Caroline and Susan R. Guignard Carolina Scholar
S.C. Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics
Florence, SC
Biological Sciences

On the first day of classes my freshman year, I met Dr. Karami who would be my research mentor for my entire time at UofSC. With the readings in his course, I would be introduced to the richness of health data analytics being done through social media, and I would find a gap in the literature to make my own niche focusing on LGBTQ+ health. With his support, I applied for and received Honors College and Magellan Scholar research funding to begin a project that has grown from browsing Twitter, to a team of researchers, multiple publications and millions of tweets to read. This one class has gone on to define everything I’ve done at UofSC, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Future plans: Frank will pursue a doctorate in information systems and computational social sciences. He plans to spend his career working in research to identify health disparities and develop targeted interventions in vulnerable populations.