USC Trojan Family Magazine Autumn 2020

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Newport Beach’s sunset takes on a little added glow thanks to USC students. Trojans brightened the calm waters during a nighttime guided stand-up paddleboard tour organized by USC Recreational Sports in 2019, before face coverings and social distancing became the norm. Today, Rec Sports offers Zumba and other classes on Zoom.

PHOTO BY TIM RUE

EDITOR’S NOTE

The magazine of the

University of Southern California ————————————— E DI TO R-I N- CHI EF

Alicia Di Rado

CRE AT I VE DI RE CTO R

Jane Frey

M ANAGI NG E DI TO R

Elisa Huang

ASSO CI AT E E DI TO R

Eric Lindberg

PRO DUCT I O N M ANAG E R

Mary Modina

I NT E RACT I VE CO NT E NT MANAG E R

K Selnick

VI SUALS E DI TO R

Susanica Tam

“This issue of the Alumni Review is Number Four of Volume Fifty. That represents a good many years of publishing. Even readers who haven’t followed the magazine quite that long know that change has been frequent throughout the Alumni Review’s history.”

So began an article in the summer 1969 issue of USC’s alumni magazine—its final edition. Alumni Review soon transformed into Trojan Family, the predecessor of the magazine now before you.

The move came during an age of great societal upheaval and promise. In July 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts accomplished the unthinkable: They reached the moon on a vehicle equipped with only a simple computer. The smartphone in your pocket has about a million times more writeable memory than that revolutionary spacecraft.

In the same era, Americans rallied to protect our planet and rescue our waterways, earth and skies from pollution. The modern-day environmental movement was born and laid the groundwork for today’s fight against climate change.

Now here we are again, some 50 years later, in another transformative time for digital technology and the environment. It’s against this backdrop that USC Trojan Family Magazine will evolve to become just one part of USC Trojan Family.

USC Trojan Family is an online home where you’ll find stories, news, pictures, memories and updates about the people, places and ideas you care about. As this digital initiative grows, though, it marks a change for our magazine. Instead of publishing quarterly, we’ll devote our efforts to twice-yearly issues—in fall and spring—in line with several other USC publications. The resulting cut in paper use will save trees and align with USC’s commitment to sustainability, and we’ll be able to communicate in more ways with our alumni family, Trojan parents and USC supporters.

Maybe it’s because I’m a child of 1969 (Gen X, who’s with me?) that I embrace new challenges. I’m excited about how we’ll talk and share your stories in the days to come.

Please visit trojanfamily.usc.edu on the web, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at trojanfamily.usc.edu/subscribe, tweet us at @TrojanFamilyMag and share your thoughts.

Finally, as always, Fight On(line)!

A D R Editor-in-Chief USC Trojan Family Magazine

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Gus Ruelas

I NT E RACT I VE M ARKE T I NG MANAG E R

Rod Yabut ————————————— DE SI GN AND PRO DU CT IO N

Pentagram ————————————— CO NT RI BUTO RS

Eric Ambler

Steve Cimino

Elizabeth Held Leigh Hopper

Melissa Hughes Russ Ono

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autumn 2020

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN REA; MAGAZINES PHOTO BY ALICIA DI RADO

From Mailbox to Inbox

STAF F PHOTO GRAP H E R

INSIDE

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Seen and Heard Stories of Trojan life from mail, email, social media and the news.

Dance alumni get their start in Broadway's West Side Story.

Five Things You Need to Know With the presidential election looming, university experts share a few nuggets of insight.

T R O J A N

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News An attitude of gratitude has its benefits; USC’s footprint in L.A.’s Arts District grows; and the Trojan Family welcomes back an NFL star.

Dream Builder

By Elisa Huang The work of visionary architect Paul Revere Williams finds a home with his alma mater.

We Are SC Students show their spirit online during a fall semester unlike any other.

FA M I LY

ASTRONAUT PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIANA BLACHOWICZ; BROADWAY PHOTO BY VICTORIA WILL

F E AT U R E S

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The Doctor is (Logged) In

From video office visits to mobile apps, technology can bring patients and their physicians closer and boost health. By Eric Lindberg

43 Alumni News

An alumna travels to Mars on Earth; a popcorn entrepreneur savors sweet success; and love blooms in the Trojan Marching Band.

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Researchers share the early moments of discovery that launched their lifelong quests for answers. By Eric Lindberg

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60 Back in Time

For 100 years, USC’s alumni publications have kept Trojans connected to campus life, big ideas and each other.

trojanfamily.usc.edu

The Wonder Years

Making Their Move

Amid Broadway’s bright lights, two dancers are ready to shine. By Robert Johnson

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Homeward Bound

A Trojan embarks on a college career seven years in the making. By Rachel B. Levin usc trojan family

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Musings about Trojan life and USC Trojan Family Magazine from mail, email and the online world.

SEEN AND HEARD

Uncovering COVID

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Follow Us @uscedu

Tweet Us @TrojanFamilyMag

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Write Us 3434 S. Grand Ave. CAL 140 L.A., CA 90089-2818

Bright Idea To jazz up her online classes, economist Emily Nix looked into using a lightboard— imagine a glass chalkboard that lets you scribble in different colors—but was put off by the $8,000 price tag of some highend models. Instead of giving up, the USC Marshall School of Business assistant professor got creative.

She assembled a homemade prototype with materials that cost less than $60 and

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IN THIS TOGETHER When USC football alum Zach Banner ’15 posted a video in response to an anti-Semitic Instagram post by another NFL player, he became one of the first in the league to speak out on the issue.

In the heartfelt Twitter video that has more than 793,000 views, Banner explains how his time at USC and in Zeta Beta Tau, a historically Jewish fraternity, taught him about Jewish history. “We can’t move forward while allowing ourselves to leave another minority race in the dark,” Banner says, emphasizing the importance of education.

Many shared that they were moved to tears by his words, and Banner received an outpouring of messages from people thanking him for publicly taking a stand against antiSemitism. His B3 Foundation, which supports youth in Tacoma, Washington; Los Angeles; and Guam, has received more than $50,000 in donations since the video was posted.

Says Banner: “It’s just really, really powerful to know that in response to sticking my neck out, they put their arm around me and said, ‘We appreciate it. We got your back as well.’”

the nation. Its findings have been featured in major media, including the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, The Today Show, BuzzFeed and ABC News. Among other insights, the ongoing study shows that Asians are the most likely to report experiencing COVID-19related discrimination, followed by Blacks and Latinos. Researchers also have found that women—particularly those without a college degree—shoulder more responsibility for child care and account for more job losses during the pandemic than men. In Los Angeles County, Blacks, Latinos and women reported the highest rate of job losses. To read updated study findings, go to covid19pulse.usc.edu.

posted her handiwork in a Twitter video that has more than 63,000 views. Nix also learned how to make animated videos and scoured the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching for the best online teaching strategies.

“I have to confess, I was kind of dreading it back in early June when we realized that, for public health and the safety of the students and ourselves, we’d probably have to be online,” she says. “Now I think the tech is really cool, I have this fun intro video and I have this lightboard that will replicate a lot of engaging aspects of my course.” autumn 2020

BANNER PHOTO BY JOHN MCGILLEN; NIX PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY NIX

COVID-19 hits some Americans much harder than others, USC experts say.

That’s a key message from the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research’s survey on how the pandemic is affecting

FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

It’s All Politics Many Americans stay behind closed doors as the nation reels from a pandemic. Politicians vie for power in a major national election, but they struggle to campaign amid bans on public gatherings. The year: 1918.

Yes, the U.S. went through issues similar to today’s troubles during the Spanish flu pandemic, but those were different times. The presidential election now looms against the backdrop of technological threats and unemployment. Yet the pillars of democracy still stand. Here are a few tidbits on the upcoming election, courtesy of USC experts.

MAIL IT IN— OR NOT

TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD

With COVID-19 shutting down many polling places, election officials have had to find new sites. But where? A tool from the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy suggests locations to generate a good turnout. The tool covers 10 states with 43% of the U.S. population.

About 70% of California voters prefer a mail ballot, regardless of party, says Mindy Romero of the USC Price School of Public Policy. Many voters still want to vote in person, though—especially those who speak limited English or have disabilities—so safe and accessible voting sites will be critical.

BOTS ARE BACK

Bots may increasingly influence elections, says USC Information Sciences Institute’s Emilio Ferrara.

AI-powered social media accounts have evolved to act more like humans, spreading fake news while evading detection. trojanfamily.usc.edu

SEEING ISN’T BELIEVING

Spin doctors can mask what’s happening behind the scenes of a campaign. Get a reality check from insiders through the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future’s “Election R&D” podcast. Subscribe at uscne.ws/ElectionPodcast.

MEH

Don’t expect millennials to flood ballot boxes, says the Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Richard Flory. They care about social issues, but they also shy away from established institutions that embody division —like government.

