Before Ella Tocci attended her first class as a freshman at the University of South Carolina, she decided to change her major — going from business to theater. She’s always had an interest in costume design, she says, and USC was the perfect place to explore that interest.
“USC let me dabble in a couple of different areas of study until I figured out what I wanted to pursue, and what I felt like was the best fit for me,” says Tocci, who grew up in Columbia. “I knew going into college, if I ever did decide to change my major or plan of action, USC was the college that would help me do that best.”
Fast forward two years, and she felt the pull to pursue a degree that fed her interest in international topics, but knew she needed a path that would allow her full credit for her three years of study in the humanities. The senior found the right fit in global studies.
“I knew I was interested in international business and foreign languages, and I felt like global studies was a really good way to combine the two,” she says. “I also have a really strong interest in the humanities — I love art history, reading and writing — so when I started looking at different majors, I felt like global studies best encompassed all my interests.”
The next question was what to pursue after graduation. Studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy, she found the answer – becoming a study abroad coordinator.
Her eye-opening experience abroad helped her be more familiar with travel and become a more confident person, she says, and she realized she wants to help college students get a similar experience. During her time abroad, she found herself answering questions other USC students had about studying abroad.
“One day I was talking to my mom about what I might want to do when I get back to the States and how I was going to use my time abroad to influence my time at USC going forward,” she says. “I had a thought in the back of my head of, ‘Oh, maybe I'll find a way to turn this into a profession, rather than just answering questions for others informally or just telling people how amazing this was.’ I think I can find a way to make this a career.”
She reached out to her counselor in her study abroad program, and he shared his experience working for SAI — an international education organization that provides focused learning experiences in Europe. Now, she works in the education abroad office as a SAI Peer advisor.
She believes that her experience abroad and the courses she has taken at USC will help her better prepare students for their own experiences abroad and what they can expect when they return home.
“USC prepared me for the workforce better than I could have ever asked for,” she says. “Since coming back from Italy, I've used what I learned abroad as a starting point to go forward in my education. I’ve taken classes that I think are pertinent to my time abroad and might help in my role as a peer advisor with the education abroad office or in the workforce when I graduate.”