At the beginning of one's college journey, it is often said that the next four years will be extremely memorable and will remain significant for the rest of your life. At the University of South Carolina, this has remained true for many alumni.
Notable figures from all over the country feel a strong influence from their time at USC has had a great impact on their life choices and, especially, their values, making their experiences forever valuable.
Scott Eisberg, a sports news anchor for ABC News 4 in Charleston, said his experiences at USC helped him discover his passions and led to the cultivation of his career. Eisberg graduated from USC in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in business.
“When it came to journalism stuff, I really put my time and effort into it," Eisberg said. "(The School of Journalism and Mass Communications) gave me hands-on training … We had everything that you would have in a regular TV station.”
When asked about his biggest career boost attained from attending the university, Eisberg said his experience at USC helped him obtain internships.
“Internships are tremendous; I mean, those skills, you’ve got to put the work in,” Eisberg said. “[Having] a resume tape that was filled with anchoring and stories that I had done at South Carolina, that was the biggest thing — that I had that real-life experience.”
Kent Babb, a reporter for The Washington Post who graduated from USC in 2004 with a bachelor of arts in journalism, said his time at the University of South Carolina helped him shape his career into something he never anticipated.
Babb said he wanted to go to law school originally, but his professors helped him realize journalism was for him more than law school. Babb said his biggest takeaway from USC was his career-trajectory change.
“I wanted to go to law school. I did not want to have a career in journalism because lawyers make money and journalists, traditionally, don't. I never really loved the idea of being an attorney," Babb said. “Something you think you should do is never a good enough reason.”
Bakari Sellers, a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and political analyst, graduated from USC’s School of Law with a Juris Doctor in Law in 2008. He also said his experience at the university helped him form his career and shaped his values as a person.
Sellers said he had difficulties in school, including missing class and taking a summer semester due to being in the Statehouse. Additionally, his college experience was made harder by his political presence and activism, but his connections at USC helped him become the person he is today, alongside helping facilitate the drive to succeed, he said.
“Being in law school at the University of South Carolina helped mold who I was," Sellers said. "What the environment and community taught me was the value of relationships and perseverance."
Furthermore, specific figures at USC have helped Sellers maintain his tenacity for becoming who he is, he said. Sellers said he would not have had this success story without people he respected and held to be personally important. During his time, he always had individuals who ensured he walked with his head up and had the courage to continue.
It was this USC community that Sellers attributes to his successes.
"The number one currency that you have is relationships," Sellers said. "Make sure to value relationships as much as you can."
Alumni who come out of the University of South Carolina all have a narrative specific to their path, but the one common denominator is their college experience.