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Pageant CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 true. To thine own self be true,” she said. Horton said she used to be shy, but that the interviews involved in the pageant process made her more outgoing. “All my friends say I’m the goofiest person ever,” Horton said. The pre-med student also thinks the interviews are good preparation for future job inter views. Ten years down the road, Horton said, she sees herself try ing to establish a career as a pedi atrician. She said she wants “just to be happy, and successful, and confi dent and content with my life,” and, above all, to have no regrets. When not competing in pageants, Horton kept herself busy this year cheering for football, bas ketball and volleyball games as part of the 2002-03 USC all-girls cheerleading squad. Horton said she came to USC because it was close to her home town, Sumter; a lot of her friends were going here; and “both my parents came here, so my sister and I have been USC fans all our lives.” She plays softball for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes intramural team and for her church in Sumter. She said she has been playing softball since fifth or sixth grade and that her friends sometimes make fun of her for being a “beau ty queen” who plays sports. Even with all her athletic ven tures and pageant successes, Horton looks to a higher place for inspiration. “The most influential thing in my life is my relationship with God because it affects me every day in the decisions I make,” she said. “This year, I feel really blessed.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com BRIEFLY Week will display volunteer work Today kicks off National Volunteer Week, and USC’s Office of Community Service programs has scheduled a number of events. ♦ Monday: Blood drive in Capstone Conference room. ♦ Tuesday: Leadership and Service Recognition Awards Ceremony, 5:30 p.m. in the Russell House Ballroom. ♦ Tuesday: Holocaust Remembrance Day. Dona tions will be collected on Greene Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will go to the National Holocaust Museum. ♦ Wednesday: Spring Festival on the Women's Quad, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. ♦ Wednesday: Commu nity Service Celebration, noon to 2 p.m. on Davis Field. Exams CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 material to another or when one person asks questions,” she said. The university also provides special services to relieve stu dents of finals pressure. The Thomas Cooper Library extends its regular hours to 2 a.m. on exam days, and Carolina Dining Services discounts its coffee to 10 cents during finals week. The Carolina Alumni Association gives each of its cur rent members an exam survival kit, which includes blue books, pencils, headache medicine and — of course — candy. “We just try to give stuff to get them through and keep them awake — to give them a sugar rush at light,” says Jeffrey Traver, third s'ear international-business and management student and mem lership officer of the Carolina Alumni Association. Although studying remains :he biggest determinant of exam success, other measures should ie taken in addition to simply hit :ing the books. “I try not to study the night be fore just get my mind off of it and dear my thoughts,” second-year iharmacy student Katherine Maseri says. As for the day of the test, the College Board suggests checking hat you have all necessary ma :erials, including a watch for bud geting your time. The board rec )mmends scanning the whole :est and then carefully reading individual questions, responding 'irst to ones you can easily an swer. “I think a lot of times, students approach exams as tests of what they don’t know,” Hunter says. “They should instead have a pos itive frame of mind and see ex ams as an opportunity to show their professors what they do know.” Sometimes, the biggest chal lenge students face when trying to survive exams is staying mo tivated, especially with the knowledge that summer break is just around the comer. But for some, the sweet reward of the week’s conclusion is all the inspiration they need. “I just keep telling myself there’s only one week left and then it’ll all be over,” Naseri says. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com Make the most of your summer with transferable credit and lower tuition. College Students- Save money and earn your degree faster by taking summer courses at Midlands Technical College. Ask your advisor'about transferring credits to your four-year institution. Learn differently. Work differently. Midlands h A Technical College [ goodbye books] ■■ # J we'll buy back those old books at USC Russell House Bookstore 1400 Greene Street and add $$$ to your wallet Buyback dates April 28 - May 10, 2003 Times like these call for a Big Lebowski 4