# @usc_upstate on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C_B0jy6qw7b
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76788703-usc-upstate-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/65ae6d90de.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-08-23T22:01:53.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** USC Upstate (@usc_upstate) — https://gondola.cc/usc_upstate

## Caption

✨ Upstate Magazine Highlight: Sharda Jackson-Smith, Associate Dean of the College of Education, Human Performance, and Health and a shining example of resilience. ✨

👩‍🎓 As a first-generation college student, Sharda successfully navigated the challenges of graduate school. From joining a cheerleading team to finding her place in a historically Black sorority, her journey was full of valuable challenges that she overcame with determination. 

🍎 Her story is a testament to the power of persistence and community. Despite any hurdles she faced—navigating office hours for the first time, balancing full-time teaching, family, and doctoral studies—Sharda was driven by her commitment to education and her students.

🎉 Today she empowers future educators by connecting with them on a personal level, understanding their struggles, and providing the guidance she once sought.

💚 To read more about Sharda's journey, follow the link in our bio and click on Upstate Magazine Online.

#HigherEd #Inspiration #Education #USCUpstate #StudentSuccess #Mentorship #UpstateBound #Highlights #SpartanburgSC #HigherEducation #FirstGeneration #Inspiration

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- **Likes:** 74
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## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

inspiration, firstgeneration, upstatebound, education, uscupstate, spartanburgsc, highered, mentorship, highereducation, studentsuccess, highlights

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