The Arnold School is proud of our 2025 graduates, who will go on to change the world locally and globally. 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. Congratulations to Julie Warren (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training) and Hannah Parker (Ph.D. in Exercise Science) on winning the top 2025 Student Awards.
We have featured a few of our outstanding students who are graduating in 2025. Click on the stories below to learn more about their journeys.
During her undergraduate tenure, Jill Smiley interned or shadowed at several physical therapy and other health care clinics - gaining insight into a variety settings and specialties. She also joined the Exercise Science Club and volunteered at local nonprofits.
After finding USC's environment to be a welcoming one, Bhola decided to stay at the Arnold School to pursue an M.S. in Epidemiology. She's made lifelong friends, learned valuable life skills, and broadened her community.
"USC helped me find my confidence and purpose. Through being a University 101 Peer Leader, serving as vice president of Collegiate Curls, and studying exercise science, I discovered a community that challenged and supported me in ways I never expected." —Sierra Brent
Returning to USC for graduate school was an easy decision for Ciara Matthews. As her alma mater, the state's flagship university held a special place for Matthews, but the biggest factor was the program's flexibility.
Victoria Adebiyi graduates with a Ph.D. in HPEB this month after completing her global health dissertation project. She's currently working on manuscripts that describe what she learned during a mixed-methods she conducted study in Nigeria.
A third generation Gamecock, Arlis Dawsey grew up wearing garnet and black and knew that USC would feel like a second home. The Chapin, SC native decided to study public health because of its focus on population-level changes and community service.
Keren Herrán graduates this month, and she's ready to change the world. The global health researcher gained a breadth and depth of international research experience during her Ph.D. program.
A lifelong Gamecock, going to USC was a forgone conclusion for Michael Paslawski. Still, the smalltown South Carolinian found the flagship university's size (both its population and sprawling campus) to be a bit of an adjustment his freshman year.
Now that he's reached the finish line, Trystan Ruiz has two important milestones coming up. The first is a position at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers in Oklahoma City. The second is the birth of their son, who is due in January.
After graduating this month, Makenzie Anderson will join Encompass Health as a physical therapist in their inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Based on her positive experiences at the Arnold School, she also plans to pursue teaching.
When Molly O'Malley and her military spouse started a family, she knew it was time to make a pivot from her 12 years as a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot. She was looking for a new way to help others while balancing the requirements of military family life.
The M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology program's Auditory Verbal Therapy special interest track boosted Samantha Feeney's knowledge of this area and helped her secure a Clinical Fellowship with Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.
With interests in geriatrics and vestibular rehabilitation, Outstanding DPT Student of the Year Award winner Alejandra Medina-Reyes will soon begin a Geriatrics Physical Therapy Residency.
Will Owings graduated in May with a 4.0 GPA and is the recipient of the Susie B. Yates Award for Excellence in Scholarship and the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Contributions to Access and Collective Engagement in Research or Practice.
With a passion for using data to guide the planning and design of health programs and evaluating the impact of public health interventions, Adrienne Parkinson accepted a position as a researcher with CARE following her May graduation.
With Zach Drechsler's full-time position as a laboratory researcher his priority, USC's 100 percent Online Master of Public Health in Epidemiology program offered the perfect path to pursuing a graduate degree in the field.
After winning the Outstanding Epidemiology Doctoral Student Award, Prince Addo plans to continue engaging in innovative epidemiologic research focused on modifiable risk factors for disease prevention and control.
After graduating with the Arnold School's 2024 Doctoral Achievement Award, Rajat das Gupta will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to continue his training and research in molecular and genetic epidemiology in cancer.
Outstanding Exercise Science Student Award winner Hailey Karns found her home away from home in the Honors College and completes her tenure at USC this month with Graduation with Leadership Distinction and a 4.0 GPA.
Fahmida Akter graduates in May with a Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior and her priorities clear: a lifelong connection to USC and an unwavering commitment to improving health, particularly for women and children, in low-resource settings.
Zohra Alikhail may have been born and raised in SC, but her Afghan roots have shaped her past, present and future. The daughter of immigrants, she knew she was passionate about advocating for marginalized groups, but she wasn't sure which area to study.
After graduating in August, Jennifer Mungo Graduate Student of the Year Award winner Celine Benedico plans to work with pediatric populations, including bilingual children, who have language and communication disorders.
Through his educational and clinical experiences Taisei Chiba has adopted a holistic approach to patient care - which he will begin applying after graduating in May when he will rejoin the Miami Dolphins as an athletic trainer.
Scout player for Gamecocks Women's Basketball Benjamin White is wrapping up his exercise science degree with a sports performance internship, and it's the perfect segue into the next phase of his USC journey: enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
Public health major Muskaan Makkar has been awarded the SCPHA Public Health Scholarship. The Honors College student and Stamps Scholar is also a Fulbright France semi-finalist.
Tony Brown's doctoral studies helped refine his evaluation/data analytics and infectious disease expertise, specifically in the areas of HIV and other STIs with the goal of advancing health equity for sexual and racial minority groups.
A Gamecock at heart, Elizabeth Cole knew that studying at South Carolina's flagship university would cement her ties to the state, and she chose the Arnold School's B.S. in Exercise Science program as her major due to its strong scientific foundation.
Bethany Cotton's various leadership roles and volunteer activities - along with a strong foundation from the only accredited school of public health in the state - cemented her commitment to a career in health care.