USC helps recipients build community
Published Date: September 2, 2026
Going off to college can feel intimidating, but the University of South Carolina is helping students find community from Day 1 through its Living Learning Communities.
This unique residential program brings groups of students with certain commonalities together, such as international students, first-year students or even sustainability-minded students. This year, USC created a Living Learning Community for incoming Meeting Street School Scholarship recipients.
“The Living Learning Community gives students a network of peers and campus partners who are invested in their success,” said Rhonda Laylo, director of student services and special assistant to the vice president. “They live alongside other leading scholars, so they’re able to get to know each other deeply. They’re able to participate in programs focused on leadership, career preparation and personal growth, and they have access to a lot of resources that will help them navigate their first year.”
With USC being a large school, these communities allow members to build pockets of belonging, Laylo said. The Meeting Street Scholarship Living Learning Community includes 52 Scholarship recipients, a meaningful portion of the 199 new Scholarship recipients on campus.
John Huber-MacNealy, managing director of the Meeting Street Scholarship, said the Scholarship looks to its university partners to build support for recipients.
“We know statistically that students from under-resourced backgrounds tend to have a much harder time adjusting to a four-year college environment in general, and I think especially at a large state school like USC, they not only struggle with the social and emotional adjustment, but to the academic adjustment,” he said. “It’s important to us that our students are successful every year on campus, but especially their first year, because students who are able to retain their Meeting Street Scholarship in year two are much more likely to continue maintaining their Scholarship eligibility for future years, graduate on time and graduate with little to no debt.”
One of the inaugural members of the Meeting Street Scholarship Living Learning Community at USC is Aniyah Graves, a freshman from Spartanburg who is studying psychology. She said the community has helped her step outside of her comfort zone.
“I’ve made more friends and more connections than I thought I would, which I am super grateful for,” she said. “This experience has taught me that college isn’t just about academic success, but connections you make along the way.”
Antwan Drawhorn, a freshman from Dillon who is studying elementary education, is another member of the Meeting Street Scholarship Living Learning Community. He said one of his favorite parts is knowing he’s not navigating the transition to college alone.
“Everyone is experiencing college in their own way, but having a community of people around me has made USC already feel more like home,” he said.
It’s only been a few weeks into their first semester, but students said they are excited to see how being a part of the community will shape their future at USC. Upcoming events include monthly socials, academic programming, career preparation and a leadership retreat.
“Scholarships help students get to college, and the Living Learning Community really helps them thrive once they get here,” Laylo said.
