Hello! My name is Stella, and I am a senior from Chattanooga, Tennessee. I am majoring in International Business and Economics, with a minor in Spanish, and I will be working as a Government and Public Service Analyst in Washington, DC after I graduate. I am so excited to apply all I have learned through my amazing experiences in the Honors College to a career focused on resource accessibility and equity.
My advice for prospective students: I know searching for colleges is both exciting and stressful — my advice is to take a deep breath and consider what you want your day to day life to look like. In regular life, it is so important to find an environment of support. As a student, you’ll find success wherever you are happy, healthy, and authentically you.
My advice for current students: Never stop meeting new people! Our campus has so many incredible students with unique stories to tell, and a simple hello turns strangers into friends. Kindness and friendliness are what make USC feel like home!
My favorite thing about the Honors College: My Honors experience has been defined by the great people I have shared it with. People I met in the Honors Residence Hall freshman year are still my roommates and best friends today. The SCHC has always been a place where I know my peers will celebrate my accomplishments with me.
My reason for choosing SCHC: I wanted to pick the school and academic program that would not only make me a better student, but also a better person. The SCHC offered a well-rounded college experience that still allowed me to be around other engaged peers, in small class sizes, like I appreciated in high school. This community has been the best part of college for me!
My hobbies: I love songwriting and playing guitar any chance I get! I also enjoy hiking and camping (especially in the National Parks), cooking new recipes, traveling, listening to podcasts, and reading.
Something I’m proud of: When I studied abroad for a semester in Madrid, Spain, I spent a week solo-backpacking across Italy. Solo travel was a lifelong dream of mine, and even though the first couple times eating at a restaurant or navigating a train station alone was scary — it helped me get to know and trust myself as an adult. I am already planning my next solo adventure!
Song I could listen to non-stop: The entire album Mystic Truth by the Bad Suns. I was obsessed with this album when I first moved to Columbia for my freshman year, and now that I’m in my final semester of college, I find myself listening to it more than anything else. I’m not crying… you are…
My motto in life: Kindness is never a mistake. Even if it feels uncomfortable in the moment, I never regret being objectively nice. Thankfully, much of my SCHC community seems to share this motto, too!
Favorite movie: You’ve Got Mail… although any Norah Ephron rom com is a close second. It’s been my favorite for years, and I will always suggest it when my roommates and I have movie night.
I’m motivated by: my family. I know I am a little biased, but I might just have the best family in the world. I would not be where I am without their kindness and support, and their example motivates me to dream big and always look out for others.
Something I will always do: Dance when there’s music playing. Just as I once looked away in embarrassment as my Dad raised the roof in public, my roommates now avert their eyes as I shimmy through the Walmart aisles. This will never change.