USCB Senior Kari Hill Earns Multiple Prestigious Graduate School Offers
For University of South Carolina Beaufort senior Kari Hill, the journey to a future in public health began long before she stepped onto campus. A lifelong lover of life sciences and a dedicated student, Hill has been accepted into multiple top-tier Master of Public Health (MPH) programs—including Cornell University, Emory University, George Washington University, the University of South Carolina, and her final choice: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, currently ranked #2 in the nation for public health.
“I’ve always wanted to have ‘doctor’ in front of my name,” says Hill. “I’m not stopping now.”
At 39, Hill is a mother of two, a full-time student, a student researcher, and an example of what perseverance and purpose can accomplish. Originally from Iowa and raised in northwest Arkansas, Hill has called South Carolina home for the past decade. She moved to Beaufort to be closer to family, and there started college, the first step in her lifelong dream.
Her academic journey began at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL), where
she earned both an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science degree while working
full time—including during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she also homeschooled
her children Gabriel, (now 13) and Sheridan (now 10).
At TCL, she began working as a lab assistant and quickly discovered her passion for
microbiology.
“I’ve always loved science,” Hill says. “At one point, I wanted to be a zookeeper. But I’ve always loved diseases—I knew I wanted to work in that world.”
Hill transferred to USCB in January 2023 as a junior in the Public Health program and will graduate in May 2025. In just over two years, she’s built an extraordinary resume that includes a perfect 4.0 GPA, multiple scholarships, leadership roles, and extensive undergraduate research experience.
Among the scholarships she’s earned are a full tuition Public Health Scholarship, the Public Health Book Scholarship, the Magellan Scholar and Magellan Traveller awards (mentored by Dr. Haddis), the Sand Shark Traveller award, the Summer Research Grant, the Colden R. Beatty Student Fellowship Grant, and the Morgan C. Hays Memorial Scholarship.
“Good grades were always a priority,” Hill says. “I knew they would set me apart and open doors.”
Her academic excellence is matched by her commitment to campus involvement. She serves as the president of the Public Health Student Organization and previously held the position of social media chair. She is also a member of Gamma Beta Phi, a national honor society.
“I made it a goal to be as active on campus as I could,” Hill shares. “I took full advantage of USCB’s opportunities to do hands-on work and real research.”
Hill’s research contributions are wide-ranging and impactful. Her work with Dr. Haddis on dollar store food accessibility earned her first and second place awards at USCB’s Student Research and Scholarship Day and also at USC Columbia, where she placed second again. She served as a key data collector for the Dollar Store study, which spans 11 states and nearly 300 stores. She used this research to become a co-author of two academic papers as an undergraduate.
Hill's summer study abroad at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland and her presentation at the American Public Health Association’s national conference in Minnesota in October 2024, titled “Rapid Rural Food Crisis: A Study of Minority Residents of the Lowcountry in South Carolina,” further distinguish her as a rising scholar in the field. She also completed a service learning trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she worked on construction projects and studied the health challenges of members of the Lakota Nation.
Behind her success, Hill credits the support of mentors like USCB's Dr. Diana Gil, chair of the Public Health Deaprtment, who she says has been instrumental in helping her attend conferences and secure funding.
“She’s been hands-down fabulous,” Hill says. “She helped me get to conferences and pushed me to go after these big opportunities.”
For Hill, choosing Chapel Hill for graduate school was both a professional and personal decision. As she weighed her many graduate school offers — several of them funded — the prestige of the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina and her family’s love for the mountains helped tip the scales toward UNC.
Hill plans to earn her MPH with a concentration in applied epidemiology, with the long-term goal of working in infectious disease epidemiology.
Her advice to fellow students? “Be active on campus. Get to know your professors. Find a mentor and tell them your plans. Ask for feedback on your CV. Get involved in research projects—even as an undergrad. That’s what sets you apart.”
And her secret to balancing school, research, and family life?
“Time management and knowing when to stop. I make sure to get my work done in the evenings so I can have the weekends for family and downtime.”
From the biology lab to the national stage, Kari Hill is proving that it’s never too late to pursue your passion—and that with focus, determination, and a little bit of science, you can go just about anywhere.