dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
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Carolina students named finalists for scholarship Paige Kirby
THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Two Carolina Students have been named finalists for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, and will find out if they will spend the next two years at Oxford University Saturday night. There have been n i ne w in ners f rom USC , and t h i s y e a r, t h e y h a v e a chance to add two more to the list with Gurjeet “Jeet” Guram and Joseph “Joey” Montoya. Guram, a Baccalaureus
Basketball upset The women’s basketball team fell to Clemson in double overtime in the second game of the season.
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VOL. 103, NO. 59 ● SINCE 1908
Rhodes hopefuls await decision
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A rt ium et Scient iae major, is studying biology, econom ics a n d polit ical science a nd pla ns to at tend medical school. “If I win GURAM t he aw a rd I’ll defer medical school for t wo years and attend Oxford and study about changing health care MONTOYA policies and medicine”. Guram is the founder of the University’s Roosevelt
Institution, a non-partisan policy think tank, and he is a Carolina Scholar. When asked who most inspires him, Guram said he looks to previous Rhodes scholar, Atul Gawande. “He does what I wa nt to do, he’s involved in health care and had written columns for the New Yorker.” Mo nt o y a i s p u r s u i n g dual degrees in chemical engineering and mathematics, with a minor i n mu s ic p e r f or m a nc e . M o n t o y a’s i n t e r e s t i n catalysis and lab research, with Christopher Williams and John Monnier in the Universit y’s depart ment of chemical engineering, led to his being published in the scientif ic journal, C a t a l y s i s To d a y. “ I f I
win I’m hoping to attend Oxford to research sustainable chem ical processing, and hopefully fi nd more environmentally f r i e n d l y p r o c e s s e s ,” Montoya said. He is an Honors College st udent a nd is a lso a Carolina Scholar. The Rhodes scholarship is one of the most prest ig ious awards a student can receive. Named af ter Cecil R hodes, t he award allows recipients to study in England at Oxford Universit y for two years. The scholarship is open to st udent s f rom m a ny c o u nt r ie s , m a k i n g t h e recipients of ten t hought of a s t he most t a lented s t u d e nt s i n t he w o rld . Only 32 awards are given
out. Since its conception in 1902, there have been over 7,0 0 0 recipient s of the scholarship, including notable names such as Bill Clinton and Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State. If you think that applying for the Rhodes is like most other scholarships with a short essay and a letter of recom mendat ion, t h i n k again. “ It ’s a long pro c e s s ,” M o n t o y a s a i d . “ Yo u star t of f w it h a n on line application where you have to fi ll out a lot of personal information, a 1,000 word st atement a nd a resu me that is set up focusing on academic achievement”. I n a d d it io n t o a l l of Rhodes ● 4
GRADUATES RETURN TO WED ON CAMPUS Carolina alumni hold Preston-themed ceremony in honor of first meeting at Preston College during freshman year Hunter Hardinge STAFF WRITER
Patent leather revival What works for belts, jackets, flats, heels or eve n c l u tc h e s? T h e always versatile patent leather is making a comeback this season.
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Chelsea Trevor Sidel Gilchrist Second-year print journalism student
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Columnists debate the relative literary merits of the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series.
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Once upon a time in Preston Residential College lived Joseph Steward and Sara Sullivan. They didn’t know it yet, but one day they would come back to the place where they first met to get married. On Nov. 7, Stewart and Sullivan married at the Rutledge Chapel at USC in a garnet and black, Preston-themed wedding. “We met in our freshman year of 2003, but we didn’t start dating until 2004. We have been together ever since,” Sullivan said. According to the couple’s Web site, they got engaged on Dec. 23, 2008 while opening presents. With so many options of places to get married, Steward and Sullivan chose USC as the backdrop to their special day. “This is where we met. This place is home for us. I remember them trying to chase us out of the building for breaks because we didn’t want to leave,” Steward said. “It all sort of made sense.” Keeping with the theme of the wedding, the couple also had Preston Emeritus Professor Hal French officiate the ceremony. French says that Sullivan and Steward asked him about a year ago to marry them and he was very happy to do it. “That had to be one of my favorite parts of the ceremony. We met Dr. French on move in day as he was helping students. We knew him very well,” Sullivan said. “I remember when they were here at Preston. I really liked them. I have performed many weddings, but the most interesting ones are the weddings of former students,” French said. The ceremony was attended by some current Preston students as faculty. Christine Peters, the Preston business manager, attended the wedding along with Jim Stivers, Preston College Principal. “It was so nice to see everyone,” Peters said. “It was like old times. It was a Preston family gathering.” The couple also honored their Preston background with a special 3-D groom’s cake of Preston College. “I saw the cake. It did look like Preston. They got the colors of the building right,” French said. Wedding ● 4
STUDENTORGANIZATION STEM students network, focus on developing skills for future Sarah Peterman
THE DAILY GAMECOCK
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Sara Sullivan and her bridesmaids gather on the Horseshoe. She married Joseph Steward Nov. 7 in the Rutledge Chapel at USC in a garnet and black wedding.
The National Society of Black Engineers is an organization that focuses on networking and professional development to help their members succeed in the business world. “Our goal is to increase the number of black engineers and to help all of the [science, technology, engineering or mathematics] majors find a network in our community,” said club president Devin Biggers, a fourth-year computer engineering student. “We want to help each other excel in our classes and find jobs.” T he org a n izat ion, open to a ny sc ience, technology, engineering or mathematics students, focuses on practical ways to develop the skills needed to get a job. Students do not have to be black to join the organization and Biggers said everyone can benefit from being involved with the club. The National Society of Black Engineers is a nationally recognized club and has had a strong presence at USC for the last two years. Bimonthly meetings feature guest speakers from many different engineering fields, resume writing advice and practice interviews. “It’s great to get to interact with the speakers and benefit from their connections,” said Stephanie
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Mitnaul, a third-year biomedical engineering student. “Nowadays it’s not what you know but who you know.” Biggers said the club strives to “keep [its] network open to help from other outside organizations.” The club also attends the National Convention each year. Through selling programs at football games, bake sales and soliciting donations from companies, the club goes to the convention where there are skills workshops and companies to talk to the students. Many of the companies, such as Google and Apple, come to the convention looking to fill intern positions. Members bring their resumes and compete for internships across the country. “I didn’t know how much I could do with my degree until I joined this organization and got involved,” said Jasmine Pendergrass, a third-year computer science student. While professional development is the focus of the organization, communit y is also ver y important. “It’s great being able to find someone else in my major that I can relate to and that knows what I’m going through,” said Biggers. Pendergrass said she enjoys getting to know upperclassmen, not only as friends but as a great resource when it comes to challenging homework assignments. The club watches movies and has social events to help members get to know each other and make sure that it isn’t all business all the time.
National Society of Black Engineers
Courtesy of Devin Biggers
The National Society of Black Engineers provides professional development oportunities to students. NSBE is hosting a basketball tournament the first week of December to help gain funds for the trip to the national convention as well as to have some fun. They are currently still looking for teams to participate and everyone is welcome to play. Mitnaul enjoys being a member of the club because not only does her future career benefit, but she is able to be a part of the University and make friends as well. For more information about the club, visit their Facebook page. Comments on this story? E-mail sagcknew@mailbox.sc.edu