Wofford College

During the annual Brown Girls Read summer camp at Wofford College, campers participated in workshops on branding, communication, leadership, team building and personal confidence led by professional women and entrepreneurs, attended a book panel and connected with Wofford student mentors. Brown Girls Read, founded by Nicke Haney in 2020 and based in the Upstate, inspires and supports young women of color through mentorship, programming and book selections centered on their voices.

Wofford's Summer Immersion Program in Health Sciences and Medicine, held June 7-12, gave 23 students ages 13-16 from across the Southeast an opportunity to learn from healthcare professionals and Wofford faculty, participate in medical simulations and experience campus life. Five Wofford students spent the week guiding the immersion program campers on tours of campus, assisting with activities and facilitating discussions on what they learned each day.

Wofford College Provost Dr. Timothy Schmitz has announced Dean's List students for the spring 2026 semester.

On May 19, the Wofford Real Estate Club took home first prize in its debut appearance in the ICSC & UNC Retail Real Estate Case Competition, held this year in Las Vegas. The team - made up of Epps and finance majors Jake Bailey '26, Mark Brown '26 and Jack Jordan '27 - won $10,000 in prize money. A partnership between ICSC and the University of North Carolina's real estate program, the competition is held each year during ICSC's convention, which brings in over 35,000 industry professionals worldwide. The student teams are given a case concerning a real-life retail property and must prepare a presentation with an investment strategy, a financial model and a recommendation. Wofford's team competed and won against Pennsylvania State University, Villanova University and the University of British Columbia in the first round and the University of Alabama, UNC Chapel Hill and Colorado State University in the final round. For the Wofford students, their preparation had to fit in around their final exams and graduation. Bailey and Brown boarded the flight to Las Vegas right after Commencement on May 17.

This semester, 62 Wofford students from both of Dr. Alysa Handelsman's Anthropology of Childhood classes completed a research project on youth perspectives and experiences across Spartanburg's neighborhoods. Wofford students interviewed 73 third graders about their daily routines, their actual neighborhoods and their visions for their dream neighborhoods.They presented posters showcasing their findings in a community data walk on May 13 at E.P. Todd.

Wofford College celebrated achievement and engagement at the college's annual Honors Convocation on Friday, May 15, presenting awards to dozens of students as well as several faculty and staff members.

Senior Signing Day, held on April 29, is a chance for 2026 graduates to share and celebrate their next steps, from graduate school placements and full-time employment to internships and military service. During the event, which is held annually by the Career Center, seniors take photos with a tablet displaying their next destination while enjoying food, music and gifts. There was plenty to celebrate too: 98% of Wofford graduates report positive career outcomes within six months of graduation.

Godwins Tuyishime '24, Emma Rose Radcliff '26 and Reece McCarthy '26 are this year's Fulbright recipients. Bringing Wofford's total number of Fulbright recipients to 24, this class of scholars will teach around the world.

Wofford's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa welcomed 41 members during an induction ceremony at Leonard Auditorium on May 15. Wofford's Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Beta of South Carolina, was established in 1941 and is the second oldest of five chapters in the state. To be considered for induction, students must complete 100 hours of coursework and earn a 3.8 GPA or higher. Scholarship, character, intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, diversity of academic interests and pursuits and other factors are also weighed in the election process.

Community is central to the story and production of "Godspell," which runs April 16-18 and 22-25 at 7 p.m. in the Jerome Johnson Richardson Theatre, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts. The play, conceived by John-Michael Tebelak with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, retells the Gospel of Matthew through song and dance.

Stan Zagrodnik '26 won the $5,000 first prize in the 2026 Terrier Startup Challenge with his mobile sauna and cold plunge business. In this annual competition, students pitch buisness ideas to a panel of alumni judges and network with local entrepreneurs.

Joe Khalil '26, an international affairs and Spanish double major from Boiling Springs, South Carolina, will take on a nonstop 50-mile run to raise funds for Miracle Hill Ministries and the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen on April 18. He and other Wofford students and staff have planned this effort since the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year.

Chrisler White '28 was selected for the Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship in Dublin. This program recieves over 500 applicants each year, and White was one of 14 students accepted nationwide.

Getty Page '28 and Jacob Raider '28 each earned a $169,000 U.S. Army Cadet Command scholarship to pay for their remaining two years at Wofford.

More than 30 international travel opportunities were available to Wofford students during the 2026 January Interim, including faculty-led programs and experiences offered through study abroad partners. Here are five snapshots from around the globe during Interim.

Studio Smoothie, a smoothie shop founded by Caris Mitchell '27, is now open Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30-10:30 a.m. in the Galleria in the Michael S. Brown Village Center. Studio Smoothie is an official limited liability company.

Wofford College awarded 452 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees to graduates during the college's 171st Commencement exercises.

On Jan. 15 Schwarzman Scholars announced its 10th cohort, and Chandler Compton '20 was selected to the Schwarzman Class of 2025-26. He will attend a one-year, fully funded master's degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

When Marga-Rita Van Der Linde '25 was sworn in as Campus Union president for 2024-25 on April 22, she became the first woman since Claudia Albergotti Ruffin '11 to serve in the role. The new vice president, secretary and treasurer are also women, making this the first all-female executive cabinet since the 1995-96 academic year. It's something that Van Der Linde takes seriously but doesn't dwell on. She and the other women on the executive council have plans for enhancing the Wofford experience for all students. "Wofford has done a great job at putting the students' needs first, and I want to continue building on the foundation that the previous student body presidents have laid," says Van Der Linde, who is joined on the cabinet by Simrin Channa '25, vice president; Julia Brooks '25, treasurer; and Geneva Kowbeidu '26, secretary.

Becca Watson '24 arrived at Wofford College with her sights set on becoming an attorney. During the first week of her college journey, Becca, a government major from Chesnee, South Carolina, joined Wofford's Launch Program. Through the program, she gained insights that broadened her business knowledge and started her on a path to becoming a fourth-generation owner of Watson's Furniture, her family's 72-year-old furniture store in Chesnee.

Grace Loughlin '27 brought home a victory at the National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, earning first place in her Amateur Hunters division. "It's such an honor to get to compete at this venue, let alone win," says Loughlin of the National Horse Show, which has hosted some of the highest-achieving riders and horses in the world. This year, Loughlin was one of only 15 women in her section invited to compete.

Promise Henry '25 knew she didn't want to pursue a traditional internship in finance at a bank to gain experience in the financial field. "I have an interest in higher education," says Henry '25, a double major in finance and accounting with a minor in education from Cowpens, South Carolina. "I thought it would be best for me to reach out to one of the finance professors here at Wofford to see what things look like in academia." Henry contacted Josh Harris '09, visiting assistant professor of finance, and Harris introduced Henry to a long-term project that explores the impact of self-esteem in personal finance.

Dozens of Wofford College students were recognized for academic excellence, leadership and citizenship on Friday, May 19, at the college's annual Honors Convocation held in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. President Nayef Samhat named Josh Lipscomb '24, a philosophy and Spanish double major from Travelers Rest, South Carolina as Wofford's Presidential International Scholar for the 2023-24 academic year. Academic departments also recognized their outstanding students, and a variety of other leadership and citizenship awards were presented during the event.

Wofford College's fraternities and sororities held their annual Greek Week the week of April 25 and concluded it with the annual Greek Awards that recognized both organizations and individual achievements of members. Additionally, organizations raised $27,051 for the Grateful Hearts Project, started by Cate Whitlatch '24, a psychology major from Greensboro, North Carolina. The project creates themed boxes of decorations for kids admitted to the hospital.