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TROJAN

SAFE PASSAGE Guest services ambassador Sonny Rosales greets University Park Campus visitors with a smile behind the mask.

Anyone going on campus this fall must take hygiene training and pass daily wellness checks online.

trojanfamily.usc.edu

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trojan news

New Horizons The USC Board of Trustees welcomes dedicated alumnus Corii Berg.

Corii Berg ’89 signed his USC acceptance letter knowing that he would study journalism. What he didn’t realize was that he would also expand his horizons in ways he never imagined.

“When I came to USC, my world was very small,” says Berg, who grew up in Kona, Hawaii, and San Diego. “I took my first international trip as part of a study-abroad program. USC literally opened my eyes to the world.”

The journalism and political science major has come a long way since becoming the first in his family to attend college.

The executive vice president and general counsel of Lionsgate Entertainment now

His parents sacrificed to give him better opportunities.

Now architect Edward Abrahamian honors their hard work by paying it forward.

Zahouri and Charles Abrahamian fled the Armenian genocide with their families in search of a better life in the United States.

Through grit and hard work, they ensured their two sons, Edward and Frank, had the opportunities they didn’t. The boys grew up to earn USC degrees and lead successful careers.

Edward Abrahamian ’63 and his wife, Sandra, have honored that family legacy with a $4 million gift to USC to support scholarships and student services. The pledge will be split between the USC School of Architecture, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the USC School of Pharmacy, where his late brother completed his doctorate in 1959.

“The older I get, the more I appreciate my family—my mother and father, my brother,” Abrahamian says. “They are so deserving of

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being memorialized like this.”

The schools will use the funds to create endowed scholarships that increase access to higher education for talented students.

The architecture school will also renovate a student lounge, and the pharmacy school will maintain and upgrade classroom technology like audiovisual and interactive 3D modeling equipment.

Now retired, Abrahamian credits his training at USC for a prosperous career— from working part time as a student at a local design firm to launching his architecture and interior design company in Pasadena, California.

“The curriculum trains you to be productive early in your career,” he says.

“USC gave me the education, tools and confidence to achieve my potential as an architect.”

expands opportunities for the next generation of Trojans. As the newest member of the USC Board of Trustees, Berg hopes to strengthen diversity, health and well-being across the USC community.

He already has held numerous leadership roles at the university, serving on the alumni advisory board and board of councilors for the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Most recently he was president of the USC Alumni Association’s governing board.

His personal ties to the university also run deep. Berg met his wife, Cari Berg ’89, as an undergraduate, and their son Eben completed his bachelor’s degree at USC in May. ERIC LINDBERG autumn 2020

FAMILY PHOTO COURTESY OF EDWARD ABRAHAMIAN; BERG PHOTO COURTESY OF CORII BERG

Family Firsts

▲ Edward Abrahamian, second from left, pays tribute to his family's legacy.

trojan news

Access Granted

For information on eligibility and how to apply, visit scholars.usc.edu.

USC’s Bovard Scholars program helps high achievers reach even higher.

Paola Ruiz figured she’d go to community college or a state university after high school, probably somewhere close to her home in Whittier, California. No one in her family had gone to college, so universities felt unknown and out of reach.

Then she joined USC’s Bovard Scholars program. The college-prep initiative offers academic coaching, financial aid guidance and other resources to high-achieving high school seniors with financial need. With the confidence and knowledge she gained through the yearlong experience, Ruiz applied and was accepted to six high-ranking universities. She just started her second year at Stanford University.

“At Bovard Scholars, I was part of a community with others from similar backgrounds,” she says. “That made the whole idea of college a lot less scary.”

Many students are accomplished but shy away from top universities because of unfamiliarity with the admissions process and concerns about cost. Bovard Scholars empowers those students to dream big.

The program begins with a three-week intensive residency the summer before senior year, followed by a year of one-on-one help navigating college applications, admission essays, financial aid and more. It’s free of cost for participants. Nearly 400 students have completed the program, and 82% of them are first-generation college students.

Networking and career development ensure that low-income students not only get into

top-tier universities but also thrive in college and beyond, says Anthony Bailey, founding dean of USC Bovard College, which oversees Bovard Scholars. “Whether they choose USC or another top school, they are well-prepared to embrace the opportunities that will come to them for years to come.” R O N M AC KO V I C H

2019-20 BOVARD SCHOLARS

119

77%

96%

26%

4.3

students completed the program

attend top-tier universities received scholarships covering tuition

attend USC

was their weighted high school GPA

ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIANA HAN; GRADUATION PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN GOMEZ

Tongue in Cheek As a dentistry undergraduate, Viviana Han came upon an unexpected study aid: drawing.

Han, who grew up and studied in Argentina and is now a doctoral student at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, began to doodle as a way to remember lectures.

“I used to have a long bus ride home, so during that time, my mind would wander,” she says. “I’d imagine my main character, Molar Moe, meeting new friends like a toothbrush or a tongue. I would create different scenarios to remember the lectures.”

The cartoons, like the one at left, eventually morphed into “The Drooling Tooth” (@thedroolingtooth), her Instagram account with nearly 36,000 followers.

“Dental school is not easy. If you don’t have a support system, it is almost impossible to get through,” she says. “So when people tag a friend, I get excited to see that I made someone think of their own support system.” JOHN HOBB S trojanfamily.usc.edu

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Dream Builder

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The legacy of trailblazing architecture alumnus Paul Revere Williams finds a permanent home in Los Angeles.

A pioneering and prolific 20th-century architect, Paul Revere Williams ’19 had an uncanny eye for sophisticated style lines and proportions. Succeeding in a world that rarely welcomed people of color, Williams navigated prevailing racial discrimination by learning to draw upside down so he could show sketches to clients from across a table. Never sure when someone might refuse a Black man’s handshake, he toured building sites with his hands clasped behind his back.

The native Angeleno rose to become one of the most significant architects of his time. His impact on Southern California—he designed 2,000 residences in Los Angeles alone—is part of a vibrant cultural legacy.

And now that legacy has a new home in his hometown. The USC School of Architecture and the Getty Research Institute jointly acquired his archive, which includes 45,000 blueprints, photos and other material. The Paul Williams Archive Initiative will be a central feature of the forthcoming USC Center for Architecture + City Design, which will link archival work on urban design with contemporary study of conservation urbanism, social practice and more. ELISA HUANG

NOTABLE MOMENTS 1 PAUL REVERE WILLIAMS

Over nearly six decades, the USC School of Architecture alumnus’s 3,000 projects ranged from LAX and the Los Angeles County Courthouse to luxury homes for Hollywood stars.

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2 THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL

Along with designing the swanky hotel’s Crescent Wing and renovating its lobby and Polo Lounge, Williams put his signature on the building—literally—when he created its distinctive slanting logo.

3 LUCILLE BALL-DESI ARNAZ RESIDENCE

The original design for the 4,400square-foot weekend home in Palm Springs featured outdoor patios that seamlessly extended interior rooms. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls provided desert and mountain views from rooms throughout the home.

4 EL MIRADOR HOTEL

The Palm Springs hotel was given a lavish redesign in 1952 with Williams adding a posh pool and sun deck complete with a retractable canopy.

5 SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

Williams' groundbreaking approach gave the Beverly Hills location the feel of a stylish mansion with soft floodlights on clothing, setting an intimate mood for shoppers.

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

As part of a team of noted architects, Williams helped create a new vision for a modern "jet age" airport with spacious airline terminals and parking lots built nearby for car-loving Angelenos.

SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Romanesque Revival building was Los Angeles’ largest and most expensive African American church when Williams completed it in 1926.

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SAKS PHOTO BY MAYNARD L. PARKER, COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY JULIUS SHULMAN, J. PAUL GETTY TRUST, GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, LOS ANGELES (2004.R.10)

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STUDENT PROFILE EDGAR FIDEL LOPEZ

Staying on Track The first time Edgar Fidel Lopez ran the Los Angeles Marathon, he injured himself near the halfway mark. Medics advised him to withdraw, but he was determined to power through it.

He limped for 12 miles until he collapsed from exhaustion 2 miles from the finish. His sister and cousin jumped in and lifted him to his feet, pushing him toward the finish line.

With the help of his loved ones, Lopez completed the marathon that day, and he has gone on to complete two more. The experience made him think about times when we’re in our darkest moments and believe no one will help, he says.

“That’s when we get the most unexpected support.”

That same lesson comes to mind when Lopez reflects on his journey to becoming a doctoral student at the USC Rossier School of Education.

Marathons and higher education both required him to develop perseverance and a willingness to accept help.

When Lopez was a high school senior in Inglewood, California, he was approached by Randall Clemens PhD ’12, a mentor in the Pullias Center for Higher Education’s Increasing Access via Mentoring college-transition program.

For Lopez, it felt as though someone finally understood his circumstances and background.

