Background

Ruth’s role as the CarolinaLIFE Lead Coach is to assist in constructing a model of instruction and support facilitating college agency amongst the students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also provides support and instruction to CarolinaLIFE students in the areas of personal and professional development. Besides her work in the classroom setting, Ruth also represents CarolinaLIFE to various stakeholders in the community and the USC campus.

Ruth recently just moved back to Columbia from her hometown of Woodstock, Vermont, where she was a client specialist at her local Talbots store. Ruth is a 2020 graduate of USC and the CarolinaLIFE program. While attending CarolinaLIFE, Ruth advocated for herself and fellow CarolinaLIFE students in many different ways. Ruth was the first CL student to be initiated into a sorority (Gamma Phi Beta) and was also the first CL student to be on a student body president cabinet, serving as a senator where she advocated for inclusivity in student organizations, including Greek Life. During her free time, Ruth enjoys going to Soda City Market, Gamecock sporting events, loves reading Jane Austen books, is a Disney fan, and enjoys going to the movies. She’s also a pretty big Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fan, too.