LeRoy Chapman Jr.
As an English major at USC, LeRoy Chapman Jr. learned to think deeply and make a strong case. He put those skills to work as a student reporter, where an early assignment showed him how telling someone’s story could make a difference. That experience helped set him on a path in journalism that eventually led to the top newsroom position at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he became the newspaper’s first editor-in-chief of color.
“What Carolina provided me was a challenge but also the assurance that I could do hard things and that maybe there are things that are available to me. And being an English major helped make me a deeper thinker and a more competent debater.”
Learn more about LeRoy Chapman in The Way I’m Wired.
Kayla Gardner
Kayla Gardner came to USC knowing she wanted to study the ocean. Her community here took that interest much farther, from studying harmful algae blooms to working with NOAA in Hawaii. Along the way, she realized that doing meaningful science also meant helping people understand why it matters. Her arts and sciences education prepared her to communicate about science, whether her audience is elected leaders or high school students.
“I think, as scientists, we must do better at expressing scientific concepts in a way that people can understand and explaining why they should care."
Learn more about Kayla Gardner in Support and passion bring Honors College alumna into the ‘ocean twilight zone’.
Jotaka Eaddy
In Jotaka Eaddy's early days at USC, she was determined to make a difference. The political science graduate and USC’s first Black woman student body president went on to help win a U.S. Supreme Court case that abolished the juvenile death penalty. Her career has since spanned civil rights advocacy and technology.
“For me it’s about being my whole self. I don’t have to be just about politics, just a tech strategist, just a civil rights advocate. I can be all those things. I learned at the University of South Carolina we can be our whole selves.”
Eaddy continues to use her voice to create change and open doors for people who have been underestimated.
Learn more about Jotaka Eaddy in UofSC alumna uses politics, technology to elevate the ‘underestimated’.
Todd Herman
Todd Herman was studying biology when an art history elective put the Parthenon, the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel in front of him. Rather than leave one interest behind, he made room for both and graduated with degrees in biology and art history. At USC, a faculty mentor encouraged Herman to widen his focus again, opening career possibilities he hadn’t considered.
“When I started seeing all these great works of architecture and sculpture, it opened up so many windows and knocked down so many walls that I just wanted to know more.”
Today, as president and CEO of Charlotte’s Mint Museum, he draws on the analytical thinking of his science background and his expertise as an art historian while continuing his own scholarship.
Learn more about Todd Herman in Renaissance Man.
Kellie Martin
International studies major Kellie Martin had big plans to become a foreign service officer. Then an experience with wine while studying abroad sparked a new passion. She followed it with coursework in wine and more time abroad, shaping an education that brought her interests together. Today, she draws on that global perspective as the owner of SommSchool, where she makes wine education accessible to people outside the industry.
“A degree teaches you how to think. It’s to teach you to think for yourself, to think well, and to look at all different aspects of the world to shape how you view it. International studies does that, and that same perspective I learned at Carolina is how I approach wine today.”
Learn more about Kellie Martin in Honors College alumna teaches about the beauty of wine.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith arrived at USC as a political science major planning to become a lawyer. But when his advisor noticed he kept taking math courses he didn’t need, she encouraged him to reconsider what he wanted to study. “I explained, well, I just kind of like math, but I think I want to be a lawyer,” Smith recalled. His advisor showed him he could major in math and still prepare for law school, giving him room to follow an interest that soon became his new direction.
Smith switched to mathematics and later added statistics, eventually building a career in investment management. Today, he leads an institutional solutions team at Neuberger Berman.
Learn more about Steve Smith in Gamecock grad went all-in on math and stats. Now he invests in people.
Your Future Alumni Network
Your connection to the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences can last long after you leave campus. After graduation, you’ll become part of a network of more than 75,000 alumni, with opportunities to come back for events, meet fellow graduates and get involved with the Alumni Council. Learn more about our alumni community.