Stories for Students

Author Julia Elliott, brown shoulder-length hair and wearing a brown suit, sits in a chair holding her book surrounded by group of onlookers

Venturesome USC professor wins one of fiction's most prestigious prizes

July 23, 2026, Kristine Hartvigsen

Known for her fluid, label-defying prose, author Julia Elliott found herself in excellent company last month among a literary cadre of distinct, even unconventional voices. She read the work of her fellow finalists with awe, never thinking she would win. But it was her name announced over the sound system as the winner of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her critically acclaimed, genre-bending short-story collection Hellions.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

Braden Guliano stands next to a rack of computer equipment

Braden Guliano builds technology career with internships, mentors and entrepreneurial spirit

July 10, 2026, Chris Horn

Braden Guliano has been a man on a mission at USC. In just three years, he completed a bachelor’s degree in integrated information technology at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing while completing multiple internships and launching his own tech consulting business on the side.

Topics: Students, Research, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, South Carolina Honors College, Meant To Be USC

Michael Carson, an intern for USC Facilities, poses for a portrait.

USC Facilities intern turns capstone project into AI-powered campus innovation

July 06, 2026, Hunter Mutherspaw

A University of South Carolina computer science capstone project led by graduate Michael Carson has grown into an AI-powered internship project that helps USC Facilities analyze maintenance data, automate reporting and improve campus operations through smarter, data-driven decision-making.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

USC student Aquiles Agreda helps clean up rubble at night after two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela.

Recent graduate rises to the challenge of Venezuelan earthquakes

July 02, 2026, Zoe Nicholson

Like much of the world, Aquiles Agreda was watching the World Cup on June 24 with friends. But two massive earthquakes — a 7.2 magnitude followed by a 7.5 less than a minute later — shook Agreda’s native country that evening. He and his friends were unharmed, but within a day, he was helping with rescue and cleanup operations. Agreda plans to return to USC in August to begin the Master of International Business program. His only plan right now, though, is to help others.

Topics: Students, Darla Moore School of Business

An African American adult male in black t-shirt and ballcap looks into the camera

30 years after 'Reasonable Doubt,' Jay-Z's career embodies hip-hop's biggest contradictions

June 25, 2026, Jabari Evans

The cinematic complexity of Jay-Z’s first rap album “Reasonable Doubt” explains why it still matters 30 years later. Today, hip-hop powers advertising campaigns, luxury branding and streaming platforms. Jay-Z has played an outsized role in that transformation. Writing for The Conversation, USC assistant professor Jabari Evans explores the complicated history of hip-hop’s rise in a capitalist society.

Topics: Research, Entrepreneurship, College of Information and Communications, The Conversation

Board Briefs: Trustees approve budget, key USC Next projects

June 19, 2026, Andy Shain

University of South Carolina trustees approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget and advanced key projects tied to the Columbia campus’s USC Next master plan.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, Economic Engagement, Health Sciences, Campus Construction, SC Impact, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

view of Russell House with pink flowers blooming in the foreground

USC board approves freezing tuition, expanding Russell House, building Civil Rights Center

June 18, 2026, Andy Shain

University of South Carolina trustees approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget that freezes in-state tuition systemwide and advanced key projects tied to the Columbia campus’s USC Next master plan.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, University President, Academics, Research, Undergraduate Admissions, Economic Engagement, Campus Construction, SC Impact, Leadership, Careers, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

Israel softball players celebrate on the field, holding a national flag during an international competition.

Graduate's journey from softball to social work leads to selection as U.S. team therapist at Jewish Olympics

June 10, 2026, Carol J.G. Ward

After navigating the challenges of life beyond Division I softball, licensed clinical social worker Olivia Gott, now supports athletes facing similar transitions. She will serve as the U.S. team therapist at the 2026 Maccabiah Games, bringing both personal experience and professional care to the world stage.

Topics: Alumni, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, College of Social Work

Pages of a thesis document amid stacked books

From thesis to courtroom: Honors College honed skills, discipline for successful alumni

June 03, 2026, Carol J.G. Ward

Alumni Kathy Carlsten and Peter Siachos, who both graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College in 1997 and the Joseph F. Rice School of Law in 2000, say they draw on the critical thinking and collaborative skills, the debate-oriented approach and intellectual ambition required in honors courses in their legal practices.

Topics: Alumni, Academics, Graduate Studies, History, Leadership, Careers, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, South Carolina Honors College

Boston Red Sox player in green Nike-branded uniform with the No. 16 appears wearing batting helmet

As more athletes speak openly about depression, anxiety and suicide, a minority of fans are weaponizing it

May 27, 2026, Scott Parrott

Because elite athletes are seen as admired role models, many enjoy lucrative contracts as spokespeople for a variety of products. When Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran recently was harassed after revealing a mental illness, his expression of regret could potentially discourage others from talking publicly about their struggles for fear it could be weaponized against them. USC professor Scott Parrott explores this in a recent article for The Conversation.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, College of Information and Communications, The Conversation

Lauren Greenfield smiles for the camera with a football.

Alumna builds community as Washington Commanders executive

May 13, 2026, Megan Sexton

After earning her degree in sport and entertainment management, Lauren Greenfield went directly into Georgetown University’s sports industry management master’s program. Then she found her passion with the Washington Commanders. Greenfield focuses on innovative ways to create value for both new and existing sponsors — developing go-to-market strategy, examining industry-wide best practices, building sponsorable platforms across the business and working with internal and external constituents across the NFL.  