His undocumented parents had dropped out of middle school, so to them, “high school was my higher education,” Lopez says. But Clemens guided him through the college application process, and Lopez was accepted to UCLA. While he was an undergrad, his mother lost her job, so he worked more to help his family. His grades suffered. Seeking advice from his science professor, the professor instead asked him why “this school accepts people like you if they know you’re not going to succeed,” Lopez recalls.

Lopez avoided office hours for months, but eventually he made his way to another professor who offered the inspiring words he needed to hear. The experience redirected Lopez’s path from law to education. “I want to be someone I wish I had known when I was younger,” he says.

He graduated from UCLA with two bachelor’s degrees and a minor in education. Then he made the tough decision to leave Southern California for the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Master of Education degree in educational leadership and policy.

Now, he is a student in the same PhD program he first heard about from Clemens, his mentor in high school.

Born out of his own experiences in higher education, Lopez’s research at USC Rossier looks at first-generation college students’

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interactions with faculty and how instructors can build constructive perceptions of students regardless of their perceived disadvantages.

“We have to get to a positive frame of thinking about these students,” he says. “Just

because they come from a poor background doesn’t mean they have poor skills.”

Today, Lopez is still midway through his race, but he knows he is running to the finish line.

KIANOOSH HA SHEMZ ADEH

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PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YANTZ

From running marathons to pursuing his doctorate, USC Rossier student Edgar Fidel Lopez believes in perseverance—and knowing when to accept help.

trojan news

Double Feature

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY AND ASPEN SOMERS; ILLUSTRATION BY HANNA BARCZYK

Fate brings two twin sisters—and the doctor who saved their lives 17 years ago—to USC. It started with a Facebook post: a photo of twin sisters smiling in matching USC sweatshirts, announcing their decision to join the Class of 2024. Ramen Chmait recognized their names and said to himself, “Can this be true?”

It had been 17 years, but the director of Los Angeles Fetal Surgery and associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC still remembered two of his smallest patients.

“I first met Ashley and Aspen Somers when they were fetuses in their mom’s womb,” he says.

They were afflicted with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a complication related to blood supply. The syndrome put the girls at a high risk of death. Chmait, who was practicing in Florida at the time, helped pioneer a surgical procedure in the womb to correct the issue. The Somerses traveled from their home in Colorado to be among the first to receive the treatment.

Michelle Somers later gave birth to healthy twins. “When they first delivered both of them, I completely lost it and was bawling because I could see that, finally, they were OK,” she says.

Inspired by their experience, the Somers family created the Fetal Health Foundation, a nonprofit that provides hope and resources to families experiencing a fetal syndrome diagnosis.

In 2006, Chmait joined USC, where he performs 175 surgeries on unborn infants each year.

As for the twins, the dual high school valedictorians started their studies in the USC School of Dramatic Arts this fall.

“I was really excited because USC was my top choice,” Aspen says. “I’m excited about all of the classes I can take.”

Adds Ashley: “There was a really good chance that I wouldn’t even be alive today. Beyond all odds, I was given a chance at life, and I plan on doing something amazing with it.”

CHANDREA MILLER

Gratitude Adjustment Cultivating thankfulness can improve your mental outlook and health.

Wish you slept better? Or had fewer aches and pains and less anxiety?

Taking a moment to appreciate the positive things in your life might be a good start.

Studies have found that expressing gratitude can improve sleep, reduce depression and boost overall health.

“The limits to gratitude’s health benefits are really in how much you pay attention to feeling and practicing gratitude,” says Glenn Fox, lecturer of entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business and a neuroscientist by training. His research

has found connections between gratitude and the areas of the brain associated with stress relief, a sense of reward and social bonding.

Scientific evidence supports a few effective approaches to cultivating gratitude and feeling its benefits: Say thanks to people who don’t expect it and write down several things that make you feel grateful each day. The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday offers a starting point, whether you’re gathering with friends and family members remotely or in person. Take turns to express thanks, share a positive message or strengthen bonds with each other.

Keep it up, too. Fox says that people who practice gratitude regularly tend to derive more benefits from it.

“It’s very similar to working out in that the more you practice, the better you get,” he says. “The more you practice, the easier it is to feel grateful when you need it.” ERIC LINDBERG usc trojan family

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We Are SC

◄ LET’S TALK TECH

Major technology investments across the university ensure students have access to Wi-Fi hotspots and laptops.

Many classrooms got audiovisual upgrades so professors can offer high-quality lessons remotely, and many in-demand classes have been adapted for student participation across time zones.

USC’s fall semester opened with a renewed commitment to learning, student life and wellbeing as the world grappled with a pandemic.

It’s far from the start of college life that USC’s first-year students could’ve imagined, but 2020 will still be a year they’ll never forget.

To support public health efforts, most students are learning at home instead of in the classroom. USC educators designed more than 8,000 courses to be delivered online.

Student spirit groups and clubs reimagined activities, and networking events traded the usual warm handshakes at receptions for warm smiles on computer screens.

Through it all, USC is rallying together with a spirit the university calls “We are SC.” Here are just a few of the ways We are SC in an age of outdoor-only dining, face coverings and social distancing. ELISA HUANG

▼ RESEARCH RAMP-UP

▲ TEAM EFFORT

Trojans are tackling the pandemic together.

To see updates on USC’s fall semester and guidelines that inform the return to campus, go to we-are.usc.edu online. ◄ #OFFICIALTROJAN

New students were welcomed to USC with a slew of online programs. Welcome Experience events included convocation, meetups with faculty, scavenger hunts and karaoke and craft nights, as well as a spirit rally with Traveler, Song Girls and the band. Students still love their clubs, even at a distance: Nearly 4,000 attended involvement fair sessions online.

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BOVARD PHOTO BY LING LUO; MEDICAL PHOTO BY RICARDO CARRASCO III

From discoveries in biomedicine to innovations in engineering, researchers continue their work in USC labs. Rigorous rules— a 30% occupancy capacity limit, daily deep cleanings and worker health screenings, to name a few—ensure safety as essential research progresses.

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▲ TOP TEACHING

Thousands of professors signed up for the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching’s intensive training sessions that helped them reimagine their courses for an online world.

Some educators have assigned virtual labs and mailed kits for students to run science experiments at home, while other professors created their own animated videos and brought in sought-after speakers to talk with students.

▲ UNITED WE STOP COVID

Posters, ads and banners of students and faculty sporting “Fight On” face masks remind everyone in the community that we’re in this together.

Designed as part of USC Student Health’s safety campaign, the messages reinforce the three most important behaviors: wash your hands, wear a mask and stand apart. trojanfamily.usc.edu

▲ EXPERIENCE USC

Visions & Voices, the university’s signature arts and culture series, is just one of the ways students can get the most out of their time at USC. Now they can learn about Visions & Voices events and more through Experience USC, an online hub for students launched this fall. With information on student clubs, networking events, recreational games and concerts, the portal keeps students connected to USC and to one another.

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SMALL BUT MIGHTY

HE A LT H FILES

USC scientists use “minilungs” to target COVID-19.

A USC/UCLA study found that 58% of people with insomnia got better sleep with regular meditation. More than 90% reduced or eliminated their use of medical sleep aids through the practice.

Art and the City

USC art and design students build creative ties in the heart of L.A.’s Arts District.

Dozens of USC researchers use stem cell models to study how COVID-19 attacks the lungs, says Andy McMahon, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. “These models enable us to screen large catalogues of molecules to find promising drug candidates and to perform detailed studies on actual human cells, as we do our utmost to safely and swiftly end the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In one project, Assistant Professor Ya-Wen Chen, whose lab specializes in developing mini-lung “organoids,” is studying an antiviral treatment that might block the coronavirus from entering lung cells. Other researchers across campus are using mini-lungs to study how COVID19 kills lung cells, causes destructive inflammation and triggers deadly immune system responses.

CRISTY LYTAL

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Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District is home to a thriving creative community that has grown to include galleries, museums, studios and—more recently—USC art students.

Last year, Dean Haven Lin-Kirk led the USC Roski School of Art and Design’s expansion into the Arts District with a 15,000-square-foot studio for graduate-level design students.

Now, the Roski Graduate Building has increased its footprint, nearly doubling in size and adding 16 studios for the MFA art program, a media editing room, a library, collaboration spaces and a dedicated room for master’s students studying curatorial practices. Student work will be showcased in a 2,000-squarefoot gallery space that will be open to the public.

“As the school continues to grow in size and stature, the downtown expansion will bring exposure and opportunities to our grads,” Lin-Kirk says.

The bold move brings together the school’s three master’s degree programs, enabling students to collaborate and foster ties with each other and the Arts District community of creative professionals and artists.

QUOTED

“We construct our memory around objects that weren’t made with us in mind, and yet they become part of us.”

