Lifestyle Profiles
Lanard Stafford
Gamecock juggles engineering, football
Despite his hectic schedule as an electrical engineering major and a football player for the
South Carolina Gamecocks, Lanard Stafford can’t help but notice the changes Innovista
is bringing to the University.
“Innovista will encourage more engineering students go to grad school here,” says Stafford, a fullback who played in all 13 games last season. “People come here because of the quality education, and everyone here is friendly and inviting. The school’s location is great because it’s in downtown Columbia. That offers a lot of entertainment options. Innovista will bring even more entertainment and make the city even more appealing.”
Football: ‘In the zone’
On fall Saturdays—not to mention the occasional Thursday nights on ESPN—the
Gamecocks’ Williams-Brice Stadium is the main entertainment venue in town. “It is
unbelievable to run out of the tunnel and have 84,000 fans screaming and cheering,” Stafford says.
“In the beginning of the game, you feed off of the emotions of the crowd, but after a while
you get in the zone, and it’s like it’s just you and the other team on the field playing.”
Stafford will graduate in December and plans to get some real-world experience before returning to South Carolina to earn his master’s degree. Through time management and determination, he has kept up with his dual responsibilities. “It’s quite a juggle, but it can be done,” he says. “I get the best of both worlds.”
Internship opportunities
Stafford somehow managed to find time to work as an intern, the kind of opportunity that will
open up to more undergraduates with Innovista. “I’ve done internships with Santee
Cooper power company, and I like the jobs they have to offer.”
Stafford chose electrical engineering because it incorporates his interest in both math and electronics and offers the potential for a high-wage job. He’s interested in how power is supplied to new residential and commercial developments.
Going green
He’s also intrigued with University research efforts to provide cleaner, greener forms
of alternative energy, including the recent announcement of Santee Cooper’s and the Electric
Cooperatives of South Carolina’s joint $5 million pledge to fund research on environmentally
friendly processes to convert coal into electricity. “I think you have to take environmental
issues into consideration,” Stafford says.
Lanard Stafford, an electrical engineering major, also plays football for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Photo: University Marketing and CommunicationsRelated Links
College of Engineering and Computing
Seven programs/degrees, including biomedical, nuclear, and chemical engineering
South Carolina football
Coach Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks compete in the Southeastern Conference
