About Carrington Golson

Carrington Golson

Ms. Golson has participated in the Columbia VA Health Care System for three years and has volunteered a total of 423 hours, including 181 hours for 2022. Carrington was selected as one of only 11 students to participate in the ground-breaking high school Research Program for the VA. The program was designed to encourage students to see the value and importance in considering a career in the medical sciences and to give them direct experience, knowledge and mentoring as they choose individual career paths. As a Research student, Carrington participated in special lectures, site visits, and observations in addition to serving as a volunteer in the Phlebotomy section at Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Dorn Medical Center.

Ms. Golson served on the 2022 Summer Student Leadership Council as well as serving as a member of the 2022 Summer Student Journal staff and was recognized as an “Unsung Hero” for her extra work and dedicated efforts in producing the end-of-program “Reflections” video.

In Her Own Words:

“Hi, my name is Carrington Golson, I am a Junior at Spring Hill High School, in Chapin S.C. At my school I have been involved in numerous clubs. I am a part of Student Council, Beta Club, American Sign Language Club, Students in Action, Chick-fil-A Leadership, National Honors Society, National Thespian Society, Secretary of Safe Space Club, Deca, and the Secretary of Book Club.

A part of my club activity, I collected food for We Care Chapin, an organization that works with those facing emergencies in their basic needs. Last year in Deca, an organization that connects businesses and promotes competition, during the state level competition I placed in the top ten in my category for Restaurant and Food Service Management and placed third in the regional competition taking me all the way to Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. All of this comes with dedication, hard work, and time management skills. I have a 4.472 GPA. I rank 74 out of 258 students.

In the last three years, I have been volunteering at the Columbia VA’s Summer Student Volunteer program. During that time, I have accumulated 415 hours of volunteer work. Being able to volunteer at the VA Hospital over the summer has always been a rewarding opportunity for me. I have been able to take the skills learned from the VA Summer Student Volunteer program, and develop not only life skills, but also the rewarding feeling of helping others. I also participated in the VA’s first High School Research Program, supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development. The goal was to help advance science and medicine, improving mental health among our nation’s Heroes.

During my time in the Summer Student Volunteer program, I filmed a video with the help of staff and other student volunteers to complete interviews and highlight different aspects of the Student Volunteer Program and the history of the VA. At the Student Volunteer Ceremony, I was presented the “Unsung Hero Award” in recognition of my selfless actions during the Columbia VA Health Care Summer Student Volunteer Graduation Program. This recognition was for leading the journalism team and working diligently to produce the program's reflections video.

One of my favorite classes at Spring Hill High School is BioMed. BioMed is a 2-hour-long class that studies biological, medical, and physical science. I have a strong interest in medicine and getting my Doctorate. My ambition is to become a neuroscientist. Studying mental health in both teens and adults because of my own personal connection to it.

My grandmother on my father’s side suffered from dementia when I was a little girl. I watched her and my family struggle to grasp the realities of the disease. Thanks to the multiple opportunities given by the VA hospital, participation in club activities through school and my family, I have already started to make a difference in this world!”