— USC Provost Professor Henry Jenkins on why people become collectors of pop culture memorabilia, comic books and other ephemera

A third of working mothers in two-parent households act as the sole caregiver for their children during the pandemic, compared to a tenth of working fathers, USC research shows. It’s no wonder, then, that the study found women with kids were more likely to feel distressed than other women or men—even dads.

One key to long life may be a protein called humanin. It’s found at higher levels in animals with extended lifespans, as well as in children of people who live to be 100 or more. Don’t bother asking for it at a drugstore, but USC gerontologists expect to study its potential to treat age-related disease in the future.

This year is expected to be one of the hottest on record. But as many Californians run their air conditioners, residents in low-income areas tend to live with the heat to save on bills, according to USC engineers. Experts suggest that officials connect residents to assistance programs to cut heat risk and possibly save lives.

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USC ROSKI PHOTO BY RYAN MILLER/CAPTURE IMAGING

Scientists are in a race to find a vaccine and better treatments for COVID-19, but that’s only half the battle. Even the most promising therapy needs testing, and that can take time and money. USC scientists may have found one way to speed things up, though: miniature lungs.

These lab-grown, simplified lung structures are tiny—less than a centimeter in diameter—but provide a safe way for scientists to test if treatments can fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

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Welcome Home, No. 5 One of college football’s most electrifying players is back. USC welcomed Reggie Bush this summer following a 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation from the university. In honor of No. 5, we picked our top 5 plays from his days in cardinal and gold. ERIC LINDBERG

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LIGHTNING IN THE FOG: OREGON STATE, 2004

USC seemed lost in the heavy fog blanketing Reser Stadium until Bush cut through the fourth-quarter haze with a 65yard zig-zagging punt return, lifting the Trojans to victory.

END ZONE FLIP: UCLA, 2004

On the Trojans’ opening drive, Bush sped down the sideline, swerved around a defender and front-flipped over the goal line in a 65-yard touchdown run.

LEPRECHAUN LEAP: NOTRE DAME, 2005

In South Bend, Bush tied the score at 21 on a 45-yard dash through the heart of the Irish defense—leaping over a defender en route to the end zone.

SIDELINE STOP ON A DIME: FRESNO STATE, 2005

Fans still reminisce about the Fresno State defender left grasping at air after Bush suddenly hit the brakes mid-sprint on his way down the left sideline.

GOAL LINE HURDLE: UCLA, 2005

PHOTOS COURTESY OF USC ATHLETICS

In this grudge match, Bush capped off a 20-yard scamper by going airborne over a defender (pictured below), putting USC up by 23 midway through a 66–19 rout.

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▲ HONORABLE MENTION THE BUSH PUSH: NOTRE DAME, 2005 Bush never touched the football during one of his most memorable highlights—he instead gave quarterback Matt Leinart an extra nudge from behind on a 1-yard sneak play, propelling the Trojans to a last-second victory.

Did we miss your favorite Reggie Bush moment? Let us know on Twitter at @TrojanFamilyMag

NETWORK NEWS As recent graduates enter the workforce during uncertain times, USC alumni are ready to help with opportunities and guidance.

It’s hard enough navigating a career right out of college. But what about during a pandemic? As the impact of COVID-19 continues to upend the economy, USC alumni across the world are stepping up to mentor students and recent graduates, provide them with career opportunities and more.

The Trojan Network connects alumni with recent graduates and current students who are eager to learn about potential careers and cultivate industry ties. The free online service, provided by the USC Career Center and supported by the USC Alumni Association, gives students a convenient way to tap into the vast expertise and loyalty of the Trojan Family and help build their professional lives.

For USC alumni, it’s a chance to share knowledge and experience with the next generation of Trojans. Volunteers can choose areas of expertise and involvement levels, from one-time meetings to long-term mentoring.

Eric Biegeleisen MS ’03 connected with a fellow USC Viterbi School of Engineering graduate through the platform. “We learned about each other’s backgrounds and we discussed the things I had learned along my career path,” says Biegeleisen, managing director of research for 3EDGE Asset Management. “I shared advice on how to network and the lessons learned from starting a business. I also offered to connect him with some folks I know for a summer internship.”

Seeing alumni like Biegeleisen help recent grads comes as no surprise to Carl Martellino, associate vice provost for student affairs and career services.

The platform is a catalyst for making new connections, he says, but more than anything, “supporting one another is part of the Trojan DNA.” Interested in learning more? Visit uscne.ws/trojans-to-trojans online. usc trojan family

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Change is happening, and students are leading it.

Whether they’re stepping up in their own neighborhoods or on the other side of the world, many USC students strive to improve the lives of others. Here are a few of the student organizations aimed at uplifting communities in need. ELISA HUANG

DUET

This micro-philanthropy app matches resettled refugees in Greece to donors. It works like a gift registry, allowing refugees to select needed supplies from local businesses. Donors anywhere in the world can help out while boosting the Greek economy. Students created Duet as part of the “Innovation in Engineering Design for Global Challenges” course.

TROJAN SHELTER

Co-founded by Abigail Leung ’20, left, and senior Esther Cha, Trojan Shelter is a space for L.A. college students experiencing homelessness. Besides receiving food and a place to sleep, residents work with case managers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work to transition to permanent housing.

SHELTER HELPER

The Shelter Helper app tracks open beds in homeless shelters and alerts caseworkers when they’re available. Six USC Iovine and Young Academy students created the app for a class that challenged them to apply their design skills to improve services for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.

BLOOM BOUTIQUE

Cambria Estrada ’20 (right) and Soraya Levy ’20 (second from right) co-founded Bloom Boutique in the belief that fashion has the power to strengthen communities. The shop aims to counter cheap, disposable and environmentally harmful “fast fashion” by collecting and redistributing used clothes in the USC community. It’s on trend: Experts believe a resale market already surging before COVID19 will only continue to grow.

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PROJECT BLINDFOLD USC School of Cinematic Arts senior Justine Sophia produced a music video to raise awareness for Project Blindfold, a community movement she founded to provide resources to youth and families facing homelessness. She is also creative director of Mondays at the Mission, a weekly lifeskills mentorship program for homeless youth at the Union Rescue Mission shelter in Los Angeles.

BLOOM BOUTIQUE PHOTO BY SAMANTHA HARDY; LEUNG AND CHA PHOTO BY ASHTON TU; ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BEFORE SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WERE RECOMMENDED

Community in Action

Your Health Is Not On Hold Your health and safety matters most. If you’ve been putting off scheduling a medical visit, there is no reason to delay. To ensure your safety, we offer various ways to connect with our top doctors. From phone calls and video visits to in-office appointments, we’ll work with you to determine what’s best. That’s the Keck Effect.

(800) USC-CARE KeckMedicine.org/appointment

© 2020 Keck Medicine of USC

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A slow march toward virtual doctor visits and other digital innovations in health care turned into an all-out sprint amid COVID-19.

BY ERIC LINDBERG ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVID PLUNKERT usc trojan family

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trojan health If you have serious lung disease, getting a lung transplant can add years to your life. It also adds a list of must-do tasks: getting regular tests, taking medication and visiting the doctor for checkups, all to keep the body from rejecting the new organ.

Even with strict regimens, though, the body’s immune system can quietly start fighting the new lungs in ways a patient can’t detect. But technology can. That’s why experts at Keck Medicine of USC started sending lung transplant recipients home with devices that can spot signs of trouble. They collect vital stats like blood pressure and heart rate while also compiling data on how well the lungs are working, all of which is sent back to care providers in real time.

Patients can even report their symptoms each day, track their medications and schedule follow-up visits. Early results show patients who use the monitoring devices are 44% less likely to be readmitted to the hospital and spend 54% less time in the hospital if they do return.

“That’s in no small part due to the fact that the daily check-ins allowed our caregivers to spot potential transplant rejections earlier than they normally would have by relying on in-person checkups alone,” says Vaughn A. Starnes, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. That success story is one of many reasons Starnes and other USC health leaders see digital health technology as a gift to medicine.

Another big reason: COVID-19.

Keck Medicine had been exploring digital technology approaches like virtual health visits—known as telehealth or telemedicine—for several years. But the pandemic sent those efforts into overdrive.

“It certainly got everyone’s attention,” says Shawn Sheffield, Keck Medicine’s chief strategy officer. “Suddenly, everyone cared about telehealth.”

Small pilot programs like the lung transplant monitoring study became the model for a massive expansion of telehealth across the health system. In a matter of weeks, Keck Medicine shifted from only a dozen or so telehealth checkups to 1,000 virtual visits a day under stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 cases spread throughout Southern California in mid-March.

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Those virtual checkups helped preserve critical protective equipment for doctors, nurses and other health workers treating patients with COVID-19 or other major health issues in person, says Smitha Ravipudi, CEO of USC Care, the clinical practice of Keck Medicine. But even by late summer, as equipment supplies stabilized and more patients began returning to the hospital under rigorous screening and disinfection protocols, telehealth at Keck Medicine remained strong—holding steady at 800 patient visits a day.

