“It was excruciating,” she says.

The tarring, not the tax, which was nominal. But the painting is a searing reminder that the Revolution was messy, personal and often brutal. Now, as the nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Slater, a professor of history and director of the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program, wants people to grapple with the Revolution’s full complexity.

“We’re still talking about freedom, property, human rights, representation – how to matter to our government,” she says. “It’s a really important moment of reflection – of awe – that this little collection of colonies made a nation, but it also calls us to be self-critical and hold ourselves accountable.”

Slater’s own curiosity about freedom began in the “hollers” of Turkey Creek, Ky. The daughter of a coal mining, family-farm community in Appalachia – a “forgotten people historically,” she says – she grew up attuned to inequity, especially around class. As a child, she devoured Abraham Lincoln’s words and wanted to trace the roots of the ideas he invoked, leading to a doctorate in history from the University of Kentucky in 2009. She started at the College two weeks after defending her dissertation. She felt at home immediately.

“I love it here,” she says, adding with a laugh: “Good luck prying me out of my office.”

Her research reaches across early America and the Atlantic World with a specialty in the intersections of class, race, gender and sexuality. Charleston, the fourth-largest colonial city, is a living archive for that work.

For Slater, the Revolution was “absolutely a civil war” – not just between colonists and crown, but within communities and families. Even Benjamin Franklin was riven by division: “His son was the royal governor of New Jersey and a loyalist,” she notes. “After he refused to support the Patriot cause, Franklin saw his son only once again, a cold meeting to settle debts.”

Why should Americans care about the 250th? Because, argues Slater, the Revolution’s ideals are not relics – they are live questions. It’s a chance to assess the “unfulfilled promise” of the Declaration of Independence. Yes, the founding period restricted political participation to a narrow slice of property-owning white men; women, free Black Americans, enslaved people and Native Americans were largely excluded or pushed westward. But Slater sees elasticity in the founding language to expand rights over time.

“Women’s rights advocates, abolitionists, Abraham Lincoln – they all go back to the language of the Declaration and the Constitution to expand those promised freedoms,” she says.

The danger lies in treating those documents as static. “They have to evolve with the times,” she cautions, “and reflect the society in which we find ourselves.”

Plus, it’s one heck of a story: a rebel alliance defeating the imperial forces.

“It was the most unlikely of victories, given the limited resources, lack of preparedness and tentative unity among the colonists,” she says. “Nobody thought America would win.” – Tom Cunneff

Nadelhoffer’s true area of expertise: intellectual thought. Because there is no such academic department, he serves as professor of philosophy, but he’s also considered an affiliate faculty member in psychology and neuroscience because his research and courses span all three, with spoonfuls of quantum physics, biology, criminology, chemistry, theology and geometry stirred in. It makes for a delicious intellectual gumbo.

“Most philosophers don’t view the sort of research I do as philosophy,” he says. “Philosophers don’t collect data or run studies.”

Today, his work has achieved a place in the academic canon – and a name: experimental philosophy. His undergraduate course, Psychopathology and the Law, is a rollicking serpentine through the dense forest of mental illness, criminality, intent and punishment. The class explores the meaning of insanity and what makes people morally responsible for criminal acts.

Another Nadelhoffer offering is Contemporary Moral Issues, where students navigate a broad swath of topics – the death penalty, euthanasia, abortion, foreign aid and more – through a philosophical lens.

The course begins with a video showing a physically healthy 81-year-old Belgian woman in a retirement community committing assisted suicide after her daughter dies and she loses her reason to live. “We start with that topic because students have no preexisting intuition about it,” he notes, “and students struggle with her decision.”

Even as an undergrad, Nadelhoffer gravitated toward philosophers like William James, Nietzsche, Hume and Wittgenstein who were interested in the psychology of philosophy – that is, the psychological dispositions and traits that drive our philosophical intuitions.

His doctoral dissertation at Florida State University studied how criminal law regulates criminal responsibility, focusing on outcomes, in contrast to philosophy, which is more interested in intent. Why, for example, is attempted murder a lesser crime than murder when the intent is the same? Are we rewarding incompetence?

Tattooed and earringed, Nadelhoffer is no mere intellectual. A former wrestler, he has a black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu, which he claims is the titan of martial arts because it maximizes the geometry of violence. Mentally and physically absorbing, it’s the perfect antidote for professional thinkers, he says.

But the brain of a professional thinker can’t shut down for long. During the pandemic, Nadelhoffer amused himself by cogitating on the musical interconnections that built various rock ’n’ roll subgenres, starting with their roots in early blues.

Tracing each sound backward, he produced a chronology of albums shaping the punk genre. That led to similar forays into doom, thrash and grunge, with reggae next on the list.

What kind of person embarks on such a nerd-out venture? “A crazy person,” he admits. “It’s a mountain of work to satisfy my own curiosity.” – Barry Waldman

That makes more sense than you would think if you only knew Lewis as a white Englishman, an Oxford graduate, an English professor and a longtime Charleston resident.

Yet his whole career harks back to Africa. As does he.

