Preston Thorne
University of South Carolina Outreach Coordinator / Student Success Coach
Columbia, S.C.
Preston Thorne is a former University of South Carolina football standout. Thorne is the Coordinator of the Apple Core Initiative at University of South Carolina’s College of Education. Thorne’s main goal is to increase the diversity among South Carolina’s teachers while also tackling the growing teacher shortage. The Apple Initiative was launched in 2018. This scholarship program recruits high school students from historically underrepresented populations into teacher education programs at USC. Thorne is an author of two children’s books and a former High School teacher.