Commencement is a time of reflection and new beginnings. As the College prepares to send the Class of 2018 across the Cistern Yard May 11-12, The College Today will share a sampling of how some of our graduating seniors spent their time at CofC, and what comes next.
Before Allison Camp even stepped foot on the College of Charleston campus, she had already decided what she wanted to do for a living. She wanted to be a journalist.
During her early years at the College, she was able to deepen her passion for writing by becoming a reporter for the school newspaper, Cistern Yard, and volunteering her time as a tutor in the College’s writing lab.
But then she took computer science and business professor Lancie Affonso‘s interdisciplinary course called Technology, Innovation and Sustainability. This Honors College class was unlike any other she had taken.
“This was the first class that introduced me to the issue of sustainability,” says Camp. “I felt like a blindfold was taken off of me in that class. I was able to see a lot about the way the world works and how individuals can have a larger part in changing the future.”
Allison Camp on campus. (Photos by Reese Moore)
She was so inspired by the class that she decided to make a dramatic change in her life. She embraced the sustainability concept and aspired to find out more about it.
Camp worked as an intern with the College’s Office of Sustainability. She took advantage of the College’s Alternative Spring Break program, eventually leading service trips to Atlanta and Asheville. She also briefly stayed in an ecovillage and studied at an earth literacy center.
“Yes, my life has taken off in that direction,” she says with a smile.
After graduating this week with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Camp hopes to head to the West Coast to spend some time working and living on a sustainable farm. She says she wants that experience to help broaden her understanding of the many components of agriculture and sustainability practices.
Camp says she eventually wants to open her own business where she will grow and cultivate medicinal plants using ecologically sustainable practices.
Sustainability may be the focus of her life now, but it doesn’t mean that her writing will take a back seat.
“My love of writing has kind of transformed,” she says. “I don’t want to be in journalism, but I want to use my writing skills to make change in this world.”
For now, Camp is enjoying her waning days at the College.
“I am going to miss the sense of community I have found at the College.” Camp says. “I can’t walk more than five minutes in this city without seeing someone that I know. It makes me feel like I have made a lot of deep connections with people.”
Other notable spring graduates from the School of Business include:
- Kallie Golicher, a marketing major, is vice president of the CofC chapter of the American Marketing Association. She is a student athlete, participating in the College’s cross country and track and field teams, and she started the Sexual Assault Awareness Week on campus. Golicher was recently inducted into CofC’s Hall of Leaders at the SALA Awards.
- Morgan Gaugler, also a marketing major, is co-founder of the popular local Instagram account @allthingschs.
- Kelly Travers, a hospitality and tourism management major, is vice president and co-founder of the College’s Women in Business club.
- Sherwan Saraf, an international business major, participated in the BMW Logistics Program in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
