Tiger Tales

It was surreal. He just couldn’t believe it was over. 

“All the hard work we had put in really paid off,” said Malik Balogun, reflecting on the moment he had been announced as the new student body president. “Thankful is the one word to describe how I felt.” 
 
Balogun knew he needed to run for president when he realized that although he felt right at home at Clemson, many of his friends did not. The Clemson experience needed to be revived. 

“Every student that comes through this University should feel like this is their home and not just their school,” Balogun said. 

Together with running mate Julia Blouin, the political duo and their team created a campaign platform with a goal to increase student engagement on campus. While there were stressful times, the candidates kept positive spirits. This supportive relationship strengthened their perseverance and helped lead them to a win. 
 
Balogun’s ties to Clemson run deep. Growing up, he remembers visiting the University with his mother who is a very involved alumna. His mother’s pride and loyalty to the University through her scholarship endowment and seat on the Alumni Board encouraged Balogun to give Clemson a chance. After seeing all of the students’ smiling faces and falling in love with the industrial engineering program during his campus tour, Balogun decided Clemson would be his home for the next five years.
 
The industrial engineering major is involved with the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, IPTAY Student Advisory Board, Student Alumni Council and works in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office. 

The student body president encourages incoming students to step out of their comfort zones. “Don’t take the natural path. Veer off and see what other options are out there on Clemson’s campus.” Some of Balogun’s favorite experiences at Clemson arose from having an open mindset and trying new things.  

“I really have a passion for meeting new people and establishing and valuing relationships…it's never been a task for me,” Balogun said.

To keep with the newly elected duo throughout their term, follow on Instagram.

After graduating from Clemson University in 1982, Jeff Bennett spent 35 years working in video production, starting in Nashville, TN. His passion and creativity shone through the music videos of iconic country artists, such as Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. In 2000, Bennett returned to Clemson and took a job at the University Communications Center. While there, Bennett began making cakes for coworkers’ birthdays. When one staff member requested pound cake, he brought out his grandma’s famous recipe and hasn’t looked back since.
Bennett began experimenting with flavors after his coworkers loved the cake, starting with pumpkin and banana pudding. He continued to bake for his friends and family out of his own kitchen. Around 2012, his sister recommended his baking skills to a recruiting agency in Greenville that needed Christmas gifts for clients. After tasting the pound cake, the agency placed an order for 75 cakes that Bennett would need to make over the course of three weeks. Bennett’s love for baking grew with his business.
On his way to the Orange Bowl in 2016, Bennett watched the film “Chef” which tells the story of a man who is moving back to Florida after being fired from his job and invests in a food truck. This inspired Bennett to purchase a mobile bakery, which he then took to events like Clemson’s First Friday Parade and Fall for Greenville. During the 2018 Fall for Greenville event, Bennett ran out of cakes on the first night. The next day, his truck had a 45 minute long line. He exited the truck to ask why people were waiting and they said, “Because they are so good!”
Since starting the business in his own kitchen, Bennett found a space and opened The Pound Cake Man Bakery in May 2020. Thankfully, the business has not been adversely impacted by the pandemic because it is a grab and go style restaurant, as well as delivering to on and off-campus residents. When asked why he thinks the business is so successful, Bennett says that it is a “niche business” that brings comfort to the Clemson community.
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Sluggish mid-winter blues have nothing on the human highlighter, Alex Ittenbach. 

With his signature neon yellow sportswear, Ittenbach, 22, lights up campus on overcast days. And while his neon yellow backpack, baseball cap, kicks, and hair epitomize fashion, Ittenbach says he’s not attempting to start a trend.

“I’m just trying to be who I am,” Ittenbach said. “[My fashion] brings out the positivity in me. It’s unique, creative and I love it.” 

Also called 4H (the human highlighter from Hilton Head), Ittenbach said his brand identity began in 2015 when Nike came out with a neon line. Though he is now an avid pickleball player, the then-tennis player was inspired.

When Alex isn’t playing pickleball — a paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis and tennis — he’s working on his degree in Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management, with a main focus on sports and hospitality. 

“I can see myself being in a stadium, any stadium, and taking care of [sports goers’] needs and managing the whole area of the stadium since I have a passion for sports,” the athlete said. 

For more human highlighter content, follow Ittenbach’s Instagram at . Bonus: if you’re up for a game of pickleball, slide into his DMs. People-person Ittenbach adds, “If anyone wants a challenge, I’ll beat them.”

Since graduating from Clemson University in May 2021, Carlyle Griffin has taken her talents to new levels. As a former intern at the Pearce Center for Professional Communication, Griffin began her professional career at Clemson while working closely with clients to create deliverables such as social media content, videos and website designs. This hands-on experience taught her how to truly listen and communicate with others, preparing her for the future.

