Four Coastal Carolina University juniors have been selected as Swain Scholars for 2023-2025. Students selected for the competitive Swain Scholars program, which is housed in the Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance, will serve alongside community agencies and the University to research local health-related issues and develop community health plans.

Savannah Elise Piziak is the Jewel Clemmons Swain Scholar recipient. Piziak is an exercise and sport science major from Hurricane, W.Va., who aspires to become a pediatric occupational therapist. Piziak feels strongly about the importance of community integration and physical activity in the daily lives of persons with disabilities. She completed an occupational therapy clinic internship at Conway Medical Center, and has volunteered for the Grand Strand Miracle League and Special Olympics. Piziak is a member of the CCU Dance Team, a LIFE program tutor, and a Pilates instructor for CCU University Recreation. She also studied sports psychology in Seville, Spain, under the direction of the psychologist for Seville’s Olympic rowing team.

Three additional students are Kenneth E. Swain Scholars.

Evie Burroughs is a psychology major with a concentration in mental health from Spartanburg, S.C. Burroughs has a particular interest in the mental health of children in young adults, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in psychology. She is a member of Phi Sigma Beta Honor Society and recipient of the President’s Scholarship, South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, and CCU Palmetto Scholarship. During the summer, Burroughs works with children in her local YMCA summer camp program and has volunteered at The Carpenter’s Table.

Lexi Hoffman is a psychology major and women’s and gender studies minor from Ypsilanti, Mich. Hoffman volunteers with several organizations, including the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She is also a CCU Mental Health Ambassador and an advocate with the University of Michigan’s adolescent psychiatric hospital. Hoffman is the president of the CCU Surf Club, and she teaches yoga and travels in her free time. Hoffman is passionate about overall wellbeing and connection with Earth. With a specific interest in children, her plan is to keep learning and discover all the amazing aspects of the human experience to unveil that every life is worth living.

Stephanie Panos is an exercise and sports science major from Myrtle Beach, S.C. She plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy upon graduation from CCU. She recently completed an internship at Low Country Physical Therapy in Pawleys Island, S.C., shadowing physical therapists and physical therapy technicians with a focus on injury management and prevention. Her mother and father, Maria and Ted Panos, moved to Myrtle Beach in the 1980s and opened two restaurants, where she and her four siblings worked growing up. Panos has traveled to India, Spain, and Hawaii to earn three yoga certifications, specializing in Vinyasa yoga, Hatha yoga, aerial yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises.

The Swain Scholars community-based outreach scholarship program is funded through a generous donation from the late Kenneth E. Swain, a former Myrtle Beach pharmacist. Swain Scholars are selected from the University’s exercise and sport science, public health, psychology, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry programs. Swain Scholars receive scholarships up to $5,000 per year for a total of four semesters. Scholarship amounts are based on academic and financial criteria.