The fall 2024 issue of AHA!, our Honors alumni magazine, is quite an extraordinary edition. Every story, every photo, every idea is about or has been created by women. And yes, we always strive to publish a diverse array of voices and ideas, but for this special edition, we’re letting the women shine.
Read Fall 2024 AHA!
The cyber sisters | Truth be told | Well-being is only the beginning | Celebrating Frances Fawcett, Carolina’s centenarian philanthropist | Treating them both: SCHC graduate explores the human-animal bond | Honors College alumna is making her mark at CNN Sports
2024 Honors Alumni Award Winners & Homecoming Recap
Women now comprise 66% of students enrolled in the South Carolina Honors College and have an enormous impact on our campus. In 2024 alone, 80% of students enrolled in Honors study away and 72% of Honors College Research Grant recipients were women. And the trend continues when looking at Honors students who won national fellowships, such as Goldwater, Truman and Fulbright awards. Nearly three quarters of the 2024 winners were women.
In this issue, you’ll meet women who are making an impact in classrooms, clinics, communities and the nation’s capital. Here on campus, Janice Baker is an Honors instructor teaching the next generation of young professionals about the art of legal narratives in her course, Tell Me a Story: Storytelling and Argumentation Ethics in Legal Advocacy.
In downtown Columbia, you’ll encounter Dr. Martha McCoy, a veterinarian who returned to the Midlands after vet school and brings her passion and expertise to every appointment. And in Atlanta, Amy Jordan is a senior executive with CNN Sports, leading and shaping today’s sports news coverage.
You’ll also meet Tamera Sullivan, whose journey as a two-time national fellowship recipient has taken her to Taiwan on a Fulbright grant and Washington, D.C., to pursue her dream of serving her country as a Foreign Service officer.
Back in South Carolina, Frances Fawcett, at 102 years of age, is the University of South Carolina’s oldest living donor. Her generosity has impacted generations of Gamecocks. Speaking of: If you’re curious about what our current Honors students are up to these days, representing the next generation of Honors are sisters Emma and Madeleine McBride. They reflect on earning the Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy national fellowship, as well as the roles they hope to play in solving cybersecurity’s most pressing challenges.
We hope you’ll read what these women have to say and walk away feeling inspired and
hopeful. Welcome to The All-Women Issue of AHA!.
Dr. Andrea Kornegay, associate dean
Jan Smoak, M.Ed., assistant dean of awards and enrollment
Dr. Kay Thomas, assistant dean for student affairs, clinical associate professor
Chappell Wilson, MBA, assistant dean of administration