Topics: Alumni, Recognition, Leadership, Careers, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, Carolinian

A coach high fives a student runner.

Physical education course prepares students for triathlons and life after college

May 08, 2026, Chris Horn

Joe Roof’s students had been preparing for their final test all semester: a modified triathlon super sprint. The students completed 200 meters swimming followed by seven miles pedaling on indoor spin bikes and two miles jogging on the Blatt practice field. It was the perfect ending to an elective physical education class called Triathlon Training.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Experiential Learning, Student Voices

Walker Weaver and Emma Connelly pose with books.

Reading between the feathers: How two students turned a mascot role into years of service

May 08, 2026, Michaela Taylor

You may know Cocky from game day at Williams-Brice, but some of his biggest fans sit on classroom floors, not stadium seats. Behind the yellow beak are two seniors  who’ve been involved with Cocky's Reading Express for the last four years. Meet Walker Weaver and Emma Connelly.  

Topics: Students, Initiatives, Philanthropy, Partnerships, Service, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Information and Communications

Intern Olivia Branson with Alexandra Woodlief, ’13, owner and lead creative director of Alexandra Madison Weddings.

Internships help USC students explore their potential

May 07, 2026, Laura Erskine, Téa Smith and Craig Brandhorst / photos by Kim Truett

Internships aren’t just for building resumés. When students take that first big step into their chosen career, the hard work of college begins to pay off. We spoke to nine student interns from across the USC system to find out what they've gained beyond the books from their internship experiences.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Experiential Learning, Economic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Careers, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, University System, Carolinian

Frank Avignone in his campus laboratory with the Thomas F. Jones Memorial Electron Spectrometer.

Physicist Frank Avignone has fed his scientific curiosity with a steady pursuit of new ideas

May 07, 2026, Chris Horn

Frank Avignone has been fascinated by physics longer than most people have been alive, an intense curiosity that began in the waning days of World War II. Now, more than six decades after being recruited to the faculty of USC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, Avignone continues to conduct particle physics research with renowned scholars, some of them at international laboratories he helped build decades ago.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Carolinian

Magdalena Stawkowski smiles for the camera

The nuclear afterlife of the Cold War in the Eurasian Steppe has become the cornerstone of anthropologist Magdalena Stawkowski's research

May 04, 2026, Craig Brandhorst

USC anthropologist Magadalena Stawkowski spent years interviewing the people who live near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in rural Kazakhstan. Her 2025 book, “Atomic Collective”, examines culture and community in one of the most toxic places on Earth.

Topics: Faculty, Recognition, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Carolinian, Breakthrough Research

Austin Harper stands in an engineering lab.

Doctoral student gains systems engineering perspective through Scout Motors partnership

May 01, 2026, Chris Horn

This past fall, Scout Motor’s chief technology officer Burkhard Huhnke was the lead instructor for Applied Systems Engineering for Complex Systems, a class offered through the Molinaroli College’s new industrial engineering program. Ph.D. student Austin Harper shares how the course taught him about sophisticated technology and design processes, including those Scout will use at the new plant.

Topics: Graduate Studies, Partnerships, Student Voices, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

USC alumna Stephanie Kyle smiles warmly while standing in front of a financial data display board showing stock tickers

Connecting the dots: Alumna Stephanie Kyle thrives in global supply chain and beyond

May 01, 2026, Dan Cook

From an early age, Stephanie Kyle had an appreciation for people from all over the world. She entertained thoughts of traveling far from South Carolina for college, but everything changed when she toured USC. As a student, she traveled widely and got involved in student organizations focused on global business and supply chain. Today, she is pricing director at a major global company.

Topics: Alumni, Academics, Experiential Learning, Careers, Darla Moore School of Business, South Carolina Honors College, Meant To Be USC

person in graduation robes wearing a bedazzled graduation cap with a gamecock and a block C on it

USC graduates celebrate spring commencement

April 29, 2026, Jeff Stensland

Thousands of graduates from across the University of South Carolina will celebrate May commencement ceremonies beginning Thursday, May 7. USC President Michael Amiridis will deliver remarks at all four baccalaureate ceremonies taking place at the Colonial Life Arena (schedule below). Separate ceremonies also will be held for the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, the two Schools of Medicine and the doctoral graduates.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Signature Events

Michelle Ayala-Perez smiles while outside on USC's historic Horseshoe

Balancing the books: First-gen student navigates pathway to accounting major

April 28, 2026, Chris Horn

What happens when a first-generation college student seeks advice from an instructor who was also a first-gen student? “Inspiration,” says Michelle Ayala-Perez. A conversation with an accounting instructor emboldened Ayala-Perez to explore changing her academic major. She is now enrolled in the accounting program at the Darla Moore School of Business and has her sights set on a career path that seems to have chosen her.

Topics: Students, Academics, Darla Moore School of Business

Student stands and waves at commencement cermony

Class of 2026

April 27, 2026, Megan Sexton

As the Class of 2026 prepares to walk across the commencement stage, graduates leave the University of South Carolina with memories of enduring friendships, newfound passions, supportive mentors and life-changing experiences.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Recognition, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, The Graduate School, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, school-of-law, School of Music, College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health, College of Social Work, South Carolina Honors College

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