by Mary Soutter Pack
Jasmine’s school bus rattled down a cracked two-lane road, passing fields that once grew tomatoes but now sprouted billboards. Her backpack sagged with old hand-me-down textbooks. In her classroom, the ceiling tiles still have stains from last fall’s hurricane. She sat next to a broken smartboard that had not worked since her brother was in third grade. Across the state, in another district, one funded by high property taxes, students coded robots and toured college campuses. Jasmine had never even seen a microscope.
This is South Carolina, a state divided not by geography, but by economics. In wealthier districts, students at schools like Greenville Senior High School access AP courses and dual enrollment through Greenville Technical College. The district offers extensive student services, including forty-eight mental health counselors funded in part by a recent budget surge.
Meanwhile, in rural counties, schools like Allendale-Fairfax High School face vastly different conditions. According to ArcGIS StoryMaps, Allendale County School District 1 has one of the state’s highest student poverty rates at 94.31 percent, compared to Greenville’s district-wide rate of 47.5 percent. This contributes to Allendale-Fairfax’s ongoing struggles with high rates of teacher turnover and limited extracurriculars. These examples underscore the inequities faced by students across the state. We cannot expect progress when half our children are left behind. To improve South Carolina, we must begin with education. A statewide equity-based funding model would ensure that every child, regardless of zip code, receives the resources they need. Access must be expanded, and mentorship pipelines should connect schools. Every child deserves a fair shot, not just those born into wealthier neighborhoods.
Just outside town, the land Jasmine’s grandfather once farmed had just been sold to developers. The peach trees are gone, replaced by rows of beige houses with names like “Magnolia Estates.” The soil, once rich with stories, is now beneath concrete. Her grandmother said the land used to breathe. Now it choked.
South Carolina’s natural beauty, from its farmlands to forests, is being consumed by new developments. Between 2001 and 2016, the state lost more than 280,000 acres (about the area of San Antonio, Texas) of agricultural land to development, according to the American Farmland Trust. In places like Lexington and Fort Mill, farmland is vanishing beneath subdivisions and strip malls. The upstate’s peach orchards and the lowcountry’s marshes are shrinking, threatening biodiversity and local agriculture. This development increases flooding, displaces wildlife, and decays tourist appeal. But it does not have to be this way. Smart growth policies can limit urban sprawl and prioritize green infrastructure. Conservation and tax breaks can help farmers preserve their land. South Carolina’s essence lives in its soil, and it must be protected before it is paved over.
On Main Street, the last local diner closed its doors. A national chain restaurant opened nearby, with cheaper meals and faster service. But they did not know the customers’ names. They did not have Little League photos on the wall. The staff did not ask, “How’s your mama doing?” when you ordered.
Small businesses across South Carolina are being edged out by corporate giants. In Spartanburg, Ricky’s Drive-In West and Holden’s Ranch have recently closed after decades in business, with rising costs cited as a factor. In Charleston, rising rents make it hard for boutiques and artisan shops to compete. Small businesses make up 99.4 percent of all South Carolina businesses, reports the U.S. Small Business Administration, but they face unnecessary challenges, including access to capital and competition from large chains. To reverse this trend, we must invest in our local entrepreneurs. Grants and tax incentives can help small businesses thrive, especially in underserved areas. “Buy Local S.C.” campaigns can encourage community support. Incubators and mentorship programs can empower young entrepreneurs to build businesses rooted in their communities.
South Carolina’s strength lies not in the size of its developments or the reach of its corporations, but in the resilience of its people, the richness of its land, and the hope for the future.
When the bus finally lurched to a stop, Jasmine stepped off and headed toward her after‑school shift, walking through downtown past the shuttered windows that lined the street. She wondered what South Carolina could be if it made different choices: if it gave every child a fair education, if it protected its farmland, if it gave local businesses the tools to thrive. She imagined a future with science labs, food-growing fields, and a corner store run by someone who knew her name. And for the first time, she wondered if the future she pictured wasn’t just a dream but a reality, a promise waiting to be claimed.
About Mary Soutter Pack, third place winner
Mary Soutter Pack is a junior at Spartanburg High School, where Taleisha Moore is her English teacher. The daughter of Alexa and Michael Pack, Mary Soutter serves as Student Life Editor and Business Manager for the school newspaper. She is a 2025 recipient of the Best of SNO (Student Newspapers Online) journalism award. She currently serves as vice president of Interact Club and is an active member of Anchor Club, National Beta Club, and the National Honor Society. Mary Soutter has been recognized as a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership South Carolina Ambassador and a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards delegate. She enjoys shopping, writing, community involvement, and journalism.