Many of our student groups are actively looking for alumni to speak about their fields, specialties and experiences. This helps students learn more about their career options and provides the opportunity for our graduates to mentor future colleagues. 

In these specialty-specific conversations done once a month, 4-8 students have an opportunity to sit down in-person or virtually with an alumnus/alumna to get the ins and outs of the career. No question is off the table; hosts must agree to be honest in this intimate, judge-free, safe environment. 

Many of our students are looking to have an ongoing conversation with alumni in certain fields, specialties and geographical locations. Before we can connect the student to potential alumni contacts, we must receive permission to release contact information to the student. Help us bypass this step by updating contact preferences and allow students access to an email address ONLY for a quicker and seamless connection.

Please complete this form if you're open to our team sharing your contact information to students: Update Your Information

NOTE: We will never give out other contact information, like mailing addresses and phone numbers, without your consent.

Our Help Our Students Travel (HOST) program gives alumni the opportunity to host a student in their town or city while he or she is traveling to interviews, working on a rotation or conducting research away from Columbia.

We're always looking for alumni who can:

• give a tour of the area in which you live or practice
• speak about your own experiences
• provide an insider’s view of your profession, specialty or field
• share a cup of coffee
• provide transportation to/from airport or interview/work site
• treat a student to dinner
• host visiting students at your home 

We give our alumni the opportunity to sponsor a white coat for a first-year medical student or a second-year physician assistant student. Along with alleviating the financial burden by purchasing this meaningful item, alumni are able to include notes of encouragement and/or advice for their student(s).

MD White Coat Ceremony -  takes place in September/October; appeal is sent out via email in August.

We give our alumni the opportunity to sponsor a second-year physician assistant student. Along with alleviating the financial burden by purchasing this meaningful item, alumni are able to include notes of encouragement and/or advice for their student(s).

PA White Coat Ceremony - takes place in March/April; appeal is sent out via email in March.

2026 marks the launch of our very first Nurse Anesthesia Scrub Cap Campaign, a tradition designed to honor our shared legacy and strengthen the bond between alumni and students. These caps are more than fabric—they are a visible badge of pride, a symbol of belonging, and a reminder that every student is supported by the alumni who came before them. 

Sponsors may also include a short note of encouragement, bridging generations of Gamecock CRNAs with words of advice or reassurance.

Your gift equips students with confidence, strengthens mentorship across generations, and reminds them they are believed in and supported.

The Nurse Anesthesia Scrub Cap Campaign is live now, We invite you to be the first alumni to sponsor an embroidered SOMC NA scrub cap for a student in the classes of 2027 or 2028.