Joseph F. Young wins Outstanding Young Alumni Award

My Carolina Alumni Association honors four of the University of South Carolina’s most outstanding alumni with 2016 distinguished alumni awards during the university’s homecoming Nov. 3 – 5. Among the winners is School of Music alumnus Joseph F. Young, assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony, who won the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Young, a native of Goose Creek, South Carolina, earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from the university in 2004 and a graduate degree from the Peabody Conservatory in 2009. He made his orchestral debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and was named assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony in 2014, conducting more than 50 concerts each season. He also serves as the music director for the symphony’s youth orchestra and is a three-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award for young conductors. My Carolina has named Young as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for his professional achievement.

The alumni award winners will be honored at 4:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 at Carolina’s Best Forum, where they will share their experiences as Carolina students and leaders with students and alumni. The forum, which is free, takes place at the university Alumni Center.

In addition to the Carolina’s Best Forum, alumni awardees will be honored at the My Carolina Football Homecoming Tailgate at 1:00 p.m. Saturday before the university’s football game against the University of Missouri, where they also will be recognized.

Presented annually, the awards are the highest honors given by the state’s flagship university, reflecting the ideals cherished by Carolinians that include service, integrity, character and leadership. My Carolina and the university have honored alumni for their achievement since 1927, when the first Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award was given.

As the number of Carolina alumni has grown worldwide, so has the university’s impact to strengthen communities locally and globally. Over time, new awards have been established to honor the contributions of alumni.

The 2016 alumni awardees

• Anne S. Ellefson, deputy general counsel for academics and community affairs for the Greenville Health System, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recipient;
• David T. Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor Corp., Distinguished Alumni Award;
• Vicky L. Free, executive vice president of marketing and CMO for BET Networks, Outstanding Black Alumni Award;
• Joseph F. Young, assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony, Outstanding Young Alumni Award; and
• Steve Spurrier, former Gamecock head football coach, and his wife, Jerri, who will be named Honorary Life Members of My Carolina.