Elizabeth Tedder
After graduating Chapin High School in the spring of 2017, I began my college journey at the University of South Carolina. I had wanted to leave South Carolina to get an experience away from a place I had spent the past 18 years but due to economic strains USC made the most sense. Little did I know how many amazing opportunities our state’s Flagship University would offer me. That summer at my freshman orientation I was able to interview and receive a job for the Conference Center at the University of South Carolina. I started in August 2017 and am currently starting my 4th year working there. I have worked every position possibly at the Conference Center. I was a student event manager during the school years, summer 2018 Office staff, summer 2019 Youth Camp Building Manager, summer 2020 Manager, and now I am currently the Daily Operations Manager of Alternative Housing. I run my own staff and work with many departments to ensure exemplary student living conditions. Additionally, I held a positon in the Freshman Residential Hall Government my first year and am currently a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honors Society. I am graduating December 2020 with my Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice.
How has SCASC impacted you to become the leader you are?
SCASC impacted who I am as a person and a leader in so many ways. The lessons you learn in workshops carry throughout your life long after your last spirit week ends. When talking about daily work skills, I do not believe that I would be able to efficiently run my own staff without SCASC teaching me how important proper planning, organizational, and communication skills are. But I feel like the most important lesson I learned from SCASC and will truly carry with me forever is the simple but perfect motto “Do it Right, Make it Big, and Give it Class”. You can apply this to everything you do in life, whether that is relationships, class work, your job, sports, etc.
What is your favorite SCASC memory and why?
There are way too many memories from SCASC that I hold dear. From holding positons on the state board as SCASC 2nd Vice President, District 3 Chair (hosted Chapin High School’s first ever SCASC event), Corresponding Secretary, all the way to going to camps, rallies, state, southern, and nationals are all fond memories. The one memory that is sticks out the most was not a SCASC event but the memory happened due to my involvement in SCASC. Chapin High has a senior awards night where they announce the scholarships and academic awards that seniors won. The most prestigious awards given that night are the last 5. Those 5 are the Principal awards. From the moment you become a Chapin High Student the Principal is watching, trying to figure out through the 4 years which students deserve the 5 awards. It is his sole decision, no teacher nominations, so it is an extreme honor to be noticed and awarded by the Principal. I went to senior awards night to receive my community scholarships but when they got to the 5 Principal awards I really did not expect anything. He got started explaining the “Outstanding Citizenship Award”. He talked about a student who had put in countless hours of work for events held by the school, how they put the name Chapin High School on the National, Regional, and State levels, and then explained how that student had planned a rally of over 500 students and teachers of the midlands area. At this moment my family and I realized he was speaking about me. I started crying. He called my name and awarded me with a huge golden eagle statue that probably weights a good 25 pounds. That is one of the proudest moments of my life so far and without SCASC I would have never received that honor. When I say that this organization gives you more than the information from workshops, I truly mean that.
Did someone in SCASC help you in your leadership journey? Who? How?
There were so many people that helped me throughout my 7 years in SCASC. First was my own brother. I saw his love for this organization and knew I had to be in it. So when I got to middle school my advisor was Mrs. Bonita Guram who has assistant executive director at the time. She started the foundation for my love of this organization and pushed me to run for my first SCASC board positon with becoming SCASC 2nd Vice President. Then I went on to high school where my advisors were Ms. Billie Williams and Mr. Roger Mize. They believed in me and helped me pull of Chapin High’s first ever SCASC event with the District 3 Rally in 2015. I also have to give credit to the executive director of SCASC during 6 of my 7 years, Mrs. Lola Richbourg. There are so many other amazing adults from other schools who have put their time and energy into teaching me the ways of leadership, some of who are still advisors and working with SCASC and some who are no longer apart of SCASC. All of these mentors are still in my life and continue to stay in touch.
If you could give someone insight or advice about our organization, what would you recommend or say to get them to join the organization?
My advice for any students apart of SCASC:
Go all in. Do whatever it takes to go to all of the conventions that you can. Run for board positions. Let the organization put into you everything it has to offer. The advisors want to see you succeed and will give you everything they can do to that. With SCASC, I met so many other students from around the state, region, and nation that had the same drive and passion as I had. To this day I still talk to and hang out with so many SCASC alumni. You will make lifelong friends and connections. I always know I have a home at SCASC .