“This crisis has done so much to change the world, and obviously not much of it is favorable,” Ravipudi says. “But there are a few things that organizations and people have benefited from, and one of the key areas is this shift to virtual care. Telehealth is absolutely going to be part of our ongoing strategy to make sure we are there for our consumers by providing them with a convenient, easy and accessible platform to connect with us remotely.”

Ramping up the Digital Revolution Keck Medicine’s experience parallels a broader movement toward telehealth amid COVID-19.

In 2019, only 11% of U.S. health care consumers opted for online services like video chatting with doctors or having checkups remotely. That number jumped to 46% by the end of May, according to an industry report. And 76% of U.S. patients now say they’re interested in virtual doctor visits.

Although safety is the primary concern during the COVID-19 era, Sheffield says health care workers and patients alike also recognize the convenience of telehealth.

In a survey of 187 USC doctors, 70% had never considered virtual visits before the pandemic. “Now 90% of them said they would absolutely continue delivering telehealth, even if social distancing rules are relaxed,” she says. “That speaks to the broad adoption by our physicians.

“They like it, our patients like it. In some cases, there won’t be a replacement for face-to-face care. But any visits that can be digitalized, we plan to do that, and we think it actually enhances the patient experience.”

Sheffield sees virtual doctor visits as only one promising aspect of the digital revolution in health care. Remote monitoring of autumn 2020

patients like those in the lung transplant study is likely to grow.

Instead of traveling to Keck Medicine, patients could stay in their local hospitals and clinics or at home and still be under the care of USC experts.

Technology also helps patients and loved ones stay in touch, especially during COVID-19. With strict limits on visitors to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, USC’s hospitals and clinics began providing digital tablets to patients so they could talk with family members and friends.

As co-chair of Keck Medicine’s Digital Health Task Force, Sheffield is looking beyond the walls of the hospital to other collaborators across the university—from engineers and social workers to filmmakers and computer scientists. She envisions major advances in areas like wearable technology that might track vital signs and send alerts to the care team if a user’s results are outside the normal range.

“The creativity and intellectual capital coming together across the university is a big strength,” she says. “With this growing emphasis on digital health, there’s a great opportunity to knit together those strengths and come up with something fantastic.”

Finetuning the Future of Telehealth Health care’s embrace of digital technology and virtual visits—by both patients and health workers—came through necessity during the pandemic. Ravipudi acknowledges that the rush to adopt strategies like telehealth left room for improvement.

Technical issues with the platform used for virtual appointments still need to be ironed out. How patients check in and move through the daily workflow of busy doctors and nurses could be more efficient. That feedback from the front lines will guide how Keck Medicine adjusts its digital health offerings moving forward.

“I’m so proud of how our providers and staff came together to pull this off basically overnight,” Ravipudi says. “Now we have an opportunity to take a breath and really be strategic in our actions as we weave this new approach to care into our fabric.”

Despite the technical hiccups and learning curve, Starnes sees the promise of innovations like telehealth. During his video visits, the heart surgeon likes how his patients can speak with their whole care team at once and ask questions. They go over imaging results together, and Starnes can focus his full attention on his patients’ appearance and mood.

He also worries that people might avoid a health care visit for what they view as a minor issue. The troublesome phenomenon became heightened during the pandemic, partly because people didn’t want to use valuable health resources when others seemingly had much greater need. Starnes says telehealth visits can reduce that concern about seeking care and encourage patients to take ownership of their health.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a host of challenges to medical centers,” he says. “But some of the necessary innovations will become long-run blessings. I believe that the discovery and use of telehealth’s full potential will be one of them.”

To learn about Keck Medicine of USC, visit keckmedicine.org or call (800) USC-CARE (872-2273). trojanfamily.usc.edu

Online checkups with a doctor or nurse through a telehealth platform increased dramatically during COVID-19 to protect patients and health workers.

But telehealth is only one aspect of a broader shift toward high-tech innovations in health care. Here are a few other technologies USC is developing to embrace the digital health revolution.

SIMSENSEI

Using artificial intelligence, “virtual humans” interact with patients and collect data on facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. That information is then analyzed for signs of distress like depression and PTSD. This collaborative project involves the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

M O N I TO R I N G MARINES

A mobile app paired with smartwatches gives medical experts a window into the health of U.S. Marines.

The USC Center for Body Computing recently tested the tech with 115 Marines, collecting data on indicators like heart rate, sleep, hydration and emotional resilience. One key goal: to reduce the dropout rate from rigorous reconnaissance training.

S M A R T S OX

These high-tech socks use sensors and fiber optics to detect when people with diabetes start to develop foot ulcers. The Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance, which is based at the Keck School of Medicine, already has prototypes. usc trojan family

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Innocent curiosity can turn discovery into life’s purpose.

Whether it’s a toddler who locks eyes with a turtle for the first time or a mischievous teen who concocts stink bombs in the garage, future scientists often get their start through the inquisitiveness of youth. An unexpected brush with the weird, wild, worrying or wonderful as a kid just might end up spurring a career of exploration. Read on as USC researchers share how early moments of discovery filled them with fascination and a thirst to learn.

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Vera Gluscevic is a professor of physics and astronomy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences who studies dark matter, dark energy and other mysteries of the universe. She describes, in her own words, how a low-budget sci-fi flick during her childhood in Belgrade, Serbia, set her sights on the galaxies above.

We live in a society that’s not always aware of how important role models are and how you can project yourself onto what you see happening in the world. In my case, when I look back at how it all began, it becomes quite obvious.

I was a curious kid and a good student. I had a lot of different interests like writing and paleontology and so on. Then I saw a movie in which the main character was a female astrophysicist.

She was super smart, super beautiful and a problem solver. She saved Earth from an asteroid impact. For years, I’ve been trying to find this movie, but all I can remember is her face and how much her science empowered her to be who she wanted to be.

Silly things like that really imprint on us when we’re young.

That movie defined the notion of an astrophysicist in my mind.

At some point I realized, hey, I am good at math and physics. I’m going to be like her.

Thinking back on that experience is great because it lets me zoom out from the daily tasks of my profession and think, wow, I got here. I’m doing exactly what I dreamed of doing since I was a kid. I also realize I’m a woman in a field that has very little diversity, unfortunately. But I know there are girls out there now for whom my image may actually represent what scientists look like. That makes me really happy. autumn 2020

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Certain reptiles and amphibians can regrow damaged tails or limbs. That makes them terrific research sub subjects for Thomas Lozito, assistant professor of ortho orthopaedic surgery and stem cell biology and regeneraregenera tive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The creatures’ knack for regeneration could spawn discoveries that lead to treatments for arthritis and spinal cord injuries.

When ocean researcher Jill Sohm PhD ’07 isn’t mentoring students at USC Dornsife, she studies the microscopic marine creatures that sustain life out of human sight.

Something about a boat trip on the San Francisco Bay for her high school AP biology class spoke to Jill Sohm. The 10th-grader grew up in a not particularly outdoorsy family. But she felt right at home collecting water samples and peering at the plankton and other ocean organisms that appeared under her microscope.

The teens gathered seawater with bottles used by professional researchers for testing and learned to take mud samples. “I can’t explain it,” she says, “but there was something about the idea that this could be a job that really struck a chord with me.”

As the Santa Rosa, California, native pursued a biology degree in college, her intensive field and lab research with top scientists unlocked a hidden world of tiny microbes that continues to fascinate her.

“These very small things that you can’t see can have such a big impact and really drive many things that happen on our planet,” Sohm says. “It’s a mystery, it’s not obvious, it’s not something you can see with your eyes. It’s this whole world that we have to use special techniques to understand.” trojanfamily.usc.edu

As soon as 3-year-old Thomas Lozito laid eyes on the box turtle, everything changed.

“It was love at first sight,” he says. “I was obsessed.”

His dad, a real estate agent, had discovered it abandoned in a house he was selling. Lozito couldn’t get enough of it—he adopted other rescue turtles, and the turtles started laying eggs.

Soon, the reptiles overran the backyard.

On father-son fishing trips, he quickly lost patience with the fish and wandered off to find frogs, lizards, snakes and other crawly creatures to study. Before long, the wildlife in New Jersey seemed too ordinary, and he talked his parents into a trip to Costa Rica.

“That’s when I became fascinated with poison dart frogs,” he says. “They became like my trading cards, my Pokémon. My goal was to keep and breed every species.”

Lozito transformed the family den into a jungle habitat, much to his mother’s dismay. “It looked like a commercial frog-rearing facility,” he says. All the same, he never expected his herpetologi herpetological fixation would one day grow into a career.

But now the researcher studies how lizards and salamanders regrow missing limbs and tails. And he inspires a new generation of students with his passion for scaly and slimy critters.

“Even the ones who are initially afraid of lizards adapt really quickly,” he says. “Many end up with their own pet lizards.”

