The Arnold School is proud of our students, especially our 2021 graduates who have persevered during this challenging time. Every year, faculty, staff, students, friends and family look forward to celebrating graduates at hooding and commencement ceremonies.
Each year, the Arnold School and our departments recognize outstanding graduate students
with awards. Visit our awards page to see this year's winners.
We have featured a few of our outstanding students who are graduating in 2021. Click on the stories below to learn more about their journeys.
Alex Taylor plans to earn a grant writing certification and complete dual master's degrees in public health and urban planning. Long term, she hopes to become a social entrepreneur, helping underserved communities achieve health and wellness.
Originally from Illinois, Kathryn (Katy) Maxwell’s short list of potential colleges included universities with warm weather and big football. It was UofSC’s traditions and history that ultimately led her to South Carolina to study exercise science.
Adam Ereth chose UofSC because the Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences program offered the chance to explore the unique research questions that arose from his background in geography combined with his varied interests.
With a lot of nurses and physicians in her extended family, Katelyn Stephens already knew she was interested in a health-related career. She decided to study public health because it offered insight into the preventive side of healthcare.
As a public health student, Erin Quinn realized just how broad the field of public health is and loved the perspective it offered. Through her courses, conversations with her mentor and volunteer experiences, she found her career path as a child life specialist.
UofSC features Mallory Dixon, a volleyball athlete who graduates this month with a M.S. in Exercise Science. Dixon will coach club volleyball, and hopes to pursue a college coaching position or a clinical profession such as physical therapy.
Following her May 2021 graduation, Victoria Simpson headed north to begin the first step in her career: a seasonal athletic training internship with the New York Jets where she also participates in the organization's community outreach efforts.
Jessica Simon was perfectly positioned to support the Midlands when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She was working as a graduate research assistant when the state shut down in response to surging infection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in March of 2020.
August graduate Abby Spencer has completed a degree in public health as foundation for career in genetic counseling.
After graduating this past May, Williams accepted a position as the head athletic trainer at Ben Lippen School. She applies the lessons she learned from her athletic training courses and clinical experiences every day.
When Jennifer Heiser’s dad had a massive stroke, it changed everything. The Madison, Wisconsin-based family moved to South Carolina, and Heiser spent the next 10 years as a part-time student, part-time professional and part-time caregiver.
Olivia Ramos discovered photos of Carolina’s beautiful campus and then followed up with a tour that included in-person views of the horseshoe and hearing student testimonials first-hand.
The field of speech-language pathology tied everything together for Anne Elise Nicoladis. As an undergraduate at UofSC, she knew she wanted to work with children, and she knew she had a passion for research.
Emma Mitsui discovered public health when she took some courses as an undergraduate student. She became interested in the intersection of health and social justice and decided to pursue a career in physical therapy.
When Rebecca Harper decided to earn a master’s degree, she looked for outstanding programs that offered distance education options so she could continue serving as a speech-language pathology assistant for a district school board.
Chengbo Zeng graduates with 27 peer-reviewed publications and 31 presentations to his name. He received two of his department’s highest honors: the Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award and the Olga I. Ogoussan Doctoral Research Award.
Blythe Vickery has two main lessons to share from her time at the Arnold School: be inquisitive and keep an open mind. The master's student graduates in August, but the Arnold School became her home during her junior year as an undergrad.
As a Rotary Scholar, Emily Saathoff will focus on maternal and child health, specifically maternal mortality rates due to pregnancy-related complications. Her goal is contribute to advancing equity in this area through prevention.
As a student in the Ph.D. in Epidemiology program, Mohit Chowdhury developed interests and expertise in maternal and child health, mental health, developmental disabilities, health systems research, quality of care, nutrition and non-communicable diseases.
Corporate accountant Leslie Watson returned to school to earn a Master of Health Administration and pursue a career in healthcare. The May graduate’s next stop will be a residency with a major insurance organization.
UofSC appealed to Matt Trogdon because of the Arnold School's rankings as a top tier public health program (No. 13 in 2020 among public universities according to U.S. News & World Report) and its top notch Navy ROTC program.
Carson Collins chose public health as the perfect foundation for her career in medicine. This summer she will enroll at UofSC School of Medicine Greenville in pursuit of equity in women’s health.
The Arnold School’s Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior was a natural fit for learning more about her public health interests in disseminating research findings, and Wendy Besmann jumped into the program.
M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training graduate Maddison Hauge is bringing athletic training expertise and a public health focus to residency position at The Steadman Clinic.
Ph.D. in Exercise Science graduate Allison Smith is pursuing a career in academia focusing on female athlete triad, eating disorder risk, and body image dissatisfaction.