By: Tess Santos ’21, a business administration with a concentration in management major and forward for the Women’s Basketball team

At the beginning of October, we were finally able to celebrate our 2020 graduates. Thanks to all faculty and staff members, we managed to get everyone back on campus, while following the COVID safety measures including having all students and guests wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart.

Even though commencement weekend took place five months later than expected, students still had the opportunity to march through Neville Hall and onto the West Plaza and get congratulated personally from the PC president himself, Bob Staton.

I had the opportunity to catch up with some of our former student-athletes and ask them a few questions.

Live the PC Motto

Erin Eulitz played for the women’s volleyball team during her time at PC. She is now going to grad school to become a speech pathologist. PC has taught her to stay true to herself and how to be a good leader, which helped her figure out how she wanted to impact the world. A combination of her passions and understanding how she could apply her communication skills to a job led her to understand what role she wanted to play in people’s lives in the future.

Erin said, “I decided I wanted to do this when I realized that I wanted to be able to help people in the world.”

The Importance of Soft Skills

Joey Junius, the former defensive back on the football team, is now working for a social service company and is also a case manager. The most important skill that he learned at PC while being a busy student-athlete was time management. A useful skill that he applies to his current job and gives him an advantage, as he understands how to handle multiple things at a time and meet necessary deadlines.

“Time management is huge at my current job” Joey said.

From Clinton to Clemson

The former goalkeeper from the women’s soccer team, Alyssa Leaman is now in grad school. She’s in a master’s of science program at Clemson University for civil engineering. Alyssa shares her struggles and talks about how hard it was moving from a small town like Clinton to a big city like Clemson by herself during a pandemic.

“It was really difficult adjusting and meeting new people,” she said. “I couldn’t really go anywhere and be in class with other students.”

Follow Your Passion

Harrison Fisher played on the men’s golf team at PC. He is now working for a Christian ministry called Campus Outreach and performing ministries on the PC campus. Harrison advised PC students to follow their dreams and to pursue something after college that gives their lives meaning and purpose. He believes that it is much more valuable to work on a job that you genuinely enjoy, instead of choosing a job that looks better on a resume.

“Do something you are passionate about,” he said.

Build Good Relationships

Presley Bissett was part of the softball team during her four years at PC. She is currently working in data analysis and logistics in a seasonal job at Tobacco Warehouse and is planning to go into insurance soon. Presley emphasized the importance of building relationships before and after graduation.

“The workspace environment is hard, but if you make the right connections and build good relationships, then it will benefit you in the future,” she said.

“Roll with the punches and adapt”

Zoe Montague, the Outstanding Senior, graduated in December 2019 and delivered this year’s Outstanding Senior address. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and is now joining the Air Force as a financial manager.

During her speech she mentioned the importance of being able to handle situations that we have little control over, especially during these strange times we are living in considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Being able to handle adversity, change, and the feeling of lacking control is part of growing up.

“We have the ability to roll with the punches and adapt,” Zoe said. “We have the ability to dictate our responses.”