While at the Pearce Center, Griffin was able to take the lead on various client projects, including Call My Name and First Baptist Clemson. Griffin became the team lead for Call My Name during her second semester with the Pearce Center. She says that this project consisted mostly of event coordination, graphic design and social media work. Not only did she enjoy working with Dr. Rhondda Thomas and Call My Name because of the creative aspects of this project, but Griffin was also fascinated by the historical content of the project. Learning about the history of Clemson was a special part of her experience at the Pearce Center.

Griffin also worked closely with First Baptist Clemson, an inclusive community of faith located close to campus. Her main tasks for this client included spearheading their website redesign and filming, editing and producing videos for sermons. Griffin describes her experience at the Pearce Center as “invaluable” because she was able to work in a client-facing role and develop a solid base of knowledge on which to grow. The Pearce Center allowed her to work in many facets of public relations, communication and marketing.

As a Clemson grad, Griffin currently works full-time for a financial company on their direct mail marketing team. Her role as a marketing coordinator allows her to use both the analytic and creative parts of her mind. She is also pursuing music full-time in Nashville, TN. Her latest release, “Symptomatic Daydream”, showcases her incredible writing and vocal abilities.

Performing is on Griffin’s long list of passions. She began performing in church when she was five years old. At age 10, she received her first guitar. After a few years, she began to learn to play music and write her own songs. Her love for music continued to grow and she realized that this was something that she could pursue. Griffin said that, “It is rare to find something that you love and want to pursue at a young age.” She continued to perform during her time at Clemson, singing hits from artists like Amy Winehouse and Fleetwood Mac. Now located in Nashville, Griffin began singing in a new setting.

When asked about her new single and budding music career, Griffin emphasized the importance of networking. She credits a Nashville specialty, Writers’ Rounds, which are events hosted at different venues where artists and songwriters are invited to perform their music in the local area. Griffin loves hearing what other artists are doing, meeting new faces, and learning about others’ creative processes. Griffin met the producer of “Symptomatic Daydream” at one of the Writers’ Rounds in 2021. After he heard a sample of her song, he was inclined to produce the record and work with Griffin to release it.

“It's the best feeling to put all that work into something and know that people want to hear it,” says Griffin. The collaborative environment fostered by Nashville and its people allowed her to take this next step within the music industry. Griffin is currently deciding what comes next for her music career, but she hints that there are two projects on the horizon. Her talent and drive ensure success for Griffin and make listeners excited for her future releases.

“Symptomatic Daydream” can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and iHeart Radio now. It is also available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Music.

You may know her as UberQueen, the smiling face you see when ridesharing around downtown Clemson. More than a smiling face, local rideshare icon Tesshea Adams’ business savvy is unparalleled. She can be found not only driving students in downtown Clemson but also engaging with folks on social media.

“It is exceptionally fulfilling,” Adams says as she describes her experience as Clemson’s most beloved Uber driver. One of Adams’ favorite parts of the job is meeting the faces of the Clemson community, especially the students.

While going through a divorce, Adams was looking for something to do and stumbled upon Uber. Being a social media manager at the time, Adams applied her knowledge of social media marketing to her new venture. “I made my social media accounts before I ever even took a drive,” Adams said.

Since her children call her “Queen,” and Uber means “super,” Adams combined the words together, applying her knowledge of social media marketing to her new venture to create the memorable name UberQueen.

Currently a Tri-County student, the mom of three is pursuing a career in radio. From attending classes to taking care of her kids to launching her clothing company to Ubering, Adams balances all that life throws at her with the thought that “there is nothing a woman can’t do.”
As an open communicator with strangers, friends and clients alike, she also believes in speaking openly with her own children. Wanting to raise her kids to be self-sustaining, even the youngest, at age 9, already knows how to cook whole meals for the family.

When talking to her children about their futures, Adams encourages her children to go wherever their hearts desire, rather than following the idea of a legacy by attending Clemson University. “I’ve always told them, ‘even though you see Mommy in Clemson all the time, you have all my riders here all the time, we go to restaurants here and everyone knows me in Clemson, I do not want you to go to Clemson because of that.’” She wants them to go where they will get the best education for them rather than going to somewhere familiar to them.

If you get the chance to Uber with the Queen, make sure to sign her guest book. She never rips out a page, no matter the obscenity, imagery or choice words included in an individual’s message. Each and every one of these messages is posted to her Instagram account for her and her followers’ entertainment.

“Everything that I do, I just want to continue to uber it, to make it better and be the best at it that I can be.”