Lozito still maintains a collection, although it’s much smaller than during his childhood heyday. Among the two dozen animals at home is his favorite, a giant monkey frog he got in high school. Now nearly 30 years old, the frog goes by a name from fantasy: Gollum.

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Neuropsychologist April Thames studies links between racial discrimination and chronic disease. An asso associate professor of psychology at USC Dornsife, she shares how seeing discrimination firsthand as a child in South Los Angeles shaped her future.

As a professor of chemistry at USC Dornsife, Valery Fokin PhD ’98 studies how pharmaceuticals work in an effort to find better ways to diagnose and treat human diseases. But as a kid, he experimented for the fun of it.

Valery Fokin expected to shove his 7th-grade chemistry textbook on a shelf and maybe refer to it occasionally. But when he finally cracked it open and read a few pages, he couldn’t stop. He skipped school for several days to devour the entire volume.

“It was easy, it was natural,” he says. “It just made sense to me.”

Growing up in the twilight years of the Soviet Union in the Russian city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) had its benefits.

When Fokin grew bored in chemistry lectures and started bugging classmates, his exasperated teacher sent him to tinker in the lab at the back of the classroom. Thanks to lax safety regulations, it was well-stocked with assorted substances.

“Some of the chemicals migrated home with me,” he says.

“My parents were very understanding and tolerant. Later, they told me they were never quite sure what to expect when they got home. Sometimes the smell would hit them well before they got into the house.”

Fokin concocted only mildly dangerous potions—a little rotten-egg-scented hydrogen sulfide here, a little white phosphorous to toss from the third-story apartment window in a glowing shower of sparks there. The most damage he caused was a burn mark on the carpet that his mom discovered some months later.

He also caught flak for setting her expensive perfumes ablaze to see how the flames changed color with various additives.

“The kitchen retained the smell of different French perfumes for a while, so it was difficult to hide,” he says. “That was quickly discouraged.”

Fokin’s spirit of experimentation lives on today at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, which is also home to biomedical engineers, neuroscientists, biologists and other specialists. It’s a space for exploration and collaboration— and Fokin knows better than most that when you mix various elements, something special might happen.

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I’m biracial—half African American and half white. Growing up, I would see a lot of acts of racism. Being an interracial couple, my mom and dad experienced a lot of discrimination. I knew from a very early age that Blacks were treated much differently than whites.

I would hear these rants against Black people because people didn’t know I was Black—I would hear what people were really thinking.

It’s hard to look back, but I remember feeling that I was being treated differently and not really understanding why. If my dad brought me to school, I got different looks and teachers would react in different ways than if my mom dropped me off.

I would always raise my hand to give answers, and one teacher just would not call on me. I’d tell my mom, “I don’t think Miss So-and-So likes me.” Another teacher slammed her fist down on my desk and said, “Pay attention!” I was scared—I was probably 5 or 6 at the time.

My mom and dad were so angry and went down to the school. I don’t know what happened after that, but I did experience differential treattreat ment. And I wasn’t the only kid of color who had those experiences.

My parents also faced judgment and lost friends because of their interracial dynamic. When my mom would become friends with other mothers at the school, they didn’t know my father was Black. When they found out, they would no longer associate with her and didn’t want their kids playing with me. I didn’t know any of this was going on when I was younger. I just knew one day I had a friend and the next day I didn’t.

I think that’s what got me interested in this idea that things you can’t change about yourself—things that are part of your core identity—can also be social threats. It does result in chronic underlying stress. My dad had this stress as a Black man. My mom would worry about how people would treat me because I was half Black and how they would treat her when they saw she was with my dad. Those stressors were there.

If you talk to any researcher, especially those who study social justice issues, there’s usually some kind of personal connection to the work—you need that passion. It’s been fascinating to connect discrimination to health outcomes. In terms of the science, it’s about showing how these experiences are real and affect people.

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Two dancers follow their dreams to Broadway on a journey they never could have anticipated.

BY ROBERT JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY VICTORIA WILL

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Satori FolkesStone started dancing at age 8 and never looked back.

Opposite page West Side Story’s choreography was reimagined for modern America.

the Jets and Sharks now teemed with a young, diverse cast well-versed in hip-hop and street dance.

And in a nod to today’s headlines, the musical’s formerly light-hearted “Gee, Officer Krupke” number became a blistering indictment of police brutality, asserting that Black Lives Matter.

Folkes-Stone and Vomastek were stepping into more than a stage classic. Their cast would remake West Side Story for their generation.

Satori Folkes-Stone ’19 remembers the moment she got the call.

“I was floored. Literally—there was a video of me on the floor,” she says. The graduating senior had just landed a spot in the highly anticipated Broadway revival of West Side Story. After a brutal gauntlet of auditions, the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance student would be launching her professional career on one of theater’s biggest stages.

Folkes-Stone had been waiting anxiously for news after finding out that fellow USC Kaufman dancer Madison Vomastek ’19 had made the cut earlier that day. The two friends had gone through the tryouts together. After FolkesStones got the call later that evening, “the news was such a relief,” she says. “I thought I hadn’t gotten the job.”

For Vomastek, she recalls seeing a caller on her phone with a New York area code. She assumed it was someone else, anyone besides the production company. But on the line was the woman casting the show. “She’s like, ‘Madison, we’d like to offer you the role of a Jet girl in West Side Story,’” Vomastek remembers. She was overjoyed.

After years of training, the soon-to-be USC graduates had earned a ticket to dance on Broadway. Their big break had arrived. Now they wanted to see how far they could go.

DANCE STUDIO PHOTO BY DEVIN ALBERDA

A Strong Start Landing a part in any Broadway show is

a hard-won bragging right. But West Side Story remains more than just any show. It was a hit from the moment the curtains lifted in 1957, and a film version from composer Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins captivated audiences worldwide when it premiered in 1961. Viewers fell hard for the retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the tenements of Manhattan. Here, the Sharks and the Jets battle in gang warfare for turf and glory; young lovers dream of a future together; and Puerto Rican immigrants tunefully debate the American dream. The show became a pop culture touchstone.

The West Side Story that Folkes-Stone and Vomastek would help recreate was not the beloved original, however. This version ditched Robbins’ finger-snapping choreography for an edgier style from avant-garde choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. The complex stage design featured digital video projections and wind and rain machines that soaked the set every night. Gone were the greasers and bobby soxers;

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IMPROV IS

ME

NOW

The Journey to USC Folkes-Stone grew up in Los Angeles, where her mother, Neisha Folkes, operates a musical theater and hip-hop camp. Neisha performed in the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and had danced in Broadway productions. One of her shows, Guys and Dolls, played in the same theater where her daughter would make her Broadway debut decades later.

The young Folkes-Stone started dancing at 8 and, in her words, “sorta never looked back.” For college, family friend Desmond Richardson—who performed with her mother in their Ailey days—pointed Folkes-Stone in the direction of USC Kaufman, where he is an artist-in-residence.

Vomastek arrived at USC with a different story. At 4 million people, Los Angeles dwarfs her hometown of Traverse City, Michigan (population: not quite 16,000). But because USC Kaufman’s leaders carefully selected their first class of students, Vomastek quickly felt at home in the school’s community of welcoming faculty and 33 like-minded souls.

“USC Kaufman emphasizes community building and supporting one another—it’s a special place,” says Vomastek, who previously studied dance at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Massachusetts.

Both women say USC transformed their lives. “USC taught me things I didn’t know I wanted to know but needed to know,” Folkes-Stone says. Her teachers opened her eyes to the size and scope of the dance world and the many possibilities for a career.

Founded in 2012 with a gift from visionary philanthropist Glorya Kaufman, USC Kaufman welcomed FolkesStone, Vomastek and the rest of its first class in 2015. At the same time, the school acquired a teacher of world renown when choreographer William Forsythe joined the faculty. He is known for extending the range of classical ballet in offkilter choreographic approaches and also for his high-concept experiments in dance theater and improvisation.

The USC Kaufman curriculum is broad. A distinguished faculty teaches traditional ballet and contemporary dance alongside arts leadership and dance traditions from around the world. Folkes-Stone and Vomastek also studied hip-hop with masters E. Moncell Durden and d. Sabela grimes, who teaches a groundbreaking improvisational technique called Funkamental MetaKinetics.

This diverse training in spontaneity was key to their success and artistic growth, Folkes-Stone and Vomastek say. They also credit their finely honed improv skills for giving them an advantage during the West Side Story auditions in Los Angeles.

Vomastek tells the tale: “The last day we did improvisation, and we did it in a ‘cypher’ setting. A cypher comes from usc trojan family

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Into the Bright Lights Surviving the L.A. auditions was just the first step in a long casting process. Vomastek had to pass another week of auditions in New York. Then, while she was on spring break, the casting directors unexpectedly asked to hear her sing. “I sent them a video after a long day on the beach,” she says. “I was very relaxed, and I think that helped, because I’m more of a dancer than a singer!”