Lewis is known worldwide as a professor of African and Third World literature, a widely published author on East and South African literature, editor of an international poetry journal, leader of a College group connecting the history of the Lowcountry to West Africa and president of the global African Literature Association.

Born and raised on a farm in England, Lewis moved with his family to South Africa for nine years until he graduated from high school. Horrified by the racist apartheid system and soaked in the literature of the continent, he headed to Oxford to study English literature and took every opportunity to delve into South African writers, white and Black, who salted their works with the roiling politics of the time.

“That was exciting to me, and still is,” he says. “I have a hard time switching off my political side when I teach. I think students are befuddled when I assign a novel and get up on my hind legs and give a history lesson.”

Two years of teaching English in Tanzania convinced Lewis that he was meant to study, promote and teach world literature, so he headed to the University of Florida for a doctorate, thus beginning his American adventure.

College of Charleston has been his sole professorial home – and, as the entry point linking the African continent to colonial America, Charleston suits him. Lewis can never forget that Africans were dragged to Charleston involuntarily before much of their history and culture was erased. He has spent his career helping restore it.

Charleston won’t be home for long, though. After 30 years of teaching, he just retired and plans to move closer to his children with his wife.

Though mostly self-taught in African literature, Lewis is admired across the nation in his discipline. Having joined the African Literature Association in his first year at CofC, Lewis brought the organization’s annual conference to Charleston, the birthplace of African America. That was in 2013, the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Already a blockbuster gathering, the conference took a turn when attendees learned that acclaimed Nigerian author Chinua Achebe – considered the Shakespeare of modern African literature – had died in Boston. During the conference, Lewis and his team pivoted to honor and remember Achebe, a man admired and befriended by most of the attendees.

A decade after the rousing success of the conference, Lewis was invited to the ALA executive board and later served as president. He still can’t fathom it.

“I had no aspiration to leadership because there are actual African scholars, as opposed to an Englishman like me, with much greater right to do this,” he says.

But few would agree with that modest assessment.

“Simon’s the kind of teacher who would talk about his own background and how it shaped his interests and worldview with his class,” says Scott Peeples, a fellow English professor who shared an office with Lewis in their early days at CofC. “His courses really open his students’ eyes to the experiences of Africans and non-Western people in general.” – Barry Waldman

With one of the first computer science departments in the country and a renowned arts program, the College of Charleston was the perfect university for him to continue his education. S.E. Schoemann, assistant professor of computer science, taught him in two classes, where he emerged as one of her standout students because of his talent and drive to improve. Koch is constantly applying his skills to different art forms like album covers, comic books, oil painting and graphic design, and now has a lucrative side gig making original art for video games like Team Fortress 2.

“David has a strong and distinct sense of visual style that made his work in both games and 3D modeling really stand out,” Schoemann says.

“His digital artwork has a unique and offbeat aesthetic that really brings it to life. In our game class, for example, he made a brilliantly wacky single-player tennis game where the player has to move the court to play. I was happy, but not too surprised, to learn that he had found a way to use his skills outside of the classroom. It’s always great to see talented students forging creative careers that blend their technical expertise with their digital art skills.”

Koch enjoys creative coding classes because they go beyond the set of instructions and tasks typical of traditional coding classes. Instead, he developed his own problems and learned how to solve them, which made him more invested in learning coding.

His favorite class, however, was Game Programming, for which he collaborated with his team of classmates to develop a dueling-themed rhythm game where players battle to keep time with the background music. Koch developed shaders – small programs that influence the way objects in a game appear in various circumstances – for the visuals on the main menu of their game.

“Over the years I have gotten better at tackling new problems,” says Koch. “Throughout my college journey, I have learned to analyze what other people have done in their games and their art. One of the things that I am proudest of in this class is making the 2D image on the main menu of a game rotate, making it appear 3D, kind of like the main menu of the game Minecraft.”

Koch considers himself an artist more than anything else, noting he has dabbled in 10 different arts media.

“I love all of them, and I want to put them to different uses,” he says, adding that he hopes to continue to create art on commission. “I would like to collaborate with artists on large-scale projects, and computing in the arts has added a new dimension to my creative abilities.” — Ugochi Mercy Udochu ʼ26

“I remember the feeling of being somber and crying,” says Blanchard. “It made me think about the willpower and self-determination of the enslaved community because there is a big silence. I was disappointed I hadn’t learned more about their history when I was in high school and made it my mission to share their story and spread awareness.”

Mission in mind, Blanchard decided to pursue a master of arts in history at the College. As a first-generation university student, she was grateful for the financial support she received through the Karen Chambers Fellowship and graduate assistantships, including one with the College’s Lowcountry Digital History Initiative, which provides public access to the history of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Blanchard’s first project at LDHI brought her full circle: the digital exhibit by her Queens University undergraduate professor and mentor, Caroline Grego. Based on Grego’s book, Hurricane Jim Crow: How the Great Sea Island Storm of 1893 Shaped the Lowcountry South, the exhibit tells the story of Sea Island communities’ recovery efforts after a devastating hurricane. The exhibit was LDHI’s biggest mapping project, and Blanchard did the lion’s share of the calculations and data analysis to build out each map point. She also painstakingly conducted image research, including getting copyright permission, and then drafted layout options for images and text.

