What inspires you? - University of South Carolina Upstate

The pursuit of happinessJaquawna Terry’s quest for happiness in the Honors ProgramMost success stories are born in the same place. In the mind. And that’s whereyou will begin your own USC Upstate story. By choosing one or two of more than40 outstanding majors to pursue. By getting involved in original scholarship andresearch initiatives through our Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.By taking advantage of our National Competitive Scholarship Program to competefor such renowned national and international scholarships as the Rhodes or theFulbright. Because to be a USC Upstate student is to constantly challenge your mindto expand, and broaden, and stretch in new, often unexpected, directions.There were two things Jaquawna Terryknew about herself before arriving at USCUpstate—that she was very smart and veryshy. “I wanted a school that was big yet smallenough for a small-town girl, an inspiring IvyLeague quality education without the Ivy Leagueenvironment,” says the English major (andrecipient of a USC Upstate Junior Scholarship)from Walterboro, South Carolina. “USC Upstatewas the perfect fit. The Honors Program, forexample, is challenging but supportive andfriendly. My classes have only had between fourand 15 people, but the experiences have beenhuge. And the professors constantly look out foryou. Like Dr. McConnell. I haven’t even taken acourse with him yet, but he’s always there for meno matter what time I call, or text, or e-mail. Heeven helped me find an internship, recently, toprepare for law school.”“I still remember my first day here,” recallsJaquawna, whose current responsibilitiesinclude being a peer leader, a student tutoras well as an active member of the CampusActivities Board and the Gospel Choir. “It wasonly 8:00 a.m. but everyone was just so happy. Iguess now, I’m one of the happy people.”Academic excellence lies at the heart of theUSC Upstate story. Our business program,for example, is one of only five percent ofbusiness programs worldwide to be accreditedby AACSB International—the Association toAdvance Collegiate Schools of Business. Oureducation program is one of only 28 percentof all education programs in the nation tobe accredited by the National Council forAccreditation of Teacher Education. And we arehome to one of the region’s most acclaimed,most technology-driven nursing schools.A USC Upstate education feels small, personal, andintimate. But—from traditional programs in the artsand sciences to innovative ones in such emergingfields as informatics; from programs in business,nursing, and education to pre-professional programsin such fields as engineering, medicine, and law—itcomes packed with big opportunities. And the strongfoundation in the liberal arts you develop here willgive you the intellectual and professional flexibilityand inspiration you need to adapt, evolve, andsucceed in a constantly changing world.JCBE Campus