Stories for Parents

Photo of student walking on the Horseshoe

First-generation college students bring resilience, perspectives to USC campus

November 03, 2023, Megan Sexton

First-generation college students come from all sorts of backgrounds and bring a variety of perspectives to campus. At USC, about one-fifth of the student population identifies as first-generation college students, meaning their parents did not earn a four-year college degree.

Head and shoulders photo of Danny Morrison

HRSM professor Danny Morrison passes on wisdom gleaned from decades in sports industry

October 16, 2023, Megan Sexton

Danny Morrison, former president of the Carolina Panthers and a sport management professor at USC, draws on his long career in athletics to inspire and educate the next generation of sport professionals

Members of the Carolina Band perform on the field at halftime of a USC football game

Carolina Marching Band selected to perform in the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

September 08, 2023, Thom Harman

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® committee has announced the Carolina Band as one of their premier bands selected to perform in the 2024 parade. The announcement was made at halftime of the South Carolina vs. Furman football game on Saturday (Sept. 9). The band was one of just 10 chosen from more than 100 applicants. This is the first time in the band’s 100+-year history that it’s been given this opportunity.

Brynn Lynagh and classmate on Lake Titicaca

Transformative Peru winter session shapes student passions, career plans

August 31, 2023, Hannah Cambre

In 2021, a group of 20 students from across majors and class standings journeyed to Peru to explore the modern day capital city of Lima as well as the ancient Incan capital in Cusco and the sacred site of Machu Picchu. This year, another cohort will return for a winter session to explore the rich history and culture of Peru.

USC Cocky Statue

ICYMI: Ten big things happening at the university

August 30, 2023, Lauryn Jiles

The university never sleeps, but it does slow down a bit during the summer. With the start of the fall semester, here’s a reminder of some recent happenings that you might have missed, plus a heads up about some major upcoming events.

Two freshmen pushing carts with their belongings into their new campus home.

Move-in by the numbers

August 24, 2023, Koby Padgett

As a record-breaking first-year class settles into the University of South Carolina this week, here are some numbers about our incoming students that help give a picture of the activities they take part in, how they’ll impact campus life and the resources it takes to support them.

a man kneels on a boardwalk in a coastal marsh

From the classroom to the field, USC students carve their own Carolina paths

August 21, 2023

For a lot of University of South Carolina students, the realization that this is a special place comes quickly. One walk around the Horseshoe, one time cheering in the stands at Williams-Brice Stadium, and that’s all it takes. But those signature experiences are only a tiny part of what it means to be a Gamecock. Life-altering experiences can be found all over campus and beyond.

Students wear protective glasses while learning at camp

Carolina Master Scholars camps spark curiosity, forge connections

August 03, 2023, Alexis Watts

Summer camp memories don’t often include crime scene blood spatter analysis or creating culinary masterpieces, but the Carolina Master Scholars Adventure Series is not your typical summer camp.

Panoramic view of Segra Park baseball stadium.

USC students gain wide exposure to sports industry through summer baseball internships

July 07, 2023, Allen Wallace

Students from the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management are learning all about minor league baseball this summer at teams throughout the Southeast and beyond. Providing these hands-on opportunities is a priority for USC’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, which emphasizes real-world experience and career development alongside classroom instruction.

Frank Avignone poses in lab with a white lap coat on.

Physicist continues lifelong search for dark matter, 90 years in the making

June 13, 2023, Bryan Gentry

Frank Avignone is looking for dark matter ― the mysterious substance that makes up much of the universe. In a lab at the University of South Carolina, he shows off a spectrometer that he recently repaired with support from the National Science Foundation. Purchased for his lab more than 50 years ago, the device proved to be just what he needs for his newest experiment.

The Owen family of three young boys holding their infant brother

Clay and Grainne Owen lead Gamecocks in support of curing children's cancer

June 07, 2023, Megan Sexton

When Clay and Grainne Owen’s son Killian died of leukemia at age 9, the family’s tragedy became their mission — to find better treatments and make childhood cancer a curable disease. Their charity, Curing Kids Cancer, has raised more than $25 million since 2005.

Terence Weik at the Kinsler cemetery site in Blythewood, S.C.

USC researcher's Black cemeteries project aims to restore lost ancestral connections

June 07, 2023, Rose Cisneros

For Terrance Weik, the gravesite of his great-grandmother was a sacred place: Her headstone memorialized a place where he could remember her and those who came before. Weik is working on research and preservation efforts at three burial grounds across South Carolina: sites in Blythewood, Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head.

