Bryce is studying computer science at USC Salkehatchie.

"I chose to stay at Salkehatchie mainly because the classes are smaller, and I was working full time already, so I could support myself as I went through school. You really feel at home and get the college experience before you move out on your own and make the big transition. It was the best decision for me because a lot of people who I graduated from high school with started off at the big universities, but then had to come back because they realized they weren’t ready for the big university life. So they really had to start over at Salkehatchie when they could’ve just started there from the beginning.

I was already working full time while in high school, but I definitely was going to go to college. My dad is really fond of computers, and I guess that’s where I got my interest. USC Salkehatchie means a lot to me, and not just to me but to my parents as well because I’ll be the first to graduate in my immediate family. 

It also means a lot to the area because a lot of the older folks didn’t go to college after high school. They are now going back to school — even my parents are considering going back to college because of me.

If you didn’t have USC Salkehatchie, locals wouldn’t have a place to get educated because a lot of those kids are working at the same time. So it’s a really big help for them, especially the online classes when they’re working, too: you can stay at home, work on a computer, do what you have to do and get a degree at the same time."