My Winthrop Experience

• As Paiton Funderburk ’23 tracks down turtles at the Catawba Indian Reservation, her fellow tribal members cheer her along.
• As a military-friendly school, Winthrop University has helped ease Martha Selmon '23’s path to working in healthcare.
• Living through a pandemic taught Trey Wineglass ‘23 many lessons.
• Logan Pender '24 created his own degree and made the most of every opportunity
• Jacob Sturgill '19 encourages people to make the most of their time
• Ali Pizza '22 brings rare books back to life
• Philip Nelson '21 breaks down South Carolina COVID-19 data
• Chandler Vaudrin '21 fashioned his game after another northeastern Ohio native – superstar LeBron James
• Tony Chau '21 parlayed his video talents into esports scholarships to pay for his college education
• Karina Grant '20 always had a vague idea that she might want to go to law school
• Ashley Briggs '17 believes representation matters everywhere from college classrooms to media newsrooms
• Stephen Berry '21 said as a PE major, he knew that he would enjoy his courses and would work hard
• Michael Speiser '20 cares about the quality and ergonomics of keyboards

• Growing up in rural South Carolina, Len Lawson ’02 said his town of Bamberg was bonded by hospitality but divided by race.
• Twins LyKaisha and LyAisha Barr, both Class of 2015, appreciate how math produces critical thinking
• Bryan Setser '99 applies his Winthrop teachings to his every day role as CEO
• Olivia Reed '18 embraced learning new marketing skills during the COVID pandemic
• Caitlan Walzer '18 sought opportunities that led to public relations career
• Carra Lyons '18 is stronger and braver because of her time at Winthrop
• Nil Vinyals '18 wants to improve his soccer skills on and off the field
• Jean Paul Dushime '18 believes in being intentional about learning
• Lucas Love '17 became the first member of a Greek life organization with autism at Winthrop
• More than a decade after studying flatworms at Winthrop, Daniel Stanton '09, '15, continues to learn about circadian biology
• Ashlea Sovetts '13 and Alexandria Nunweiler '14 bring communities together through dance
• Chris Hathcock '05, '09, considers his life saved by music - and does the same for his students
• Paul Leonard '06 has studied the ecology of the Alaskan tundra for 15 years
• Morgan Yarborough '15 finds joy in exploring her creativity
• Standrick Rhodes 07, '09 enjoyed Winthrop's strong sense of family and accountability
• Diego Toledo '11 talks tech for gaming and streaming services
• Matthew Cordell '97 creates "Hello, Neighbor!" to honor personal hero, Mister Rogers

• Jennifer Belk wants to expand the local entrepreneurial community
• Delores Johnson Hurt '68 wants to inspire a new generation of trailblazers
• DeAlva Wilson '92, '94 says balance is the key to being a successful businesswoman
• Chelsea Brown '14 created a scholarship to share the Winthrop experience with more students
• Roger and Elizabeth Weikle '83, '85 want to help more students see the world
• Charles '06 and Kristen Thoennes '08 want to support student veterans seeking a college degree
• Gary '79 and Jody Gaulin '78 relish every opportunity to give back to their alma mater
• Sadie Boyer '58 is a trailblazer in her field and wants to help others as well
• Janet Elaine Deal Daniel '72, '75, '77 is a longtime mentor and advocate for adult education

• Brent Woodfill’s research has taken him to explore caves, cities and hilltop shrines in Central America.
• Coming to teach health at Winthrop University was a gamble for Shelley Hamill.
• Duha Hamed has a photo of every math class she has taught on her office wall.
• Before her senior year in high school, Alice McLaine found her life's calling.
• Dustin M. Hoffman gives the working class a voice in his fiction
• Cheryl Fortner is a better teacher because of her leadership with the McNair Scholars
• Eddie Lee's love affair with history started at an early age
• Kristen Abernathy juggles her time at Winthrop in three areas: teaching, mentoring and recruiting
• Zach Abernathy felt comfortable working with numbers as a child
• Scott Huffmon has gained an international reputation as an expert on Southern politics
• Barbara Burgess-Wilkerson wants to help millennial students with face-to-face interaction

Note: Archived profiles may not reflect current job statuses, places of residence, etc.

• Amy Rundio '09 is an advocate for student-centered learning
• Bob Bazemore '85 says meaningful relationships helped build his career success in interior design
• Music is life for Herbert Johnson '01, '13, as he seeks to bring happiness to others
• Natalie Mseis '18 said Winthrop's small size made a big impact
• Brian Greene '05 penned a book about his COVID-19 experience
• Catalina Zavala Olvera '19 proudly incorporates her Mexican culture into her designs
• Ethan Johnstone '18 said his life experience helped spark an interest in social work
• Melissa Kinyon-Jumper '08 is using virtual therapy to change lives 
• Ximena Perez-Velazco '19 follows her personal motto of making every place you go better
• Kourtland Haile '14 pushes himself beyond his comfort zone
• Elizaveta Zaytseva '12, ‘15 encourages students to travel the globe
• Brooke Bauer '05, '07 centers Catawba women in upcoming book
• Hannah Hustad '16 has visited 30 countries throughout her musical theatre career
• Pierre Wooten '02, '05 uses his competitiveness and faith to serve others
• Kimaka Nichols-Graham ‘94 wants to empower marginalized communities
• Charles Perry '05 is a proponent of sustaining local journalism
• For Lisa Knox '10, '12, teaching is music to her ears
• Lauren Ansley '02 believes we could all use more laughter in our lives
• Jennifer Deudkoontod '08 hopes to spread her love of music to Brazil
• Austin Smith '13 is on a mission to reset how people experience Sunday church service
• T. Fulton Burns '99 found his passion in becoming a theatre arts educator
• Jessica Berry '08 is an advocate for keeping Gullah/Geeche history alive and relevant
• Elizabeth Parry '00 blends art and beauty into successful ventures
• Brandon McGinnis '12 encourages students to get involved in their Winthrop experience
• Erica Wright '04 is one of Charleston Business Magazine's 50 Most Influential People
• Vilissa Thompson '08, '12, doesn't let anything hold her back
• Derrick Alridge '87, '92 sees teachers as the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
• Robert Harris '12 says if an opportunity doesn't present itself at first, keep trying
• Erin Ireland '05 surrounds herself with food every day
• Ernest Allen '03, '07, and his team are "The Seed Police"
• Zainab Ghadiyali '09 wants young women to know that engineering is not only a man's world
• Melissa Gladden '99 knew where to turn when she decided to start a business
• Sheri Lynch '13 put her love of social work into action by earning a graduate degree
• Roy Weathers '89 worked his way up to partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP
• Ebony Wilkinson '15 became the first student to earn a bachelor's degree in individualized studies
• Shanola Hampton '98 appears on the hit television show "Shameless"