David James
David James' clinical rotations gave him experience in hospital, rehabilitation and private practice settings. One of them -- Vertex PT Specialists - offered him a position in home health following his graduation.
Award Winners
Each year, the Arnold School and our departments recognize outstanding graduate students with awards. Congratulations to the winners of our top 2026 Student Awards!
Meet a Few of Our Graduates
We have featured a few of our outstanding students who are graduating in 2026. Click on the stories below to learn more about their journeys.
Letizia Tamburini
Letizia Tamburini was working at a retirement community when she realized that a career in speech-language pathology would combine her passions for language, science, rehabilitation, and helping people communicate in ways that support their independence and quality of life.
Eandra Goldsmith
When looking at graduate programs, Eandra Goldsmith had significant coursework and experience in the field, but she also had to consider factors such as proximity, family responsibilities, fulltime work, and cost.
Anna Chupak
Ph.D. in HPEB graduate Anna Chupak plans to research cognitive aging, dementia, and health disparities by understanding broader social and structural factors.
Enid Keseko
Enid Keseko already knew she was passionate about improving health through food and nutrition when she discovered she could use the public health field to extend her impact even further.
Naomi Higgins
Graduate school has taught Naomi Higgins what type of epidemiologist she wants to be - someone who works in the field or a lab rather than purely crunching numbers behind a desk.
Taylor Bryant
Interested in investigating why negative emotions occur and for whom they occur in children with developmental language disorder and dyslexia, Taylor Bryant recently completed a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Emma Worley
Emma Worley has been working with the Miami Dolphins as an assistant sports scientist since April. She believes her doctoral degree has provided her with a strong foundation in both research and applied practice to prepare her for this role.
Taylor Harding
Taylor Harding's journey began with an interest in clinical care, then broadened to focus on community-level health. After two degrees and several years as a public health professional, she's bringing it all together as physical therapist.
Olivia Finnegan
Over the past decade, Olivia Finnegan has built a strong research portfolio in children’s health behavior research – particularly the technologies that can be used to more accurately measure daily activities such as sleep, screen time and movement.
Alexander Andersen
The Arnold School's M.S. in Exercise Science program stood out to Alexander Andersen as an opportunity to grow as an independent researcher, deepen his knowledge, and gain hands-on experience with advanced technology and data.
Taryn Senger
The opportunity to gain real-world experience was what ultimately drew Taryn Senger to the MHA program. The South Dakotan didn't know a single person when she arrived in Columbia, but she quickly became close with the other members of her cohort.
Rebecca McNair
Rebecca McNair never imagined she would pursue a master's degree more than 20 years after completing her Doctor of Medicine at USC. But two decades as a physician made her want to better understand major health care systems.
Rachel Gressick
Having grown up in the South, Rachel Gressick is particularly interested in reproductive health and justice within the context of the Southeastern United States due to the cultural and political influences – as well as their consequences – within the region.
Kendall Doyle
Kendall Doyle's favorite thing about athletic training is the opportunity to be there for athletes from start to finish. It's a unique health care role because athletic trainers are present from injury prevention to inception through rehabilitation and finally return to play.
Amber Buckingham
At the Arnold School, B.S. in Exercise Science grad Amber Buckingham served on the Dean's Student Advisory Council, Undergraduate Lead Ambassadors, and Undergraduate Dean's Advisory Committee. She also contributed to research at the BRIE Lab.
Mahbub Alam
Mahbub Alam graduates with a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences in May, but he's already begun serving as an Environmental Engineer at Siemens Energy in Charlotte.
Carlos Avalos
Over the past several years, Carlos Avalos has developed research interests in diabetes epidemiology, mental health outcomes, and youth and young adult populations.
Caitlin Monaghan
With plans to pursue a career in health care, USC caught Caitlin Monaghan's eye because it offered a strong academic foundation and an array of opportunities through the Arnold School of Public Health.
Daniel Amoatika
Ph.D. in Epidemiology graduate Daniel Amoatika's work focuses on cognitive decline, pharmacoepidemiology, causal inference and the use of real-world data to address public health problems.
Zdenka Horwath
Athletic trainer Zdenka Horwath is one of the first students to complete a Certificate of Graduate Study in Critical Incident Management & Primary Care in Athletic Training to expand her expertise.
Bria Singleton
During her time in the MPH in HPEB program, Bria Singleton dug deeper into the importance of creating culturally relevant public health programs and initiatives to best meet the needs of modern populations.
Victor Delgado
Though invisible to many, public health projects were always underway in Victor Delgado’s hometown of Laredo, Texas, so he developed an appreciation for the field from a young age.
William Capell
William Capell's commitment to practicing medicine grounded in public health has been inspired by his desire to advance population health as well as his direct interactions with patients.