Alicia Caracciolo is graduating in Dec. 2025 with a major in public relations and minors in sports management and business administration. She has fully capitalized on the extensive opportunities available to CIC students. She completed a senior thesis through the Honors College, interned on Capitol Hill, served for a year as a photo editor for The Daily Gamecock, and was elected international president of the Public Relations Student Society of America. These achievements have also made her an exemplary CIC Ambassador. She is currently interviewing for positions and aims to secure a public relations role with a sports-focused organization.
When you look back at the start of your time in the CIC, is there an experience that
you didn’t expect that has been particularly meaningful?
Caracciolo: I'll definitely say one of the most influential experiences was my time in USC PRSSA
(Public Relations Student Society of America).
I had no idea what that organization was coming into college but a senior stopped me on Welcome Wednesday and introduced me to the society.
It was Gracie Bryant and she basically said, “You're going to join this.”
And I had no idea what that would turn into for me.
Going from a freshman in that organization of mostly upper classmen, to being trusted by Professor Davis and my peers to step into leadership and not only run our chapter meetings, but also lead a district conference as a 19-year-old absolutely shaped these four years for me. That experience allowed me to work with other students and broadened my perspective of what this industry can be.
That experience led to your elections as the PRSSA president at the international
level. What have you learned from that experience?
Caracciolo: So, my whole experience in PRSSA is one of continuous growth and continuous learning.
Every day in this role I am pushed to do something hard, to try something new or to be more creative in my approaches to solving problems.
It's meant the world, honestly, that I get to serve about 7,000 people on a daily basis. I care so deeply for the chapters that I serve and for the local leaders that trust me with the responsibility of leading.
My team of 10 is scattered across the U.S. and Argentina, and we are in the trenches together from afar.
Every day, whether it's via email or via slack, we are working together to try and better an organization that impacts people on more than 300 college campuses. Learning what other students are going through on their campus and just diving in to really cheer for people is incredibly rewarding.
I want success for every single one of my members. They all pour their time and their dedication into my team as well and into our organization. The ultimate goal of mine and our organization is for all members to succeed. Read more about her experience as PRSSA international president »
Who is the faculty member that has had the biggest impact on you?
Caracciolo:
There have been so many members of the faculty that shaped me at different periods of college.
Professor Davis is the first teacher that really took a chance on me in giving me leadership in PRSSA. From there, I had a class with Amy Coward, and she has since then given me opportunities with her business and helped me learn in a more professional manner outside of the classroom.
Dr. Hull, while he was sick, has gotten on the phone with me and helped me figure out what internship I should take, in addition to serving as my thesis faculty advisor.
It's impossible for me to say, oh, this one person had the most impact on me because every teacher I've had in this college has molded me.
As a senior, what’s one class you’re really enjoying?
Caracciolo: This semester I took a sports social media class with Dr. Hull where we worked with
a partner from week one and drafted a fantasy football team.
From there, we ran a social media account for the entire semester as if our fantasy football team was an actual NFL team.
We were creating weekly graphics, changing our lineup, live Tweeting games, finding photos and more.
It was such an immersive hands-on project that I truly enjoyed completing.
I was not expecting it to take up nearly as much time as it did or be as enjoyable as it was, but I had a blast.
Now that you're finishing up, what is something you would recommend to a freshman
just coming into the CIC?
Caracciolo: Something that I would tell every person that goes to CIC is to sit on the first
or the second floor of the J-school at least once a week and try and do homework.
But don't actually do homework, just say hi to every single person that that walks past you. I have built great relationships with Director Waymer, with Dean Reichert, with Dr. James, because I sat there every day for two years and made sure that they knew who I was.
And I said hello every single time they walked past.
And then all of a sudden, they were invested in everything I was doing.
I had even more teachers than I'd ever had for class asking me what was going on and checking in with me.
I wasn't just teachers. It became students as well.
Just sit there, attempt to do homework, and accept that you won't get anything done, but you'll get so much out of the experience of talking to people.