Book smart and beautiful: Bratcher appears in October issue of Glamour
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Bratcher, who is the daughter of local residents Peggy and Thomas O. Bratcher and attends the University of South Carolina in Columbia, was one of the winners in Glamour’s 46th annual competition, which searches college campuses for what the magazine refers to as “the 10 female forces most likely to make a difference.”
The 21-year-old Warren County native said the honor has swept her into a whirlwind of activity, including photo shoots in New York City and interviews with national media. She got involved in the competition almost as a lark.
“I saw a flyer about the competition at my school in our scholarships and fellowships office,” Bratcher said, “and it just sounded like a lot of fun, something different. I had seen the articles in past years, so I just applied almost on a whim.”
The whim turned into a place among some of what Glamour considers the most elite female college students in the nation.
“A few months later a lady from the magazine called and did a phone interview, I guess that was in March or so,” Bratcher said. “I didn’t hear from them again until July, and they just called to say that I had won. I was so thrilled.”
The magazine was interested finding young women who exhibit more than just physical beauty, though that is certainly part of the overall package. They looked for scholars who presented a well-rounded mix of academics and community interests, as well as appearance.
Bratcher was valedictorian of her class at WCHS and went on to win the prestigious Truman Scholarship, which entailed a rigorous process of applications and interview sessions.
Bratcher, who will be a senior this year, plans to go into medicine and is currently involved in applying to various medical schools, but is still not sure what aspect of the medical profession she will choose.
“I’m interested in public health and world health,” she said. “But I haven’t decided on a specialty yet.”
Bratcher’s other interests reinforce her cachet as a sort of renaissance woman.
“I’ve always liked art,” she said. “In fact I’m doing my thesis in school on painting, which is sort of a switch from my regular school work, but I really enjoyed it. I’m not any sort of artistic genius, but I just enjoy it so much. I really like color and I like to play around with it.”
Not surprisingly, she also voices a love of reading, and has a somewhat eclectic taste in literature.
“I really like Thoreau,” she said. “Ayn Rand, she’s really great, and C.S. Lewis, I love C.S. Lewis.”
She is also very concerned with community activities and issues as a member Chi Omega sorority which is involved in the Carolina/Clemson Blood Drive, and she was a volunteer on a “floating clinic” in Brazil for the international development organization Rivers of the World.
Though a bit overwhelming, Bratcher said the overall experience of winning the Glamour accolade has been very rewarding.
“It’s just so exciting, it’s incredible,” she said. “And it’s such an honor. To be able to represent Tennessee and small towns and the interest that I have in medicine in a national publication is just thrilling.”