It's time to Celebrate Our University
By Page Ivey, pivey@mailbox.sc.edu, 803-777-3085
An Honors College pre-med student who suffered traumatic injuries in a motorcycle crash two years is working toward a career to help others put their lives back together.
A Gamecocks men’s soccer player who works just as hard in the College of Social Work is committed to conflict resolution far beyond the field of play.
A history professor who will never forget her first presidential ballot cast 40 years ago works to document the struggles some have had to claim their right to vote.
Those are just a few of the students, faculty and staff stories President Harris Pastides highlighed at the Celebrate Our University event on the USC Horseshoe.
“There wasn’t anyone speaking up for me or talking about what it’s like to live with a hidden disability. ... So I want to be that person."
Julia Rodes, Honors College, pre-med
Julia Rodes is the reigning Miss Wheelchair South Carolina. Her victory in that competition shows how far she has come in the two years since a motorcycle accident crashed her world. In her studies and her daily life, Rodes is bringing awareness to painful and deadly diseases we can’t see, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Kevin Stam understands that Division I athletic events are often compared with battle. But the Gamecock defender knows some conflict can be positive, depending on how you approach it. As a student, Kevin researches conflict and peacemaking.
In their studies about people’s fight for voting rights, Marjorie Spruill and her students have learned that history is made every time someone stands up for what’s right.
The president’s annual address to students, faculty and staff highlighted these personal success stories and those of the whole university family. Pastides also charted USC’s ambitious goals for the coming year and beyond.
By Web Communications