“Kayla tapped into how to use data to present the power and strength of Sea Island communities with a deep sense of historical empathy,” says Leah Worthington, digital projects librarian at the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library.

The Sea Island communities’ story lines up perfectly with why Blanchard pursued her graduate degree. Sharing the story through technology fed into her desire for people to see the full picture. Now she has a whole new way of sharing history with real-world applications.

To build her skills further, Blanchard began working as a graduate assistant at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. Mentored by Ashley Dennis, assistant professor of history, she helped put together both physical and digital exhibits commemorating Avery’s 40th anniversary. The physical exhibit opened Blanchard to the traditional way of sharing information with the public. Their first step was to take notes on Avery’s archival collection and review past Avery exhibits.

Now that she’s graduated, Blanchard plans to continue her work in public history and archival spaces while building on her research interests in African American spiritual traditions and preparing to apply to doctoral programs.

She’s got a mission in mind. – Darcie Goodwin

But that’s exactly what Keagan Kindler ʼ26 and Kathryn Mukherjee ʼ26 did in coveted internships this spring while finishing their bachelor’s degrees in exercise science in the School of Health Sciences’ Department of Applied Exercise Science.

“I feel kind of special because we’re the first interns,” says Kindler. “I feel like you could go into multiple fields with this experience.”

The newly launched Fitness and Community Health Testing program assesses cardiovascular fitness, body composition, metabolic rate, muscular fitness and more for those using weight loss drugs, receiving hormone therapy or simply looking to better understand their fitness levels and longevity. FaCHT does not diagnose or treat health conditions.

Kindler and Mukherjee not only paved the way for other students to gain valuable experience as they consider careers in physical therapy, athletic training and wellness coaching; they also helped introduce the Charleston community to some of the most advanced fitness performance assessments available in the Lowcountry.

Mukherjee says it’s inspiring to see assessment results spark motivation in those who visit the lab. “They get their numbers back and say, ‘Oh my gosh – I’m going to come back in six months to compare. I want to get better,’” she says.

FaCHT offers a variety of aerobic, metabolic and strength assessment packages, including VO2 max testing, the gold standard test for heart and lung health and oxygen utilization, which is the strongest predictor of longevity.

It also offers DEXA scans – short for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry – which show the amount of fat and non-fat mass on the body and provide insight into bone density, another excellent predictor of lifespan. Packages also include resting metabolic rate testing, which shows the body’s true caloric expenditure, helpful for those on weight loss medications.

Since its launch last December, the state-of-the-art fitness assessment program has attracted elite athletes who wish to optimize performance, as well as older adults and others in the community who simply want to gain insight into their current health.

It’s an incredible opportunity for students, faculty and staff to work directly with campus and community members seeking to better understand various measures of fitness and their impact on their health.

“The FaCHT program fills a void in the health and fitness testing market in Charleston and represents a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to be able to present test results to their physicians for deeper insight,” says Wes Dudgeon, dean of the School of Health Sciences.

The internships provide invaluable experience to students starting their own journeys as they look ahead to their healthcare careers.

Says Chris Reader, coordinator of the FaCHT program: “The most rewarding thing I’ve seen with the interns is seeing the ‘light turn on,’ connecting what they learn in their exercise physiology coursework to real-life application.”

That’s a healthy thing for the university, its students and the broader Charleston community. – Christine Mahoney

“I thought it was great because I’d still be able to hang out with my friends, ride on the bus and watch them do something that they loved to do,” she chuckles. “When I recently told that story to some track student-athletes, they thought I would have been upset, not happy. But I told them, ‘That’s because you’re real athletes, and I never was.’’’

So how did an individual with little to no experience in athletics become one of the most important voices inside the College’s athletics department as the deputy director?

“Kate has such a caring heart and an attention to detail when it comes to the student-athletes,” says Matt Roberts, director of athletics. “She pours herself into making sure every student-athlete in every sport has a tremendous experience.”

Tiller, who graduated with a political science degree, just completed her 17th year working at the College. What started as a way to stay connected to the university and city she loved as an academic adviser has morphed into a career she never thought possible as an undergraduate.

“I’d like to think that I had a plan when I was an undergraduate, but I really didn’t,” says Tiller. “I thought about law school. I was determined to do whatever I could to stay at the College.”

From her humble beginnings in the academic services department, Tiller has risen through the ranks, becoming the senior associate athletics director for student-athlete success and the department’s senior woman administrator in 2021.

In her role, Tiller oversees student-athlete academic services, sports medicine and sports performance, and she holds administrator duties for multiple sports.

Tiller has quickly become one of Roberts’ most trusted advisers and has a reputation as a fixer for anything broken within the department.

When Tiller joined the athletics department, one of her first tasks was helping newly hired baseball coach Monte Lee. Until Lee’s arrival, the baseball team’s graduation record had been spotty. Tiller and Lee were determined to change the narrative.