Soon after, Vomastek loaded her parents’ cast-off furniture into a U-Haul truck and headed east. She drove into Manhattan, where a friend had rented an apartment a few blocks west of Times Square. Meanwhile, Folkes-Stone found a home in Brooklyn, grateful for a little more open space.

Neither had time to take a gawking tour of the city, as they almost immediately plunged into rehearsals. “It was a hard process to make a new show,” Folkes-Stone admits.

Amid exhaustive training and practice, she surprised herself.

“I was learning how much you can take,” she says of her endurance. “I didn’t know I could take as much as I could.”

The show’s casting team intentionally recruited fresh faces, with many of the performers also making their Broadway debuts. At first, the cast worked with members of

De Keersmaeker’s company to learn her style and vocabulary.

Then the choreographer herself stepped in, helping them place their own creative stamp on the moves.

Vomastek had discovered De Keersmaeker’s videos when she was 13 and soon became obsessed with memorizing the dizzying loops of the choreographer’s Fase duet.

Even as an adult dancer, she still had to study intensely to learn De Keersmaeker’s unconventional methods, which continued as she prepared for West Side Story.

“I experienced a lot of growth,” she says. “When we opened on February 20, it was like stepping onto a stage I had felt before, but this time it was a reward worth waiting for.”

Folkes-Stone was impressed by De Keersmaeker’s humanity. “She’s very honest. She’s very empathetic, when

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IT’S THE

BEST

JOB

IN

THE

WORLD

she can be. She’s very curious, and you could tell she just loves making things.”

By the time West Side Story finally arrived, the recent grads felt like old-timers. Even so, nothing could have prepared them for the task of executing the demanding choreography eight times a week—or navigating the weather on stage. “We have wind and mist, and we get rained on,” Folkes-Stone says. Wet and exhausted after each show, the dancers were still having the time of their lives. Added Vomastek: “It’s a blast. It’s the best job in the world, for sure.”

Folkes-Stones recalls the day of that first show in February as “effervescent and exciting.” But the cast had already run through the show 78 times, she says,“so this hugeness was tamed by an immense sense of familiarity, which is a nice balance. I’ll tell you that as soon as bows ended, we were sprinting back to the dressing rooms to get ready for the opening night party!”

A Sudden Twist Sometimes even the most exhaustive preparation can’t prevent the unexpected. In January, as West Side Story geared up for its highly anticipated debut, a deadly virus began spreading across the globe. Rumors of a pandemic reached the dancers in early February, just weeks before their first show. Folkes-Stone remembers the first words as subtle, mostly about the number of coronavirus cases in Italy.

Reality hit on March 12, less than a month after opening night. The show had played to a packed house the day before. Under new quarantine orders, though, West Side Story had to close its doors. Broadway productions abruptly halted, and the stunned New York theater community went dark, its future uncertain.

Folkes-Stone hunkered down in her Brooklyn apartment to wait out the crisis until the show can return. Vomastek went back to Michigan to farm, teach locally and assist in her family’s business. She plans to return to a previous project in Germany until Broadway reopens.

They’re hanging on to their dreams, but those dreams are delayed. Like many Americans, from small business owners to office workers, they’re trying to use their skills however they can until they go back to doing what they were born to do.

During the pandemic, social media users have drawn inspiration from videos of opera singers belting out arias from balconies and violinists playing the theme from Titanic in grocery store aisles. Though the arts can still unite, Folkes-Stone notes that many artists are struggling and need support. Some 5 million Americans work in the arts and cultural fields, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, and COVID-19 threatens not only their lives but also their livelihoods.

Artists have long been the heartbeat of their communities, she points out, but it often feels like they’re an afterthought.

“The dance community really tries to stick together, and we’ve been supporting each other virtually and it’s definitely felt,” Folkes-Stone says. “But most of us rely on live performance.”

Editor’s note: This story aimed to capture the excitement of beginning a career in dance, but we didn’t expect the appearance of a table-turning character: the coronavirus. We hope that audiences can soon return to Broadway; the show must go on. autumn 2020

DANCE STUDIO PHOTO BY DEVIN ALBERDA

hip-hop. It’s a community-building exercise where everybody is in a circle, and one or two people go in at a time and express their skill sets and their movement. We would cypher all the time in our hip-hop classes with Sabela and Moncell. So, the audition was the best setup for students at Kaufman.”

Adds Folkes-Stone: “Improv is me now. It is the center of my dance love and experience, and it connects to my being in love with street dance. I would not be as close to my soul now if I didn’t go to USC.”

Madison Vomastek embraced the USC Kaufman School of Dance’s community.

Opposite page The alumni artists joined a cast of fresh faces in West Side Story.

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autumn 2020

Ivan Garcia is among the first graduates of USC’s expanded college-prep program, and now he’s a first-year Trojan. But he almost missed his chance. BY RACHEL B. LEVIN

anthropology, history and philosophy. On the horizon, perhaps, lies a career in immigration law.

Yet the talented young scholar might never have made it to USC—or any college at all—if he had not made a pivotal decision some seven years ago.

He took a chance he nearly passed up, and it changed his life.

Ivan Garcia was a student at El Sereno Middle School when he joined NAI.

trojanfamily.usc.edu

Ivan garcia held court whenever his family visited Chinese Friends, their favorite restaurant in Los Angeles’ Chinatown.

Garcia’s mother, Laura, remembers how the little boy brought smiles to everyone’s faces in the restaurant when he spoke and sang songs in Mandarin with the staff.

“He spoke it without an accent,” she says, thanks to a Mandarin-language immersion program that he had attended since kindergarten.

Though the 18-year-old Garcia no longer remembers these encounters, his knack for language and communicating across cultures has stayed with him. He studied Mandarin until he was a high school sophomore and also took American Sign Language as a freshman. As he begins his first semester at USC, furthering his study of languages is in the college game plan, as are classes in

A BIG COMMITMENT Back when Garcia started sixth grade at El Sereno Middle School, he and his family learned that he was eligible to enroll in USC’s Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative, often called NAI for short. USC started the rigorous college-prep program in 1991 for children in underserved areas near its University Park Campus. NAI proved so successful as a college pipeline that it expanded to the eastern part of Los Angeles in 2013.

In that first year on the Eastside, NAI began recruiting schoolkids around the USC Health Sciences Campus. Garcia’s family lived nearby in the predominantly working-class Latino neighborhood of El Sereno. His parents thought joining NAI would be a good idea, but Garcia had little interest. College was a speck far off his radar.

Neither of his parents had attended, and usc trojan family

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More Than School

NAI goes beyond the classroom. Here’s how:

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Parents and guardians regularly attend workshops to learn how to support academic goals. Topics include developing good study habits, resolving conflict and building a healthful home environment.

NAVIGATE NEW WATERS

Nearly 100% of NAI students in the class of 2020 became the first in their family to attend college.

That’s why NAI counselors guide families through the college admission process, from applications and financial aid paperwork to making final decisions.

STAY ON COURSE Even after graduation, scholars remain part of the NAI family.

Program counselors help them transition to college life. NAI staffers also travel to campuses around the country to visit and make sure scholars are on track to a degree.

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he was admittedly “not the biggest fan of school … like most sixth graders,” he says.

He also balked at the program’s requirements. NAI participants sign on for a seven-year commitment that includes Saturday Academy classes along with weekday morning classes at USC and after-school tutoring. The time investment pays off for their college prospects: 99% of the 1,237 NAI scholars have gone on to two- or four-year institutions, significantly higher than the state average of 64%.

Garcia loved spending weekends outside in neighborhood parks, especially playing baseball. “I wasn’t really excited about having Saturday school,” he says. The seven-year commitment also spooked him. His parents made the expectations clear: “If we’re going in this, we’re going all the way in, and you can’t back out.”

Ultimately, the deciding factor that swayed Garcia to enroll in NAI was something any sixth grader could relate to: peer pressure. When his friends joined, he couldn’t say no. He had little idea what that choice

In August, Ivan Garcia became the first in his family to attend college.

would mean as the years went by: As he adjusted to the rigorous coursework, he grew to not only enjoy it but also excel.

This past June, Garcia graduated in the top 10% of his high school class. He also became one of the first 41 graduates of NAI’s Eastside program.

Most importantly, in August, he became the first in his family to attend college.

COLLEGE WITHIN REACH In recent years, El Sereno has grappled with the contrasting forces of gang violence and gentrification. Garcia describes his hometown as a quiet enclave where his favorite spots include outdoor spaces like the El Sereno

Recreation Center and local Mexican eateries like Cheo’s Tacos (which, to his surprise, has become an Instagram sensation with outsiders).

Garcia’s father, David, who is Guatemalan American, was born in the U.S., moved to El Sereno as a young child and stayed. His mother, Laura, immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico with her parents when she was 3 years old. Both of Garcia’s parents have, until recently, worked full time to support the family—David as a freelance graphic designer and Laura as an L.A. Unified School District special education assistant.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made their livelihoods more precarious.

