ORAH ROSE REICH

ABOUT ME

Growing up in Spartanburg, SC, for the first fifteen year of my life, I have always called South Carolina home. I began my education at Spartanburg Day School, where I spent six years with the same thirty-six kids. Being such a small class, we grew to be more like a family than classmates. This closeness fostered both personal growth and academic grit, which ultimately led me to applying to boarding schools in the north east. I began my high school career at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. 643 Miles away from home, I quickly learned to be self-sufficient while also pushing myself to meet and exceed the expectations of the rigorous academic program. I made amazing friends from all around the world, and the opportunities provided by the school were endless, but being a southern girl through and through, I was not at all prepared for the winter ahead. It began snowing in October and I didn’t see the grass again until May. This is where I learned perseverance. I endured the winter, as best I could, and was determined to show my friends and family back home that I made the right choice. The final lesson I learned from my time at The Lawrenceville School was self-awareness. So focused on self-discipline rather than self-reflection, at that point in my life, it took me an entire summer of deliberation before coming to the conclusion that I was exactly where I needed to be, right at home, in South Carolina. This led me to finishing my high school career at Wade Hampton High School, in Greenville, SC, and ultimately what brought me here, to the University of South Carolina. Going from a private day school, to a new england boarding school, and finishing at a large public high school, I can confidently say I had a taste of it all educationally speaking. Moving forward into college, I have followed a similar pattern. When I first came to UofSC, I was certain that I was going to become the next Darla Moore. I was quickly brought back to reality when I enrolled in my first calculus class, and went back to the drawing board. After that, I dipped my toe into many different pools before finding my niche in Mass Communications. In this program I have been pushed to exercise my best skills as a student and a worker, and have developed confidence in my work and abilities. With graduation lurking only a month around the corner, I am proud to share with you all this portfolio of work compiled from my four years here at UofSC. This portfolio represents me both as a student and an individual who is eager and ready to break into the communications industry.