Where they've landed ...
A look at some of the members of the Class of 2007, where they've been, and where they're going.
Name: Jilian Rinehart
Hometown: Murrells Inlet
High School: Myrtle Beach High School
Major: biology, with a double minor in chemistry and medical humanities
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"Medicine is it for me. I've no doubt," said Jilian Rinehart, a South Carolina Honors College senior and the University of South Carolina's Outstanding Woman of the Year. Rinehart hopes to attend the Medical University of South Carolina this fall to pursue a career in surgery, possibly with a specialty in ear, nose and throat. She chose Charleston to be closer to her brother and best friend, Brandon, a first-year dental student there.
Rinehart, a Palmetto fellow, says she had the full college experience. She has been a member and leader in many organizations, including Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and Garnet Circle. She completed a research fellowship in immunology at the university's School of Medicine and studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain.
Being named Outstanding Woman of the Year is a particularly special, said Rinehart.
"I didn't know in advance," Rinehart said. "I was sitting in the back with my family, and they finally got to me, announcing that I had been chosen. It was surreal."
"I knew five people coming in as a freshman," said Rinehart. "I'm leaving knowing hundreds of wonderful and intelligent students through the honors college, pre-med program and my sorority and other organizations."
Rinehart is not surprised that she ended up at the University of South Carolina. Her parents, who met and fell in love in an organic chemistry class at the university, never missed an opportunity to drive through the university when they visited Columbia.
"The funny thing is I thought the university would have this very big-city feel, but that isn't what you get at the university. It is a very tight-knit community," said Rinehart. "You couldn't possibly walk across campus without seeing and saying hello to at least five or six people you know."
Rinehart, who served as a peer leader for University 101 and University 201 classes, encourages academically talented students in middle school and high school to attend a college in state.
"I really want to impress upon these young minds to stay in South Carolina and take advantage of the in-state scholarships," said Rinehart. "I promise you that you will get as impressive of an education at the University of South Carolina as you would any private university in the Southeast.
"The University of South Carolina has prepared me and given me so many positive experiences that I will carry with me for the rest of my life," she said.
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