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Meet some SJMC students who are making and creating news, winning awards, holding leadership positions and generally changing the University of South Carolina campus and the world.
Elena Barilla is a fourth-year broadcast journalism student from Long Island, New York. Growing up near New York City, a major media market, Barilla knew she wanted to become a journalist. At South Carolina, Barilla was attracted to the senior semester capstone experience for broadcast and print journalism students.
Qhira Bonds knew what she wanted to study in college after working for a video production program at her high school. And when she visited campus and learned about the visual communications major, she knew Columbia was where she wanted to study. Now in her junior year, Bonds describes her major as “all-encompassing.”
When Emily Chavez came to South Carolina, she wasn’t confident in her choice to major in public relations. But after seeing the variety of skills she’d learn while in the program, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Genna Contino speaks Spanish and studied abroad in Cadiz, Spain in summer 2019, where she lived with a host family and visited several other European countries. She enjoys writing feature stories on arts and entertainment and would like to write professionally for a magazine after she graduates.
Josh German grew up in Irmo, South Carolina, as a Gamecock fan who wanted to study journalism and become a sports writer. But his interest in the corporate and financial worlds eventually led him to shift his focus. Now a mass communications major, he enjoys learning about real-world skills in his classes at South Carolina.
Catherine Kirkland chose her major after seeing the variety of topics it allowed her to explore. She's interested in fashion and has worked for Jovani Fashion (where she already has a post-college job offer). Currently she works for Granger Owens, where she is helping the company create content for its annual magazine and contact advertisers.
Fourth-year advertising major Noah McGill transferred to the University of South Carolina to learn more about the field of communications. Although he was initially interested in studying commercials, McGill now knows there is much more to advertising than what he expected.
Cory Peeler has spent his time at South Carolina telling stories on camera as a broadcast journalism major and on stage through his theater minor. After anchoring newscasts at his middle school and high school, he chose to study broadcast because of the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.