, determined, and gentle. Collin has demonstrated all of that and more.

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