Two women look at a laptop screen

Boeing offers engineering scholarships, career opportunities

May 18, 2023, Lauryn Jiles

The University of South Carolina is one of only six institutions in the country selected to partner with Boeing on its Accelerated Leadership Program, in which a select group of students will gain hands-on learning experience working with engineering projects and innovative technologies

Sarah Davis poses with her son, Sam.

Sarah Davis blazes trail for mothers pursuing Ph.D.'s

May 11, 2023, Abbey Smith

Sarah Davis’s endometriosis diagnosis spurred the NIH-funded researcher to pursue motherhood while completing her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences. As she prepares to celebrate her first Mother’s Day, Davis reflects on what it means to have a successful academic career while starting a family.

Robert Pokora stands on the horseshoe holding a large framed award

Sullivan Award winner leaves legacy of giving back

April 17, 2023, Communications and Marketing

Honors College senior Robert William Pokora III drew on his family’s experience with organ transplant to restart an organization at the University of South Carolina that advocates for people to sign up to be donors. The Greer, South Carolina, native is one of two winners of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award — the university’s highest student honor.

Charlotte pollack stands on the horseshoe holding a large framed award

Sullivan Award winner excelled despite pandemic limitations

April 17, 2023, Communications and Marketing

Honors College senior Charlotte Ann Pollack did not let the pandemic stop her from excelling even when the worldwide shutdown significantly altered her plans. The Fort Mill, South Carolina, native is one of two winners of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award — the university’s highest student honor.

lines of people presenting and conversing at a convention

Discover USC

April 13, 2023, Reagin von Lehe

The Discover USC event showcases student research at the university, especially the work of seniors, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. These projects represent all disciplines in research, scholarship, leadership and creativity. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the annual, systemwide showcase will be held 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 21 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

Woman smiling in white dress

Campus Conversation: Jala Lewis

February 25, 2023, Reagin von Lehe

Through her marketing major, Jala Lewis is learning how to manage her cosmetology business that she started in high school. Jala’s Extensions became a reality for Lewis when she posted her progress in learning how to braid on social media — her peers in school were impressed. Now, she has braided Zia Cooke’s, Bree Hall’s, and Chico Carter Jr.’s hair in USC athletics.

Doctoral Candidate, Constance Caddell goes through SC NAACP records.

New age treasure hunters reveal lost stories of Black life in South Carolina

February 14, 2023, Alexis Watts

New age treasure hunters, part of the South Carolina Digital Newspaper Program, are saving crucial historical information buried in old publications that are being preserved and presented online. The newspapers reveal stories from the state’s Black residents and rural communities, often overlooked by larger news outlets. 

USC student nurses at bedside of a patient

U.S. News rankings: USC keeps top spot in online graduate nursing programs

January 20, 2023, Megan Sexton

For the third straight year, the University of South Carolina’s College of Nursing is ranked No. 1 nationally for its online graduate nursing program, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual online programs rankings released Jan. 24.

maxcy monument on the usc horseshoe

Social justice awards recognize outstanding student, faculty members

January 09, 2023, Page Ivey

Four faculty members and a student have been recognized for their work on campus and in the larger community with 2023 Social Justice Awards. The University of South Carolina created the Social Justice Awards to recognize individuals who have exemplified the philosophies of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through acts of community service, social justice or racial reconciliation.

President Amiridis cheers on the Gamecocks as they play against SC State.

Year in review '22: In with the old, in with the new

December 14, 2022, Communications and Marketing

Did campus feel just a little bit livelier this year? A touch more spirited? A tad more optimistic? We thought so, too — and not only because we named a new president back in January. Yeah, that was one heck of a way to ring in the new year, and it set the tone for the months ahead, but in the end, 2022 was about all of us, from the President’s House to Russell House, from Colonial Life to Williams-Brice. It was about respecting tradition, rediscovering our identity, remembering our past and reimagining our future. In 2022, the University of South Carolina reminded us all what it means to be USC.

Maggie Gaspar stands in the Green Quad.

Nationally ranked living learning communities transforming undergraduate experiences

December 01, 2022, Hannah Cambre

Living-learning communities are one of the many opportunities offered by USC to provide students with a meaningful undergraduate experience. Incoming students can apply for or be invited to one of seven faculty-led living learning communities, which create an intentional space for students to engage passions ranging from health science to music to engineering, all within their own living spaces.