“I knew the players were in great hands because of how much she cared about their success on and off the field,” says Lee.

The men’s basketball team was next on the agenda.

During Earl Grant’s tenure as head coach (2014–21), only one player who stayed for four years didn’t graduate.

“I had some guys who needed a lot of support academically, and Kate poured her heart into making sure they got their degrees,” Grant says.

The 2018 men’s basketball team, the first to make it to March Madness in more than two decades, had three future NBA players on the roster: Joe Chealey ’18, Jarrell Brantley ’19 and Grant Riller ’20.

“I learned pretty quickly that Kate’s passion for helping us was the same passion I had for basketball,” says Chealey.

While Tiller is proud that she played a small part in their success, she also delights in the success of team members like Evan Bailey ’18, who received the Bishop Robert Smith Award, the highest and most selective honor a graduating student can achieve at the College. Bailey is now a third-year resident in orthopedic surgery at Emory University.

“We get to see these amazing student-athletes play at the highest levels, sometimes even professionally,” says Tiller. “But not everyone is going to go pro, so to see them succeed academically is incredibly satisfying.” – Andrew Miller

“It was probably one of the coolest Father’s Day gifts I’ve had,” says Holbrook, who just finished his ninth season as the Cougars’ head coach.

The fact that Reece is alive, let alone playing baseball at such a high level, is nothing short of a miracle.

When Reece was 2 years old, Chad and Jenn Holbrook noticed some unusual bruises on his legs and back. Chad chalked it up to his son’s rambunctious nature. But when more bruises surfaced, the couple took him to the doctor.

After several tests, Reece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow that causes the body to produce large numbers of immature, nonfunctional white blood cells called lymphocytes.

“We were devastated,” says Jenn. “Any time you hear the word cancer or leukemia, it’s scary.”

For the next three years, Reece spent days on end in the hospital undergoing treatment, which included painful chemotherapy and spinal taps.

“It was actually a blessing that Reece was diagnosed when he was so young,” says Jenn. “He doesn’t remember much about the treatments, and I think that’s one reason he was so resilient.”

Reece does, however, remember how nice and attentive the doctors and nurses were at the time. The pain, having no hair and the constant visits to the hospital were just part of his daily routine.

“I thought it was normal,” says Reece.

In 2012, he was finally declared cancer free. Now, he is tested annually to make sure the leukemia hasn’t come back.

“Reece fought the biggest fight of his life and won, so everything is just icing on the cake,” says Jenn.

Coming out of Hammond School in Columbia, S.C., there was no guarantee that Reece would play for his father at the collegiate level. Reece wasn’t sure he was ready to share the same locker room and dugout with his dad.

“I didn’t have the urge to play for my dad because every father and son have their issues,” says Reece.

The feeling was mutual.

“All Reece had heard his whole life was my voice when it came to baseball,” says Chad.

Reece played in just 71 games over four seasons with the Tar Heels.

This season, as an everyday starter in the outfield with the Cougars, his role increased dramatically. He finished as one of the Cougars’ top defensive players and had a solid year at the plate.

“It was a special season for our family,” says Reece. “I wouldn’t trade playing for my father for anything in the world.”

Chad admits it was tough to separate being a father from being a coach when Reece was at the plate.

“As a father, my heart rate was different when Reece was at the plate,” says Chad. “I had to teach myself that he was just another player, but it was a challenge because you want your child to succeed.”

Chad realized early in the season that Jenn was not shy with her opinions on the subject.

“If she had come to the ballpark and Reece wasn’t in the starting lineup, I knew I would probably have to find a couch to sleep on,” laughs Chad. “She was a college athlete, so she understands, but I was coaching Reece, and Mom was coaching me.” – Andrew Miller

CofC Giving Day brings together the Cougar community in a shared celebration of the College. This year, more than 2,100 donors gave over $1.1 million, impacting 220 areas of campus.

The celebration carried into the next day as the College of Charleston women’s basketball team traveled to Durham, N.C., to face No. 3-seeded Duke in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. In honor of their historic debut, additional giving hours were added to keep the momentum going as the Cougar community rallied behind the team.

“CofC Giving Day is a powerful reminder of how our community comes together to support what matters most at the College,” says Dan Frezza, chief advancement officer of the College and chief executive officer of the College of Charleston Foundation. “The success of this year’s historic Giving Day is a testament to the incredible generosity of our alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends. We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave and helped ensure the College can continue providing an exceptional education and expanding opportunities for our students.”

CofC Giving Day activities included a student organization banner competition, a student showcase of the impact of philanthropy on the student experience, a faculty and staff lunch courtesy of the Staff Advisory Committee to the President and Denny’s FUNd, a financial wellness event by the Career Center and a block party in the Cistern Yard that included a Cash Cube Challenge by Johnnie Baxley ’92 and his wife, Michelle.

In addition to events around campus, Alumni Association clubs spearheaded CofC Giving Day celebrations in multiple cities along the East Coast so people outside Charleston had the chance to engage and celebrate the day.

