The Arnold School is proud of our 2023 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. See who won the 2023 Student Awards.
We have featured a few of our outstanding students who are graduating in 2023. Click on the stories below to learn more about their journeys.
Christina Ek’s third USC commencement took place last month, rounding out a trio of degrees that have prepared her for a career fighting pollution. She completed a Ph.D. in ENHS with a 4.0 GPA and a passion for addressing pollution, especially of water, and improving diets.
At USC, Samantha Case found community with the Grace Jordan McFadden Professor Program and the Black Graduate Student Association and conducted research on the impacts of silver nanoparticles when absorbed by E. coli.
Exercise science major Amanda Trujillo will build on her undergraduate experiences by continuing her journey at USC. She was recently accepted into the Arnold School's Master of Science in Athletic Training program.
Mirza Isanovic has been learning about environmental health since he enrolled at USC more than 12 years ago. Bosnia and Herzegovina-born and Columbia-raised, he has been interested in the field for as long as he can remember.
Haichao Min's older sister - a nurse - stepped up to aid their local community in China during the most chaotic phase of the COVID-19 crisis. When it came time for Min to choose a major, he knew public health would allow him to help as many people as possible.
Karlen Correa Vélez has been studying Vibrio – a harmful bacteria – for nearly a decade, and she’s not done. The Ph.D. in ENHS graduate will continue her research as a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University.
A lot has happened in the past four years for Ellie Cooper. She completed a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and landed an assistant professor of speech-language pathology position at the University of St. Augustine.
As a biologist with the Safety Operations and Support Branch of the National Institutes of Health, Ryan Leighton leans on the lessons learned from his Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences program in his day-to-day work.
Mayank Sakhuja's interests focus on work that informs cancer prevention policies and communication - particularly related to tobacco control. Next month, he will begin a postdoctoral fellowship with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC Chapel Hill.
John Bruno chose USC for its public health program. The Simpsonville, South Carolina native has had a clear vision of what he wants to do with his life since high school.
JohnAndrew Redmond's post-graduate plans include entering directly into the Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences program. With interests in climate change and disaster response, he plans to study how humans interact with their environment.
Ph.D. in health services policy and management graduate Valerie Yelverton has secured a T32 award to support her work as a postdoctoral scholar at Duke University School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases with the Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in AIDS.
Sarah Rzepka has spent hundreds of hours assisting in hydration testing, post-practice recovery fueling, and daily meals for three fall camps, three seasons, two summer workout periods, and two bowl games.
During her master's program, Teresa Traffas became interested in literacy - particularly among older children and adults. She gained clinical experience in private practice, hospital and school settings.
With the MCH Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP) Program, Cassidy Lena explored the MCH field - even analyzing Medicaid policy impacts on maternal and infant outcomes in SC for her Honors Senior Thesis.
As a student in COMD's master's program, Banaszak found a passion for the impacts of mental health on all domains of an individual’s life. After graduating this month she will work at a clinic that provides both speech-language and mental health therapy.
When looking at graduate schools, Jamie Plummer Jones knew that the Arnold School's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offered one of the nation's best Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology programs.
With two populations she is passionate about, Megan Morgan is excited to support pediatric patients with speech and language as well as patients with head and neck cancer to help them regain the ability to swallow and their quality of life.
Mirza Isanovic graduates with a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences in August. He studies the bacteria that could be harboring antibiotic resistant genes and how these genes may be impacting the local communities near treatment plants.
Yi-wen Shih's research examines mental health, health disparities and substance use (particularly opioids). She advocates for nonpharmacologic treatment of chronic noncancer pain to improve health outcomes/pain management and mitigate the opioid crisis.
Hannah Price spent the final semester of her MPH program interning with the Dorn VA Medical Center. With veterans/active military in her family (including her dad and grandfathers) and circle of friends, she has always been passionate about this population.
After graduating in May with an MPH in Epidemiology, Humna Fayyaz will continue her training in these areas with a fellowship in addiction medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago Hospital.
The top master's and doctoral students were honored at the annual Hooding Ceremony. Sujal Patel (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training) received the Jeffrey Keith Mattison Award, and Gabriel Benavidez (Ph.D. in Epidemiology) won the Doctoral Achievement Award.
The top master's and doctoral students were honored at the annual Hooding Ceremony. Sujal Patel (M.S. in Advanced Athletic Training) received the Jeffrey Keith Mattison Award, and Gabriel Benavidez (Ph.D. in Epidemiology) won the Doctoral Achievement Award.
As a student in the Department of Exercise Science's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Harrison Johnson interned at two hospitals and served as a senior teaching assistant for clinical associate professor Erika Blanck.
The public health curriculum enabled Taylor Williams to discover her passion for addressing Black maternal mortality, including how policy change and community-wide interventions can improve health outcomes for these women and their children.
The Rural and Minority Health Research Center's work aligns perfectly with Emma Boswell's passion for maternal and child health. The MPH in Epidemiology graduate will join them as a research associate.
Ph.D. in Epidemiology graduate Andrea Danielle Brown studies the relationships between food insecurity, social needs and mental health among youth and young adults with diabetes.
Public health major Abby Edwards, whose college experience was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, wasn't ready to leave - or to stop learning - when her 2021 graduation arrived. Now the MHA will lead as administrative fellow at Lexington Medical Center.
Using a holistic approach, Adam Bilodeau plans to pursue a dual role as a physical therapist and strength coach after his August graduation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. In the future, he would like to open a performance facility that primarily works with athletes and other active populations.
Erin Kishman, who graduates this August with from the No.1 Ph.D. program in the nation (exercise science), researches the 24-Hour Activity Cycle, which includes sleep, light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior.
With interests in maternal and child health/mortality, particularly the disparities faced by rural communities in the U.S. and in S.C., Anjali Borsum will focus on prevention during her Doctor of Medicine program at the Medical University of South Carolina.
A graduate of the Ph.D. in Epidemiology program, Longgang Zhao is interested in the role of nutrition, lifestyles, metabolic factors and genetics. He will consider his liver research as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School.
With interests in sports performance and injury-prevention among high-level athletes, Nestor Urrea's next steps include obtaining his doctoral degree. Long term, he would like to become the director of sport performance for a collegiate and/or professional team.
USC spotlights Asia Fulton, a public health graduate who is one of five students to win a $5,000 Gillman Scholarship to support her Spanish studies in Costa Rica.
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (LEAP) Program student Samantha Johnson will use a Fulbright Scholarship to earn dual degrees in international affairs with a concentration in global health.
In addition to interests in nutrition, sleep and health behavior, May graduate Emily Farrell has developed a passion for maternal and child health (MCH), earning an MCH Certificate of Graduate Study alongside her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology.