University of South Carolina MPH graduate Jessica Seel, ’16 has built a career around strengthening the people and organizations working to improve health across the state.

As executive director of the South Carolina Public Health Association, Seel oversees staff and relationship management, program and partnership development, and advocacy efforts that give public health professionals across the state a stronger voice.

Her work focuses on growing the future public health workforce, supporting those already in the field and advocating for policies that improve health and well-being across South Carolina. She also owns a public health consulting firm focused on behavioral health programming in rural communities.

Her path to that work was not always comfortable.

Seel entered the Arnold School of Public Health as a non-traditional student after years in the workforce. As the oldest student in her cohort, she initially questioned where she fit. “You don't have to feel ready to belong at the Arnold School,” Seel says. “I walked in unsure of my place and walked out having found a family.”

From learning public health to leading it

Seel says the Master of Public Health program gave her practical tools to identify community needs through data, develop meaningful programs and evaluate whether those programs were making an impact.

Just as important was the environment surrounding that education. “From day one, I felt supported by faculty, staff, and classmates.”

A graduate assistantship strengthened her understanding of public health program management, while connections across the Arnold School introduced her to professionals already doing the work throughout South Carolina.

For Seel, that practical emphasis is what separates graduate education from simply learning the fundamentals. “An undergraduate degree gives you the foundation,” she says. “A graduate degree turns that foundation into practice.”

That preparation has carried into her work leading a professional association, supporting public health organizations and helping communities put programs into action.

 

Finding a place and a purpose

Looking back, Seel says stepping away in the middle of a career to return to school required thought and planning. She would still make the same choice.

“My training at the Arnold School gave me the foundation to design data-driven strategies, build multi-sector coalitions, and advocate for systems-level change. Every day, I apply that degree to create healthier, more resilient communities across the state.”