• The Buono School of Education Challenge, sponsored by Mark ’81 and Judy ’22 (M.Ed.) Buono, unlocked $12,500 for the School of Education after 50 donors gave to the school.
• The Lovell J. Stewart Walker Match contributed an additional $5,000 in matching funds to support CofC’s varsity sailing team.
• The Dwyer Family E-LLC Challenge unlocked $10,000 after 25 donors made a gift to the Honors College Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community.
• The Mimi O’Brien School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Challenge unlocked $2,000 after 25 donors supported the school’s Dean’s Excellence Fund.
• The Zucker Challenge, sponsored by Anita Zucker and her family, unlocked $100,000 after 1,770 donors donated.
• The Kosko International Piano Series Challenge unlocked $1,000 after 10 donors supported the International Piano Series.
• The Lynn L. Moody Endowment for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Challenge, sponsored by Janice Bethea, unlocked $5,000 after 30 donors made a gift to the fund.
• The Coleman Edmunds School of Business Dean’s Excellence Fund Match provided $1,500 in matching funds.
• The Dan Chandler School of Business Accounting and Business Law Match provided $1,500 in matching funds.
• The School of Business Board of Governors CofC Giving Day Challenge provided an additional $10,000 when $25,000 was donated to the Dean’s Excellence Fund at the school.
• The McLain School and Unit Competition, sponsored by Justin McLain ’98, awarded $50,000 to various excellence funds to recognize and incentivize participation across campus.

Brown and Kane, who earned a doctorate at Harvard, discovered a shared passion for fossils when they met in 2023. Brown, a local businessman, had donated his 5,500- square-foot collection of fossils – valued at more than $1.6 million – to establish the Mace Brown Museum in 2010. Kane founded the Charleston Center for Paleontology, a 10-plus–acre land conservation and research site in Ridgeville, S.C., known for its marine fossils from the late Oligocene to early Miocene epochs (23–28 million years old). Both had a desire to delve into the Lowcountry’s unique geology, including why it contains a plethora of marine fossils documenting the golden age of whale evolution.

When Brown moved to Charleston in 1992, discovering the abundance of prehistoric shark teeth in the area sparked his passion for fossil collecting. He adorned his Meeting Street office with his collection and welcomed CofC students to view them. In 2006, then-president Lee Higdon offered Brown dedicated space to establish a museum for his collection at the College’s new science center. After years of planning, in April 2010, the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History opened its doors on the corner of Calhoun and Coming streets. Since then, the museum has grown in popularity with more than 20,000 visitors in 2025.

“What has been done in terms of published citations on cetaceans and marine life has established our museum as a prominent resource for research of those fossils,” says Brown. “Many of the specimens are holotypes, a special designation given to fossil specimens that are used to describe new species. We plan to build on all this and develop a continuing post-doc research program.”

Kane’s passion for paleontology began in graduate school at Harvard and was reignited in 2017 when she moved to the Charleston area and discovered fossil shark teeth at local beaches. With her research site and laboratory in Ridgeville and its laboratory merging energies with the museum, Kane looks forward to creating community programs.

“For many students, fossils are a gateway to a love of STEM,” says Kane. “We are excited that local middle and high schoolers will be able to engage with world-class research in their own community.”

Kane hopes the museum can be a nexus for the Lowcountry, showing the benefits of industry and academic collaboration. “Most local specimens were discovered during excavation due to development and construction,” she explains. “As we build out our museum advisory board, we aim to strengthen our connections in this area.”

President Andrew T. Hsu believes Brown and Kane’s plan will increase community engagement and the College’s national prominence.

“We are so grateful to have Mace Brown and Elizabeth Kane on our team,” says Hsu. “Their vision for the museum will not only expand interaction and awareness about the Lowcountry’s unique geological resources, but will bestow national distinction on the College as a world-class research center.”

As with so many alumni, my connection to the College didn’t end at graduation; it only evolved. The friendships formed under the live oaks, the long conversations after class and the deep sense of place that defines the College stay with you long after you leave campus.

What makes the College special is not just its beautiful campus or its academic reputation; it’s the lifelong community the College cultivates. Alumni carry that spirit with them wherever they go.

As volunteers, we have the opportunity to keep that spirit alive by connecting graduates, supporting students and strengthening the bond between the College and its broader community. Every time alumni gather for an event, mentor a student or lend their expertise to help the institution grow, we reinforce the idea that the College is not simply a place we attended – it is a community we remain part of for life.

One of the most inspiring parts of serving in this role is seeing how powerful alumni engagement can be. When graduates stay involved, the College continues to evolve in meaningful ways. Alumni help open doors for internships and careers, support scholarships that make education accessible to future Cougars and provide insight that helps guide the College’s future. Their perspective, shaped by experience beyond the campus, adds tremendous value to the institution’s progress.

This relationship between the College and its alumni is a driving force behind many of the exciting developments happening today. The College continues to grow academically, expand opportunities for students and strengthen its role as a leader in higher education. None of this happens in isolation; it happens because thousands of alumni remain invested in the success of the institution and in the students who now walk the same brick pathways we once did.

