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EDUARDO CASTILLO

Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela
Major: Computer science and mathematics major
Influential experiences: Wofford-sponsored national conferences and Brown University’s 2019 Hackathon; invaluable relationships with supportive friends and Wofford faculty and staff mentors
Next steps: On July 8 Castillo begins work as an associate software engineer at Slack Technologies in San Francisco, Calif. "My dreams of working in a Silicon Valley unicorn would be unattainable had Wofford not given me the invaluable opportunity to become a Bonner Scholar, with it enabling me to pursue a higher education degree in the U.S.," says Castillo.

ABBY TRUITT

Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
Major: Biology major with a minor in art history
Influential experiences: Enrollment in the Clinical Internships Interim; challenging courses in biology and excellent preparation for the MCAT; summer research; study abroad in Rome
Next steps: Truitt has begun medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "I had great mentors, such as Dr. Lori Cruze, who encouraged me and gave me great advice throughout my college career," she says.

THOMAS TATHAM

Hometown: Canton, N.C.
Major: Biology major
Influential experiences: Participation on the Wofford baseball team; study abroad experience in Italy
Next steps: Tatham was accepted into the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn. "I was fortunate to get to play baseball for Wofford; however, I came here for the education," he says. "In each of the five interviews for optometry school, they all mentioned how much weight playing a sport in college carries in the admission process and how good it looks for your resume."

MAHNOOR HAQ

Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.
Major: History major with double minors in religion and Arabic and a concentration in Middle Eastern and North African studies
Influential experiences: Study abroad in Rabat, Morocco; the Presidential Seminar; Interfaith leadership and event organization opportunities; Wofford’s broad-based liberal arts curriculum
Next steps: "I have attended many conferences on interfaith and peace studies," says Haq. "I hope to pursue these topics further in graduate school after taking a gap year to travel and work."

SARA SIMS WILBANKS

Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
Major: Art history major
Influential experiences: Study abroad in Italy; internships in art history; support from the Department of Art and Art History; senior capstone research
Next steps: After a summer internship in Washington, D.C., at the National Portrait Gallery, Wilbanks will begin a Master of Arts in Fine and Decorative Art and Design at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City. "It has been incredible to watch the arts blossom on campus with amazing new resources such as the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, which brings state-of-the-art facilities, unparalleled art exhibitions, student artwork and guest lecturers," she says. "What an honor it was to have had such exceptional opportunities right at my fingertips."

DREW COPELAND

Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.
Major: History major
Influential experiences: The development of a three-part series on breaking down racism and stereotypes that divide people with the support of his Kappa Sigma brothers, his Bonner Scholar cohort, friends, faculty and staff
Next steps: "I came to Wofford wanting to be a high school history teacher, and I focused my efforts on pursing that goal," says Copeland, who committed his Bonner experience to work in the field through Arcadia Elementary, the Adult Learning Center, Meeting Street Academy and YMCA Camp Thunderbird. "At all of these amazing places, I was able to pick up on skills to allow me to not only be a better teacher, but also a better person."

ANDREAS SURI

Hometown: Kennesaw, Ga.
Major: Accounting and Spanish major
Influential experiences: Writing and directing films for the Wofford Student Film Festival; entrepreneurial training through The Space in the Mungo Center; participation on the Wofford men’s soccer team
Next steps: "Wofford has pushed me outside my comfort zone on a daily basis," says Suri, who has begun a job as an office engineer in the preconstruction department for Holder Construction in Atlanta.

ALEX KING

Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
Major: Psychology major with a minor in sociology and anthropology
Influential experiences: Three travel Interims; participation on the Wofford women’s soccer team
Next steps: King will work as a hotel attendant at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Germany. "Three travel Interims taught me so much," says King. "Camping in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia helped me learn about wildlife and sustainability efforts in Africa. A trip to Nepal and Tibet and a hike to Mt. Everest base camp gave me a lesson in culture and religion, and my senior Interim in Costa Rica to study sustainability made me want to continue to travel, learn and see more of the world."

TREY WILLIAMS

Hometown: Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Major: Economics and international affairs major
Influential experiences: Networking opportunities with Wofford alumni; consulting experience through The Space in the Mungo Center; leadership as treasurer of Campus Union; Interim travel and study in Greece
Next steps: Williams joins the Wake Forest University School of Business as an M.S. candidate in management. "This program will allow me to gain valuable business acumen along with the ability to apply my course work from here at Wofford to the working world," he says. "After I complete my master’s, I plan to pursue a career in real estate finance, management consulting or health care policy."

HELEN SEDDELMEYER

Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Major: German and sociology and anthropology major
Influential experiences: Relationships with faculty mentors; community-based learning in the Northside area; involvement with The Space in the Mungo Center
Next steps: After several months of training, Seddelmeyer will begin Peace Corps service as a secondary English teacher in Zambia. "My time at Wofford was instrumental in guiding me toward a career working with and learning from diverse communities," she says. "Even the small things at Wofford, like playing late-night soccer with a co-ed team and baking cinnamon rolls while watching documentaries, have helped form me into the person I am today, someone who is eager to go out into the world and give what I have to others, in the best way I can."

MATT VARGA

Hometown: Ipswich, Mass.
Major: Accounting major
Influential experiences: Support from professors in the Department of Accounting; involvement in Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity; internships with Denham Capital Management in Boston
Next steps: After a summer internship at Deloitte in Boston, Varga will begin study toward a Master of Accounting degree at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. "Wofford taught me to be a self-advocate in obtaining my goals while also using the resources it offers," Varga says.

KATHRYN WHILDEN

Hometown: Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Major: Spanish and theatre major
Influential experiences: Participation in Wofford Theatre; learning what it means to be a global citizen
Next steps: "My time at Wofford has helped me figure out how to best use my skills and my passions to connect with others through art and language," says Whilden. She will spend the summer as an organizer for a theatre and event production company in her hometown before beginning a stage and production management apprenticeship at Triad Stage in Greensboro, N.C., working with Katie O’Kelly ’12, production manager.

MATTHEW MCQUILLA

Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
Major: Government major with a concentration in Middle Eastern and North African studies
Influential experiences: Wofford’s broad-based liberal arts curriculum; participation on the football team; leadership experience with the Honor Council and Campus Union
Next steps: McQuilla is beginning a master’s program in international affairs at Pennsylvania State University, where he will be a Bunton Waller Fellow. "When I came to Wofford, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know what I was really good at," says McQuilla. "While at Wofford, I figured it out."

CLAIRE SCAVONE

Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Major: International affairs and Spanish major
Influential experiences: Exposure to social justice, community engagement and different cultures; an internship with Project Transformation in Dallas, Texas; study abroad in Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Peru
Next steps: Scavone is enrolled at Emory University School of Law. "Wofford has shaped my decision to go to law school because my professors have worked hard to teach me about the world around me," says Scavone. "I am pursuing a law degree in hopes of a future career spent building relationships with people and helping individuals, potentially through immigration law or public policy."

CHANDLER GRAHAM

Hometown: Poquoson, Va.
Major: Biology and German major
Influential experiences: Study abroad in Vienna and Rome; leadership involvement in Delta Delta Delta sorority; participation in the Intergenerational Fellows Program
Next steps: "I would never have imagined myself living, let alone working, in another country before being so greatly influenced by my professors at Wofford," says Graham, who will be teaching English in Mistelbach, Austria, as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant.