Introducing the 2009 J-school First-Year Scholars

by Jennifer Lias

Each year, the University of South Carolina selects a handful of highly acclaimed and academically qualified students to be the recipients of its two top scholarships: the Carolina Scholarship for in-state scholars and the McNair Scholarship for out-of-state scholars.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications is home to five of these highly touted students, Elena Elizabeth Faria, Jenni Lynn Knight, Amit Kumar, Lizzie Mahoney, and Madeline Anne McDowell. They began their studies in August, each counseled by a J-school faculty mentor who will help them excel throughout their years here at Carolina.

“I am so glad to be a part of the Carolina community and am ready for the countless opportunities and challenges awaiting me,” says Faria, a McNair Scholar from Milledgeville, Ga. Faria is pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism along with fellow scholars Knight and Kumar. Mahoney is a public relations major, and McDowell is majoring in advertising.

While these students will certainly seek out many academic challenges, they are comforted to know they can rely on their faculty mentors for guidance and support. Kumar says “I could not be more excited about my relationship with my faculty mentor, Dean Bierbauer. Just to have a relationship with someone who has such a wealth of knowledge and experiences with the journalism industry is truly amazing.” J-school faculty members Randy Covington, Karen Mallia, Lisa Sisk and Dr. Andrea Tanner have also partnered with scholars this year.

Jan Smoak, a 1989 journalism alumna, is associate director of USC’s Office of Fellowships and Scholar Program. “All five of these new scholars are simply outstanding — bright, ambitious, and full of humor. It's encouraging to see such excellent students come to the University as well-rounded individuals,” she says.

McDowell, a McNair scholar from Texas, wants her college experience to be an inextricable part of her identity. “I want to get involved in rewarding activities that will leave their mark both on the university and me. I want to be who I am because I was a Gamecock,” McDowell says. Diving right into life as a Gamecock, these five scholars will certainly leave a noticeable mark on the J-school and the lives of their faculty mentors.