Being involved has deepened my appreciation for what the College represents. It has allowed me to reconnect with classmates, meet graduates from different generations and witness firsthand the passion our alumni have for their alma mater. Every conversation reminds me that the College of Charleston leaves a lasting imprint on the people who cross the Cistern.

There has never been a more exciting time to be part of this community. The momentum at the College is real, and alumni play a vital role in shaping what comes next. By staying connected, sharing our time and talents and supporting the College’s mission, we help ensure that future generations experience the same transformative education and sense of belonging that meant so much to us. That is the true power and joy of being an engaged alumnus.

I encourage everyone to find a way to engage with the College of Charleston; it will change your life in positive ways. –Brady Quirk-Garvan ’08

“Rising Tide exists to transform lives,” says Joynicole Martinez ’96, CEO and president. “And in transforming one life and connecting them to others, you transform a community.”

Raised in Rochester, N.Y., Martinez had her own life transformed after coming to the College, although her parents were a little confused by her decision to attend a university in the South. But she fell in love with the College at first bite.

“Shrimp and grits made me want to go to the College of Charleston,” she says, recalling one of her first impressions of Charleston.

She first assumed she’d become a chemical engineer like her mother or a doctor like her father. But Martinez discovered an interest in political science at the College.

“I fell in love with learning how humans make decisions about themselves and each other,” she says. This knowledge would later serve her as an executive consultant to organizations, which she describes as “little civilizations.”

Her final semester was memorable, if unusual. Newly married, Martinez and her husband, who was deployed with the Marine Corps, had to move to California. Political science professor Jack Parson flew out and administered her final exam in a restaurant to ensure she could graduate on time. She describes Parson, now retired, as embodying “the spirit of the College.”

After graduation, Martinez worked at a gospel record label and wrote grant proposals on the side to help her father’s patients – many diagnosed with HIV/AIDS – secure nonmedical resources.

Over time, that work evolved into a consulting practice as she began advising organizations on leadership, diversity and community building. Her business grew organically, leading her to opportunities to present in more than 100 countries. During the pandemic, an acquaintance connected her with the co-founders of Rising Tide Capital. In the first conversation, she knew: These are my people.

Though she’s had a wide-ranging career, Martinez says she’s only really had one job: helping people get better.

In 2025, she was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People of African Descent – a global initiative supporting the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent – in the philanthropy and social impact category.

Martinez spent years fighting impostor syndrome, convinced she needed more experience before she belonged in the rooms she wanted to be in. But after earning master’s and doctoral degrees, she realized it wasn’t about “the letters.” It was about gaining the knowledge to pursue the career she wanted.

Determined to make the journey to success easier for those who come after her, Martinez donates to CofC funds spanning diversity, STEM and entrepreneurship. She wants to create a safe space for students to explore their identities and goals.

Her advice to students trying to find their way: “What brings you joy? What makes you want to get up? What’s on your mind all the time? Find that thing. And then don’t ask to solve it. Just get to work solving it.” – Becca Starkes ’16

“He’s like, ‘I need help,’” says Conroy, who has been the Cardinals’ assistant athletic trainer for 15 seasons. He and his colleagues grabbed rolls of tape and started wrapping legs, elbows – whatever it took. “We taped him top to bottom,” Conroy remembers.

Somehow, Wainwright took the mound and got No. 200. “It was a huge, momentous occasion,” says Conroy. “But we always laugh about how much tape we used to get him out there.”

Moments like that – mixing skill, grit and an unswerving devotion to his players – have defined Conroy’s career. Starting out with old-school players like Wainwright, who would do anything to stay on the field, he has since adapted to a game increasingly driven by data.

“The biggest challenge for me is to balance art and experience with the objective numbers I’m given,” he says of gauging players’ physical and mental health. Data might show a player’s asymmetry, for example, “but my hands and his attitude are showing he’s fine.”

Other times, a player may look physically sound but be struggling off the field: “He’s not physically banged up, but emotionally this guy needs a break,” says Conroy. “It’s about having those relationships with the front office so you can earn the respect to have that open conversation.”

For Conroy, relationships are the job. “That’s probably my superpower,” he says. He traces his skills to being brought up by outgoing Irish-immigrant parents in North Carolina. “I can talk with anyone about anything.”

Initially interested in physical therapy at the College, he changed course after visiting the training room.

“I was like, This is incredible,” he says. “A great way to stay involved in athletics and potentially make a living at it.”

He immersed himself in the work, blowing past the required number of hours in an internship with basketball trainer Martin Travis. “I still tape an ankle the way Marty showed me,” he says.

After more than a decade in the minors, Conroy arrived in St. Louis in 2012 during a golden era of playoff runs. The pace was relentless. “During October, you’re running on caffeine and adrenaline,” he says. He formed close bonds with veterans like Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina.

“They had a commitment to their contracts – to play, not sit out games,” he says. “It was a different era.”

Conroy was a big part of the team’s success.

“Great teams and organizations have a secret that goes beyond the talent on the field, and that secret is a support staff that embodies the culture of excellence and do extensive work behind the scenes to allow elite athletes to thrive,” says the Cards’ former manager, Mike Matheny.

