June 9, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Alyssa Blickensderfer Paley (Master of Health Administration ’22), Graham Caulk (B.S. in Public Health ’22; Master of Public Health in HSPM ’23), Aaron Guest (Master of Public Health in HPEB ’15), and Ross Lordo (B.S. in Public Health ’18) have all been selected as part of the 2026 Gameock35 cohort. Now in its second year, Gamecock35 is a carefully selected group of outstanding alumni under the age of 35 who embody the spirit of Carolina and are making an impact in their fields and communities as well as on their fellow Gamecocks.
This year’s 26 honorees were recognized during a weekend of events organized by USC’s Young Alumni Council and presented by South Carolina Student Loan. Activities included a welcome reception at Founders Park, facility tours, and a recognition dinner at the Pastides Alumni Center.
“Our alumni are as humble as they are deserving of this recognition, and we are grateful
that the Gamecock35 Awards Committee recognized not two, but four outstanding Arnold
School alumni,” says Alumni Relations & Events Manager Abigail Collins. “These individuals are true pillars of their communities, and we are proud to celebrate
their accomplishments as members of the Arnold School Alumni Network.”
A 2022 graduate of the Department of Health Services Policy and Management’s (HSPM) Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, Alyssa Blickensderfer Paley gained health care operations experience as a graduate assistant with McLeod Physician Associates during her master’s program and then through multiple roles with MUSC Health. She currently serves as the program manager for USC Brain Health, where she leads major initiatives, such as the $33 million development of the USC Brain Health Center, and oversees an annual $5 million operational budget along with other special projects and funding.
“Through coursework, group projects and exposure to health care leaders in Columbia,
I was able to build a strong support system and develop meaningful professional relationships,”
Paley says. “The achievement I am most proud of in my career is helping plan for and
build the USC Brain Health Center. Being part of a large-scale university initiative
that will leave a lasting footprint in Columbia has been incredibly rewarding, both
emotionally and professionally.”
Graham Caulk is a two-time Arnold School alumna who is currently a medical student at MUSC. As an Honors College undergrad studying public health, she helped lead USC Dance Marathon and put her Spanish minor to good use by serving as a research intern with PASOs. She continued this work as a graduate assistant during her Master of Public Health (MPH) in HSPM program – this time with a lens on health systems and policy. Committed to advancing health equity and language access, Caulk developed a medical Spanish curriculum and a global health exchange program with the Universidad de Cuenca in Ecuador.
“My time at the University of South Carolina was foundational in shaping both my personal
identity and professional path,” she says. “The mentorship I received from faculty
and community leaders during both degrees empowered me to take on larger roles in
advocacy, research, and service – ultimately shaping the physician and public health
leader I am becoming today.”
An Assistant Professor of Aging at Arizona State University, Aaron Guest’s path began with a degree in anthropology. He remained at USC to enroll in the Master of Social Work/MPH in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior combination degree program. During his time at the Arnold School, he played an instrumental role at the Office for the Study of Aging as a graduate assistant. After graduating in 2015, he continued his education with a Ph.D. in Gerontology at the University of Kentucky. His work focuses on social and environmental factors to advance healthy aging.
“As a first-generation student from rural South Carolina, attending USC opened a world
far larger than the one I had known,” Guest says. “It profoundly shaped me as a colleague,
mentor, and advocate. It taught me how to build relationships rooted in respect and
reciprocity and inspired in me a commitment to create opportunities for others.”
A graduate of the USC School of Medicine Columbia, Ross Lordo is an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Prisma Health–Upstate. His health career began, however, as an undergraduate at the Arnold School. There, the Honors College student excelled in his public health major while also serving as a Student Body President who championed campus-wide wellness initiatives. Today he’s applying that foundational health perspective and early leadership lessons to his role as Administrative Chief Resident and will join a Greenville practice this summer.
“My years at the University of South Carolina shaped me in ways that continue to guide
both who I am as a person and the physician I am becoming,” Lordo says. “USC was where
I first learned how leadership, service, and community engagement can be powerful
tools for improving the lives of others.”
