Wofford College

Mina Gencoguz '26 often wakes up before her roommate, but on Feb. 6 her roommate was up first and asked if she knew about the earthquake in Turkey. Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is her home.

Wofford College's Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts served as a courthouse in February as 300 students from 13 colleges and universities competed in an American Mock Trial Association Regional Tournament. Wofford, which had two teams participating in the tournament, fielded its first mock trial team in 2022, and now the college hosted a regional tournament.

Dr. Timothy Schmitz, provost of Wofford College, has announced Dean's List students for the fall 2022 semester.

Messiah Jones '23 surprised himself while teaching at Meeting Street Academy during the fall semester. Jones, a sociology and anthropology major from Chicago, Illinois, discovered that he enjoyed teaching. Jones' time in the classroom was made possible by a new partnership between Wofford College and Meeting Street, a public school of innovation in Spartanburg School District 7.

A record number of Wofford College students are receiving Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad. Seven students were awarded scholarships that will be used for Interim 2023 and the spring 2023 semester. The scholarships are given by the U.S. Department of State to support students studying and interning abroad while gaining skills that are critical to the United States' national security and economy. The scholarships are for up to $5,000.

The names of students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends of the college who have died during the past year are read each year on Nov. 1, and the bell in Main Building tolls for each of them. It tolled 177 times this year.

Deuce Miller '26 is the oldest of three children, and receiving Wofford College's 2022 Richardson Family Scholarship has allowed him to show his younger sisters the value of hard work.

A group of Wofford students spent the summer looking for something they hoped they wouldn't find. They got their wish, and that's good news for Spartanburg children who frequent the playgrounds at 18 parks in the city.

Three Wofford College seniors have contributed to telling the story of Anne Frank in a traveling exhibit that will be on campus until Nov. 19.

Dr. Timothy Schmitz, interim provost of Wofford College, has announced Dean's List students for the spring 2022 semester. Students achieving a 3.60 grade-point average or higher after earning at least 12 academic hours qualify for the Dean's List.

Wofford College awarded 374 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees to 357 graduates during the college's 168th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 22.

Wofford College awarded 374 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees to 357 graduates during the college's 168th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 22.

Phi Beta Kappa inductions were held May 20, 2022. Phi Beta Kappa is Wofford's highest academic honor.

Dozens of Wofford College students were recognized for academic excellence, leadership and citizenship on Friday, May 20, at the college's annual Honors Convocation held in the Jerome Johnson Richardson Theatre in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts.

Wofford College awarded 374 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees to 357 graduates during the college's 168th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 22.

Tiwandi Jones always kept her son, Quashon Greenlee '22, focused on two things when he was growing up in Anderson, South Carolina: education and football. Education was the key to a better life. Football was the vehicle that would get him the education she wanted him to have. And then, when Greenlee was 16, his mother died of complications from congestive heart failure.

Paola Cruz '23 understands the healing and therapeutic benefits of writing. Her smartphone has more than 800 notes that capture the moments she's needed to record thoughts and feelings. "My mom passed when I was 14," says Cruz, a double major in sociology and anthropology and Spanish from Charlotte, North Carolina. "The only way I could grieve was by writing. It turned my life around. The social worker told me every time I had a dream about my mom to just write it down." Cruz's mother died from gastric cancer. Her journal entries eventually turned into poems and songs. The writing is inspiring her research as Wofford College's Presidential International Scholar for the 2022-23 academic year.

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.

Wofford College was represented at the largest annual meeting of mathematicians in the world when Dr. Rachel Grotheer and Chase Creamer '23 presented at the Joint Mathematics Meetings. The conference was be virtual.

An evening last year watching comedian Chris Rock's 2009 documentary "Good Hair" led Dieran McGowan '22 and Fadzai Mushayamunda '22 to develop an independent study project focused on the ways hair has shaped the social and historical experiences of Black women. Rock's joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smith's short hair during the Oscars' ceremony also reflects what their research noted. "Is hair just hair was our question going into this," says McGowan, a finance major from Taylors, South Carolina. "The answer is no."

Mia Kilpatrick '22 spent Interim on a 6,000-mile road trip to 10 U.S. presidential libraries. Her research took her from Atlanta, Georgia, to West Branch, Iowa, and as far north as Boston, Massachusetts. "My research centered around the question of whether presidential libraries reflect the legacy of the presidents," says Kilpatrick, an international affairs and Spanish major from Hartsville, South Carolina. "For example, Nixon doesn't have a great legacy. How would his library compare to someone like Reagan or Roosevelt?"

Many students concentrating on pre-medicine at Wofford College have plans of working on the clinical side of healthcare. John Harrington '23 is exploring the administrative side as well. Harrington, a biology major from Houston, Texas, spent Interim studying at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. He split time between the health system's Spartanburg Medical Center and Pelham Medical Center campuses.

For Kate Timbes '23, studying in another country was not the most exciting part of her experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio art major from Columbia, South Carolina, was given the opportunity to become a part of the media team for the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) and a chance to paint a mural on the wall of their student hub. They started planning the mural in October 2021 and painting began two months later. While working on the mural, Timbes led a group of 10 to 15 individuals from the community who helped her during her 10 days of work.

The name of the class was "Classic Reads," and Will Hammontree '23 and Kriti Baral '25 took the title to heart. Hammontree, a biology major from Greer, South Carolina, took on "War and Peace" and Crime and Punishment." Baral, an undeclared major from Spartanburg, South Carolina, went after "Wuthering Heights," "Anna Karenina" and "Jude the Obscure."

For two years, the SpartanDogs faced an obstacle they couldn't go over, under or around. The Spartan race team, started in 2019, competed in one event before COVID-19 shut them down. The team returned to action in November and has another event coming up April 10 in Concord, North Carolina.

For two hours, prosecutors and defense attorneys peppered witnesses with questions and sparred with each other over procedural issues. Jurors, tasked with deciding the innocence or guilt of a defendant charged with arson and murder, listened intently. The drama didn't unfold in a courtroom, however. Instead, this case was contested in a classroom as part of Wofford's mock trial Interim class.

Students in the "Take a Walk!" Interim class walked throughout the month of January. Some walks were in silence while paying close attention to their surroundings. There were walks that included interviews with Spartanburg residents using a popular trail. Some were in city neighborhoods. Others were in the woods. All walks provided time to reflect on an activity that can be taken for granted. While in the classroom, students discussed readings focused on historical, spiritual and cultural themes related to walking. There also were conversations about the walkability of communities.

Isa Ortiz Calzada '24 never had a doubt about the Interim experience she wanted this year. Calzada, an international affairs and French double major from Greenville, South Carolina, selected "Build an Affordable House - Save the Environment - Transform a Community." She spent January helping Habitat for Humanity build two houses in Spartanburg County. "I grew up in government-assisted housing," Calzada says. "Being able to help somebody who is in that position is an amazing experience. It helps you to really appreciate what you have."

Dr. Timothy Schmitz, interim provost of Wofford College, has announced Dean's List students for the fall 2021 semester.

It's a busy time of year for Lauren Scalise '24. She's juggling her academic work, serving as a team manager for the Wofford College women's basketball team and editing the Bohemian, the college's yearbook. She also has the role of chief financial officer with her family's nonprofit, Strides for Survivors: Steps to Breast Cancer Rehabilitation.