“Chris has the unique ability to bring professionalism and expertise to a Major League clubhouse while also never losing sight of the fact that it’s a kid’s game – and to never stop having fun while fighting for a competitive edge. Chris made our very successful teams better. Period.”

Today, workload management, performance data and collaboration have reshaped his role, as trainers now work with coaches to improve player performance. While some of the old grit is gone, dugout culture has evolved in some positive ways.

“There’s been a huge revolution in paying closer attention to mental health,” says Conroy, who has found renewed purpose mentoring younger trainers and players, teaching them professionalism alongside rehabilitation.

This past year, he attended the MLB All-Star Game, an honor reserved for trainers once a decade.

“You get to interact with the best players in the game, and everyone treats you like you are their teammate,” he says, adding that it was a chance to reflect on a career built not just on keeping players in the game, but on forming relationships that make it worth playing. “I just love the people, and I love the team. I hope I’m around long enough to do it again.” – Michael Blanding

Huffman, the recipient of the School of Business MBA Scholarship, attributes a lot of his networking success to Brown.

“As a fellow student body president when we were undergraduates, we immediately clicked,” says Huffman. “He’s such an asset to the program; he’s like the unofficial mayor of Charleston. He connects everyone both while in school and after. The opportunities just keep coming.”

One connection Brown forged for Huffman was a mentorship with Charles Wonderlic, former CEO and current executive chairman of a software company. The experience proved transformative.

“Charlie introduced me to the tech industry and how to leverage my skills and experience to transition my career into the tech startup world,” explains Huffman, who landed a job post-graduation as director of customer success with Good United, a tech company that helps nonprofits connect with supporters on social media. “I still have the nonprofit angle, which gives meaning, but I am also helping build a business.”

Huffman’s job with Good United ticked all the boxes but one. Behind a computer all day speaking with clients across the country, he had no interaction with the local community. He spoke with his wife about his post-retirement dream – selling coffee from the back of an El Camino, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who sold tomatoes from the back of his El Camino.

After his wife convinced him that there’s no time like the present, Huffman found the perfect 1986 El Camino and traveled to Florida to pick it up. He then built a stand in the back of the flatbed for his coffee. In November 2023, Camino Caffeino gave out its first cups of coffee at Folly Beach. The experience confirmed his wife’s words.

“Camino Caffeino gave me a chance to meet people and tell my story and hear theirs,” says Huffman, who believes serving and drinking good coffee is the best way to build relationships. “I have finally built a community and feel like a part of the small-business growth in the area. Other small-business owners have been really supportive and have helped guide me through what it takes to succeed. I try to keep everything I do local by partnering with local coffee roasters, local designers and local manufacturers to help build up and support the small-business community here in Charleston.”

As a new father, Huffman realizes the value of having his son see him pursuing his dreams. “I want my son to know that no dream is too silly to pursue and that it is possible to have a career for pay and something that fills your soul in other ways.” – Darcie Goodwin

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., home of the 79th Rescue Squadron, is a long way from Wednesday night karaoke at Burns Alley near the College, where she and her best friend once carved out a single evening of freedom between classes, work shifts and late nights at Addlestone Library.

And for most of her life, it wasn’t supposed to happen at all. She was certain – completely certain – that the military wasn’t for her. But, after dating someone who explored a military career, Higdon decided to join the College’s Air Force ROTC program. She had already set her sights on a degree in communication because it’s such a universally useful skill.

After earning her bachelor’s, Higdon left the Lowcountry for Los Angeles Air Force Base, where she became an acquisitions officer (AO) for the Space Enterprise Consortium (SPeC).

Her role was to help award space prototype contracts in under 90 days – a real challenge in an industry that, despite its rocket capabilities, is infamous for its lack of speed.

Fortunately, Higdon was able to draw on the skills she developed at the College to help SPeC land contracts quickly, including one exceeding $12 billion. She credits Elena Strauman and Kathleen DeHaan, associate professors in communication, as major influences on her success.

“It was a really jargon-heavy and technical organization,” she says of SPeC. “I applied Dr. Strauman and Dr. DeHaan’s lessons to develop public releases and communications plans in a way that anyone could understand.”

After three years as an AO, Higdon was nominated by her commander to participate in the Air Force Air Education and Training Command’s highly competitive Rated Preparatory Program to gain aviation skills. Though she didn’t land her first choice as a pilot, she’s elated with her role as a combat systems officer (her second choice). From planning routine airdrop and refueling missions to coordinating full-scale search-and-rescue efforts, Higdon says no two days are the same – and it’s about as far from boring as you can get.

Whether determining which parachute gets used for different personnel and cargo, or mapping out scenarios based on changing weather, every little decision can have a major impact on the success of a mission.

“It’s our job to find out as much info as possible so we can aid the HH-60 helicopter in performing a rescue,” she says. “It’s a really cool job.”

For someone who once swore the military wasn’t for her, Higdon is exactly where she’s meant to be.

