About Me
Welcome to my GLD portfolio. This site highlights the academic work, internships, leadership experiences, and service-oriented growth that have shaped my time at the University of South Carolina and my pathway in Professional and Civic Engagement.
My name is Ricky Garretson, and I am from Flourtown, Pennsylvania, a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia. At the University of South Carolina, I am studying to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems, with a minor in Business Information Management. I plan to graduate in May 2026, and I am pursuing Leadership Distinction in the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway. This pathway aligns with and emphasizes many of the experiences I have had and the skills I have learned throughout my four years at the University of South Carolina.
Since I was young, I have always wanted to make things work together, whether it was the toy I played with, the people in my life, or the approach I was taking to solve a video game puzzle. This passion helped shape the person I became, and later in my life, morphed into a devotion to helping my peers however they need it. To assist as best as I could, I needed to learn a lot from the world around me; observing, noting, and thinking of how I could play a key role. I brought this mindset with me to college, and it empowered me to learn and experience more. Whether I am developing a roguelike game in Unity or starting the change I want to see within my fraternity, I am driven by a desire to build tools and environments that help people succeed and make the most of their experiences.
That same mindset has shaped the way I approach my academic work. The technical skills I've developed in my CIS coursework have become part of how I express my leadership and professional identity. For example, as part of this project, I am building my ePortfolio using HTML and CSS, applying what I learned in class and on my own to design a site that is both functional and user-centered. Creating this ePortfolio has allowed me to merge my technical abilities with the reflective, service-oriented goals of my chosen pathway, turning my learning into something tangible, intentional, and accessible to others.
As I transition into my professional life, I want to bring that same blend of service, curiosity, and systems-thinking into my career; whether that's as an IT professional, a software developer, or a CAD technician. My leadership pathway in Professional and Civic Engagement has prepared me to view these technical roles through a lens of community impact and professional responsibility. Whether I am troubleshooting IT infrastructure, writing clean and intuitive code, or designing precise drawings and models, I will apply the collaborative problem-solving skills and ethical standards I developed at USC. My goal is simple: to contribute work that makes a positive impact on the people who rely on it.
Moments from My USC Experience