After graduating Chapin High School in the spring of 2017, I began my college journey at the University of South Carolina. I had wanted to leave South Carolina to get an experience away from a place I had spent the past 18 years but due to economic strains USC made the most sense. Little did I know how many amazing opportunities our state’s Flagship University would offer me. That summer at my freshman orientation I was able to interview and receive a job for the Conference Center at the University of South Carolina. I started in August 2017 and am currently starting my 4th year working there. I have worked every position possibly at the Conference Center. I was a student event manager during the school years, summer 2018 Office staff, summer 2019 Youth Camp Building Manager, summer 2020 Manager, and now I am currently the Daily Operations Manager of Alternative Housing. I run my own staff and work with many departments to ensure exemplary student living conditions. Additionally, I held a positon in the Freshman Residential Hall Government my first year and am currently a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honors Society. I am graduating December 2020 with my Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice.
How has SCASC impacted you to become the leader you are?
SCASC impacted who I am as a person and a leader in so many ways. The lessons you learn in workshops carry throughout your life long after your last spirit week ends. When talking about daily work skills, I do not believe that I would be able to efficiently run my own staff without SCASC teaching me how important proper planning, organizational, and communication skills are. But I feel like the most important lesson I learned from SCASC and will truly carry with me forever is the simple but perfect motto “Do it Right, Make it Big, and Give it Class”. You can apply this to everything you do in life, whether that is relationships, class work, your job, sports, etc.
What is your favorite SCASC memory and why?
There are way too many memories from SCASC that I hold dear. From holding positons on the state board as SCASC 2nd Vice President, District 3 Chair (hosted Chapin High School’s first ever SCASC event), Corresponding Secretary, all the way to going to camps, rallies, state, southern, and nationals are all fond memories. The one memory that is sticks out the most was not a SCASC event but the memory happened due to my involvement in SCASC. Chapin High has a senior awards night where they announce the scholarships and academic awards that seniors won. The most prestigious awards given that night are the last 5. Those 5 are the Principal awards. From the moment you become a Chapin High Student the Principal is watching, trying to figure out through the 4 years which students deserve the 5 awards. It is his sole decision, no teacher nominations, so it is an extreme honor to be noticed and awarded by the Principal. I went to senior awards night to receive my community scholarships but when they got to the 5 Principal awards I really did not expect anything. He got started explaining the “Outstanding Citizenship Award”. He talked about a student who had put in countless hours of work for events held by the school, how they put the name Chapin High School on the National, Regional, and State levels, and then explained how that student had planned a rally of over 500 students and teachers of the midlands area. At this moment my family and I realized he was speaking about me. I started crying. He called my name and awarded me with a huge golden eagle statue that probably weights a good 25 pounds. That is one of the proudest moments of my life so far and without SCASC I would have never received that honor. When I say that this organization gives you more than the information from workshops, I truly mean that.
Did someone in SCASC help you in your leadership journey? Who? How?
There were so many people that helped me throughout my 7 years in SCASC. First was my own brother. I saw his love for this organization and knew I had to be in it. So when I got to middle school my advisor was Mrs. Bonita Guram who has assistant executive director at the time. She started the foundation for my love of this organization and pushed me to run for my first SCASC board positon with becoming SCASC 2nd Vice President. Then I went on to high school where my advisors were Ms. Billie Williams and Mr. Roger Mize. They believed in me and helped me pull of Chapin High’s first ever SCASC event with the District 3 Rally in 2015. I also have to give credit to the executive director of SCASC during 6 of my 7 years, Mrs. Lola Richbourg. There are so many other amazing adults from other schools who have put their time and energy into teaching me the ways of leadership, some of who are still advisors and working with SCASC and some who are no longer apart of SCASC. All of these mentors are still in my life and continue to stay in touch.
If you could give someone insight or advice about our organization, what would you recommend or say to get them to join the organization?
My advice for any students apart of SCASC:
Go all in. Do whatever it takes to go to all of the conventions that you can. Run for board positions. Let the organization put into you everything it has to offer. The advisors want to see you succeed and will give you everything they can do to that. With SCASC, I met so many other students from around the state, region, and nation that had the same drive and passion as I had. To this day I still talk to and hang out with so many SCASC alumni. You will make lifelong friends and connections. I always know I have a home at SCASC .