“Being in the military is the ultimate learning experience,” she says. “It’s the most wild, chaotic fun. So much growth occurs.” – Liz Wolfe

“You’ve changed my life,” said Joe Morrissey, whose wife was pregnant with a child missing his right hand and forearm just like Austen.

After Morrissey saw Austen acting like any other teen on a summer day, his whole attitude changed. His son, Tommy, would go to become a golf prodigy of some renown.

Austen has inspired a lot of people over the years with his athletic ability, whether on the baseball diamond, the soccer pitch or the basketball court. Now, with the help of a prosthetic and a club attachment, he’s making a name for himself in the adaptive golf world by qualifying for the sport’s biggest event: the U.S. Adaptive Open, July 6–8 in Rockville, Md., for the second straight year.

“It’s such a cool experience for us adaptive athletes,” says Austen. “They (the United States Golf Association) give you a locker with a nameplate and treat you like a professional for the week. It’s pretty special.”

Austen’s mother, Mary, was 18 weeks pregnant when an ultrasound revealed that a random vascular accident meant that her son’s right hand “didn’t punch through” and would end mid-forearm. The doctor’s counsel took her aback.

“His problem is going to be you and you,” he said, pointing at her and her husband, Peter. “If you have a problem with it, he will have a problem with it.”

Mary bristled at the shallow implications on the car ride home. “But looking back, it was a great way to frame it – treat him like any other child; he’ll be fine,” she says. “And we did.”

Adds Peter: “We certainly couldn’t teach him to tie his shoes with one hand. He had to figure that out on his own.”

His three brothers and sister never gave him a pass either, and Austen never felt sorry for himself or even felt the need to wear a prosthetic to stop some people from staring.

In Little League, some coaches would try to exploit his fielding disadvantage by bunting on him when he pitched, but he’d quickly stick the mitt under his right armpit as he scampered for the ball and throw the batter out.

His senior year of high school, the baseball team won the district championship with Austen throwing in the mid-80s in the title game.

After earning a business degree from the College, he started playing more golf during the pandemic. He wears a silicone sleeve on his right arm that locks into a custom carbon-fiber socket; a clamp slides up the club from the shaft and tightens over a standard grip.

When he’s not working on his game in Charleston, Austen coaches middle school baseball and basketball teams at Porter-Gaud School and runs the after-school programs there with brother John ’24, the director of auxiliary programs. Austen has also become a bit of a golf influencer with almost 46,000 Instagram followers (@jimmythekiiid).

“Coaching and the content creation lean into what I’m trying to show people – anything’s possible,” he says. “I want the seventh and eighth graders to see that if I can do it, then they can do it.” – Tom Cunneff

Serving as mayor for over 40 years from 1975 to 2016, Riley helped guide Charleston through one of the most transformative periods in its history. At a time many American cities struggled with decline, Riley championed a different path – one grounded in historic preservation, world-class urban design and improved race relations. His leadership helped revitalize the downtown peninsula, expand public green spaces, protect the city’s architecture and cultivate a vibrant arts community. Charleston’s international reputation as a beautiful, livable city is no accident; it’s the result of decades of careful stewardship – an approach Riley reflects on in his memoir, Windows on Washington Square, published earlier this year by Evening Post Books.

His tenure as mayor stands among the most consequential in modern urban leadership. Guided by a conviction that a city’s greatest assets belong to all its people, his vision and persistence reshaped Charleston into one of the nation’s most celebrated cities. Landmark projects such as King Street, Charleston Place, Waterfront Park, the South Carolina Aquarium and the International African American Museum reflect that vision. In moments of crisis, including Hurricane Hugo and the tragedy at Emanuel AME Church, his leadership emphasized unity and healing and won him national recognition. Many of Charleston’s defining public institutions embody his belief in civic belonging and shared opportunity, and his legacy continues to inform and inspire the city’s leadership today.

Riley believed deeply in the role of education as a partner in civic life. His long-standing relationship with the College strengthened its connection to the city and reinforced its role as a leader in the community. This spirit of collaboration continues today through the College’s Joseph P. Riley Jr. Center for Livable Communities – an interdisciplinary public service institute whose mission is to leverage our institution’s intellectual resources to support the economic and cultural vibrancy of the Charleston and other communities throughout South Carolina.

Housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Riley Center brings together faculty, staff and students to collaborate with local governments and nonprofits in advancing livable-community research and practice. Through hands‑on learning opportunities, faculty, staff and students apply academic rigor to real‑world challenges. Serving as a bridge between campus and community, the Riley Center carries on Riley’s legacy. This past year, the center has been awarded 40 grants and contracts, provided training for more than 350 public service employees and served 34 counties, 75 cities and eight nonprofits across the state.

Riley often reminded Charlestonians that cities are shaped by the choices people make together. Through his example and through the ongoing work of the Riley Center for Livable Communities, that ethic remains at the heart of both Charleston and the College – an enduring legacy alumni can take pride in for years to come.

The Riley Center director since 2011, Kendra B. Stewart is also a professor of political science and public administration at the College. Her research includes state and local government, food and environmental policy, and government communications.