Governor's School Intern Contributes to the Center and the Bluffton Branding Project

“During the internship I shadowed my mentors during research meetings with students, researchers, and entrepreneurs. This summer gave me a unique chance to observe the career of scientific researchers and see how the scientific method is being applied to grow South Carolina’s economy. This summer’s research experience could never have been recreated in a typical school setting.”-Joe Marazzo

During his summer internship at USC’s SmartState Center of Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development, Joe Marazzo, rising senior from the SC Governor's School,  had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most renowned tourism experts in the world. Under the direction of Dr. Simon Hudson, Dr. David Cárdenas, Dr. Fang Meng, Joe assisted with the implementation of a research project aimed at the rebranding of Bluffton, SC. The aim of the project was to reach out to local community members, leaders and business owners to develop a brand for Bluffton, South Carolina that would attract businesses, tourists and new residents to the city without dismantling the core values of the community. During this six-week internship, Joe had the opportunity to learn about qualitative and quantitative research methodologies that have contributed to this branding research. He gained valuable experience in project implementation, community-based research methodologies, interviewing techniques, charrette methodology and data analysis.