Columbia, SC - SC Whitmore School is proud to announce the first Alumni Spotlight of 2018, Clemson junior Matthew Swain.
Matthew Swain is currently a junior at Clemson University dual majoring in Business Management and Business Marketing and is a 2015 graduate of SC Whitmore School. A native of Bluffton, South Carolina, Matthew attended SCWS for one year after previously attending Palmetto State E-cademy. He pursued virtual school after his family moved to South Carolina in the middle of a school year during his sophomore year of high school.
"Virtual school changed my life," said Swain. "The flexibility SCWS offered allowed me to volunteer at a museum in Bluffton where I was able to work entire days three to four days a week. My volunteer work led to me receiving the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry's Krum Scholarship which allowed me to attend Clemson. SCWS also provided me the opportunity to complete 30 credit hours in a dual enrollment program at my local technical college which made me a sophomore in college by the time I stepped foot onto Clemson's campus. My experience at SCWS made me more prepared than many of my classmates, who had very little personal responsibility in high school. Having to plan out my own schedule and hold myself accountable prepared me for college like nothing else could."
Jean Redfearn, Swain's math teacher at SCWS, called Matthew an inspiration:
"Matthew was an inspiration to me through his thorough submissions and his thought-provoking questions. To see a mind like that at work "blew me away." This is not to mention his genuine love of learning in a polite and respectful way. I expect him to be hugely successful in whatever his endeavor."
Matthew plans to graduate from Clemson in 2019 with a degree in Business Management and Business Marketing with a minor in Non-Profit Leadership and hopes to work in the non-profit sector. Matthew is also involved in Clemson Wesley, a campus ministry.
Matthew's history of working independently at SCWS has also helped him in his current job at the Clemson Community Foundation. He says it was not only a big selling point during his interview at Clemson, but it prepared him for day-to-day work as well.
Founded in 2011, SCWS is a tuition-free virtual public charter school offering a personalized mastery-based academic environment to students who don’t fit the traditional brick and mortar environment. For more information visit: scwhitmoreschool.org.
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