July 28, 2022 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu

For Atlanta, Georgia native Helen Holderread, UofSC was not just her first choice. It was the only college to which she applied.

“I visited one weekend to see some friends and fell in love with the beautiful campus,” she says. “I enjoyed the resources of a large university, with the community and atmosphere of a smaller school.”

Admitted students day turned out to be another milestone event for the future healthcare professional. She learned about the B.S. in Public Health program, which would provide a solid foundation for her eventual medical studies while offering a broader view of health.

I never realized how large of a role public health plays in our day-to-day life, whether it be vaccines or seatbelts. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and think outside of the box in each of my classes.

-Helen Holderread, B.S. in Public Health, 2022

“I found it fascinating to learn about the various facets of the subject,” Holderrad says. “I never realized how large of a role public health plays in our day-to-day life, whether it be vaccines or seatbelts. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and think outside of the box in each of my classes.”

Holderread found mentors in her advisor, Sarah Patneaude (who provided excellent guidance in meeting requirements for her psychology minor and physician assistant school applications), as well as exercise science clinical assistant professor Raymond Thompson and public health clinical associate professor Sara Corwin. Thompson helped Holderread transform her vision of herself as a student – teaching her to study and learn differently – and Corwin challenged her to think critically about how to best use her public health degree as a community member and healthcare professional.

Hands-on experience also played a major role in her undergraduate education, earning the Capstone Fellow an Excellence Award and Graduation with Leadership Distinction: Professional and Civic Engagement. She spent each of her four spring breaks participating in and leading medical mission trips in Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico and Guatemala. Holderread also worked at a local physician’s office as a medical assistant and served as a U101 Peer Leader. In her spare time, the multi-honors society member volunteered for Meals on Wheels, Feeding America and other food-recovery efforts.

“These experiences allowed me to learn about healthcare hands on and showed me inequalities of care on a global scale,” Holderread says. “It is my goal to continue volunteer efforts as a medical professional, both locally and internationally. My public health coursework taught me to find evidence that proves the benefit of different volunteer efforts. I hope to use this knowledge to ensure I am making a difference.”

In order to implement change, we have to alter the infrastructure that influences populations.

-Helen Holderread, B.S. in Public Health, 2022

Since graduating in May, Holderread has continued gaining professional and volunteer experience as she prepares her applications for physician assistant school. She plans to carry forward the lessons from her public health degree to improve health at the individual level and beyond.  

“In order to implement change, we have to alter the infrastructure that influences populations,” Holderread says. “I hope to incorporate the knowledge and understanding I gained from my degree into my personal and professional life moving forward. I think back to my senior year of highschool in Russell House Ballroom and I am eternally grateful to the individual who recommended the Arnold School to me.”