Eliza Already Has Relevant Experience
Eliza is not starting from zero. Her undergraduate experience already connects event operations, community engagement, research, virtual reality, and public-facing work.
Clemson's Virtual Reality and Nature Lab lists Eliza among its Proteges in Research and Innovation (PRI) interns and describes her as a Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management student interested in building community connections and using virtual reality to help prepare communities for wildfires.
Eliza helping demonstrate immersive VR experiences during community outreach.
Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research
The Clemson Virtual Reality and Nature Lab highlighted its Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research team in Fall 2026 and identified Eliza as the team's student leader for the semester.
The team has also taken immersive VR experiences into the community, including programming with adults age 55 and older.
Campus Recreation
Eliza is currently an Event Operations Intern with Clemson Campus Recreation. This gives her practical experience with event planning, operations, problem-solving, scheduling, and working directly with people.
Additional Experience
- Events Intern at the Anderson County Arts Center.
- Freelance event staff for FIFA World Cup 2026 premium hospitality operations.
- Long-term childcare and babysitting experience.
- Camp counselor experience with Prisma Health's Camp Courage.
- Special Olympics Unified Partner experience.
- CITI Social and Behavioral Research training.
- CPR/AED/First Aid certification.
Recognition & Scholarships
Cancer for College Scholar
In 2018, Eliza was selected as a Carolina Scholarship recipient by Cancer for College, a nonprofit organization that supports high-achieving cancer survivors pursuing higher education.
Her selection is documented in both Cancer for College's scholarship history and the organization's 2018 Annual Report.
This recognition is included here as part of Eliza's educational story. The site intentionally keeps the focus on the scholarship and her academic journey rather than on private medical details.
Cancer for College
Why This Matters for Graduate School
The assistantship requires much more than classroom ability. It involves communicating with research participants and community partners, helping coordinate projects, collecting information, working with technology, and representing a research team.
Eliza's undergraduate record already shows experience in several of those areas. That does not guarantee selection, but it helps explain why faculty who already know her work may see her as a credible graduate candidate.
View the VRN Researchers Page View Eliza's LinkedIn