Spring Freedom

Beautiful, sloping lawns speckled with extravagant topiaries and flowing fountains. Towering greenhouses packed with brightly colored flowers kept safe from the cool March breeze. No offense to the awesome green spaces spread throughout Greenville, but the Biltmore (and Asheville in general) is a beautiful place to spend a weekend. Particularly busy weeks in school often prompt the joking refrain (half sarcastic lament, half unfortunate truth), “what is outside?” from myself and fellow classmates after hours of being cooped up in study rooms preparing for exams or lab practicals. Luckily, that was nowhere to be heard recently. Our spring break provided the rare privilege to wander, explore, picnic or nap outside with no regard for schoolwork. The Class of 2017 scattered themselves across the country from San Francisco to New York to Greenville and everywhere in between to visit friends, see family, and just relax in a bit of spring freedom. Enjoy these pictures from Asheville, but more importantly, go enjoy the outdoors and the beginning of spring!

Ben DeMarco

I’m a first year student who grew up in the small Pee Dee town of Marion, South Carolina, before heading up to Durham, North Carolina, for an undergraduate education (and a few basketball games) at Duke University. After a year working in community health at Duke, I was primed to begin the study of medicine. USC School of Medicine Greenville’s attention to communities and commitment to teamwork brought me back to South Carolina (the amazing facilities didn’t hurt either). I’m interested in primary care and thinking about how physicians’ moral frameworks affect their practice of medicine. Most of all, I’m excited to be part of this new school and look forward to reflecting together with my classmates as we make our way through these formative years.