His mother and father value education above all else, and Garcia knows it. They hope to see his two younger siblings attend college, too. As parents, Laura says, “you want better for them.” But until NAI emerged as an option, paying for college loomed as a daunting prospect.

The Garcias knew that NAI could offer critical help in paying for college. Students who remain in the program until high school graduation are eligible for a fully funded financial aid package to USC, provided they meet admission requirements. The possibility of earning full college tuition “played a huge role in the effort I put into school,” Garcia says.

In high school, balancing six days of school each week with his other activities was tough. He was an outfielder on the baseball team, served as a juror for Teen Court—a program for teens to hear real juvenile cases and learn about the judicial system—and helped plan school fundraisers and events.

But Garcia credits NAI with motivating him to challenge himself, not to mention instilling discipline and time management.

NAI’s intensive curriculum helped him reach college-level courses, including AP biology and AP calculus, in his senior year.

He found the NAI tutors, many of whom are alumni from both NAI and USC, to be particularly helpful. They served as role models. “Some tutors were even there from sixth grade up until 12th grade,” Garcia says.

“They’ve seen us grow, and it’s amazing having a bond with some tutors who’ve known us that long.”

Garcia ultimately gained admission to his two top-choice colleges: USC and the University of California, Berkeley. He knew that no matter which school he chose, NAI would be there to support him throughout his college years. NAI’s retention efforts autumn 2020

How NAI Works

1K

The USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative, the university’s signature college-prep program, enrolls close to 1,000 students in grades six through 12 annually.

The initiative’s goal is to create a path to college for students living near USC’s campuses in South Los Angeles and Boyle Heights.

help ensure that participants’ hard work getting into USC or any other institution pays off. Support counselors make sure scholars transition successfully to college life and complete a degree.

In the end, USC’s full-tuition grant and his NAI experience influenced him to stay in L.A. and become a Trojan. “I’ve been helped

by USC all this time,” Garcia says. “It just felt like the better option for me.”

MAKING A TROJAN FAMILY Garcia is keenly aware that many of his classmates outside NAI face a tougher road to college than he did. Some of his friends are undocumented young people commonly known as “Dreamers”—named after 2011 Congressional legislation that would have provided protection to youthful immigrants.

The legislation was never passed, and these students do not qualify for federal loans or grants to finance their education.

Witnessing their plight has deepened Garcia’s longstanding interest in law, which he traces to his love of watching the show Law & Order since he was a kid. He also credits his aunt Jacqueline Guevara, a paralegal in Los Angeles, for spurring his enthusiasm. Garcia dreams of specializing in immigration law as a way to assist undocumented members of his community.

“Hopefully, they’ll be able to receive aid, trojanfamily.usc.edu

attend better schools or even receive their citizenship,” he says.

This fall, his interest in immigration politics prompted him to enroll in Laura Isabel Serna’s history course “The Latin American Experience,” in which the USC associate professor of cinema and media studies explores the impact of Latin America on the world. At the same time, he wants to learn about people from cultures far different from his own, especially within USC’s diverse community.

As he makes new friends at USC, he still has his old friends, too. Of 94 students in NAI’s 2020 graduating class, 39 were accepted to USC and 36 enrolled.

Many of the same buddies who persuaded Garcia to join NAI back in sixth grade have become Trojans. “I’ve known some of them since kindergarten and elementary school,” he says.

Garcia is also lighting the way for his sister, Dianna, 15, and brother, Ismael, 12, both of whom are in NAI and want to attend USC as well. “He’s helping us set the bar, and that’s their example,” their mother says.

Reflecting on the rewards that have stemmed from his participation in NAI, Garcia is glad that he didn’t pass up the chance to join as a skeptical 12-year-old.

“Looking back on it,” he says, “Saturday school is not that bad.”

David and Laura Garcia saw NAI as a path to college for their son.

7 NAI scholars commit to seven years of classes on Saturdays and weekday mornings, after-school tutoring and family workshops.

4 Students who finish the program in good standing are eligible for a fully funded, four-year tuition package if accepted to USC.

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Celebrate with USC.

USC is hosting its first virtual Homecoming and Reunion Weekend celebrations on November 6-7.

We invite all alumni to join us for this year’s Homecoming. While this year’s celebration will be a virtual event, there will still be plenty of opportunities to reconnect online with long-lost friends and make new ones—and rediscover what USC means to you.

Visit alumni.usc.edu for more details.

And if you earned your undergraduate degree in 1970, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 or 2010, you also are invited to special virtual Reunion Weekend 2020 programming.

To register, visit reunions.usc.edu or call (213) 740-6262.

ALUMNI.USC.EDU | ALUMNI@USC.EDU | TEL: 213 740 2300

@USCAlumni

FA M I LY CAREFUL CANINE Trojans got behind the mask-wearing habit this semester—even George Tirebiter. In this photo, the prudent pooch dons a face covering on the University Park Campus to reinforce public health messages related to COVID-19 across USC.

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family news

Culture Shift

Diversity and inclusion expert John Iino brings his talents to lead the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors.

John Iino JD ’87 learned about racial injustice at an early age. He grew up hearing stories from his Japanese American elders about forced relocation and incarceration during World War II. Their experiences stuck with him as he navigated a career in law, changing how he thought about inclusion and bridging gaps between colleagues and friends from different backgrounds. So when the USC Gould School of Law alumnus was offered a leadership role focused on diversity and inclusion in 2016, it felt like a natural fit.

“It was a culmination of all the things I had experienced and learned,” he says.

“Now more than ever, I recognize the importance of driving change and the need to look at ourselves and understand ourselves better.”

Iino became chief diversity officer at global law firm Reed Smith, where

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he has held many leadership roles since joining as partner in 2001. Under his guidance, the firm has increased gender and racial diversity in its ranks. Now he plans to emphasize similar priorities as the 97th president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors.

AN IMPORTANT MISSION How to measure success in diversity and inclusion is a tricky question. At Reed Smith, Iino can point to statistics—like a 15% increase in female lawyers and 20% increase in lawyers of color since 2016—or the download numbers of his podcast, “Inclusivity Included: Powerful Personal Stories.” But he points to coworker and industry feedback as his proudest sign of progress.

“Changing the culture and having our people feel welcomed and comfortable and literally bragging to people in other firms

or to friends and family about enjoying where they work, that’s the most important thing for me,” he says. “We still have a long way to go, but it’s being noticed.”

He sees opportunities for similar advances at USC. “We have a keen focus on contributing as alumni to this conversation around diversity and inclusion,” Iino says. “How can we support our alumni, our students and the university in this mission?”

One way is to build on USC’s professional network, which Iino says can help Trojans of all backgrounds launch their careers. In his previous role as chair of the USC Gould Board of Councilors, he saw the Trojan Family’s strength when the board launched efforts supporting first-generation college students and job-seeking graduates. He is excited about similar work underway at the USC Alumni Association through the Trojans to Trojans initiative, which includes the Trojan Network mentoring platform and Trojans Hiring Trojans, a USC Career Center program.

“We have a keen focus on contributing as alumni to... diversity and inclusion.”

Iino also benefited from those USC ties. Born in the Crenshaw neighborhood near the University Park Campus, he grew up in a house divided. His mother earned her USC education degree in 1953, and his father went to UCLA. But when Iino had to choose between the two universities for law school, Dad had some advice.

“My Bruin dad said if you are intending to stay and work in Los Angeles, there is no doubt you should go to USC,” Iino says. “The alumni base and network are so much stronger. To this day, his words have proved right.” E R I C L I N D B E R G autumn 2020

family news

Pop Star

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATT BERCOVITZ

USC Dornsife alum Matt Bercovitz makes good eats his business.

For some entrepreneurs, the perfect business idea simply pops into their head.

That’s what happened to Matt Bercovitz ’06, who confesses that he had no idea where his career was headed after graduating from USC with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science. He dabbled in consulting gigs and self-employment ventures but couldn’t seem to find anything that excited him.

Then came a kernel of inspiration.

“I thought about what’s interesting to me and my life, and it’s popcorn,” Bercovitz says. Born with a sweet tooth, he considered himself a lifelong devout connoisseur of the popular snack food.

He rented graveyard-shift hours at a shared commercial kitchen in his hometown of Chicago—“It was cheap and quiet,” he says—and devoted a year to creating recipes for high-quality premium popcorn. He fine-tuned temperature settings for perfect air-popped kernels and put his own spin on tried-and-true flavors like white cheddar and caramel. He also threw his creativity behind ambitious productions like white truffle butter popcorn and a special recipe he calls Billion Dollar Popcorn. It’s a caramel corn made with Madagascar bourbon vanilla and Danish salt and dusted with edible 23-karat gold flakes.

When his recipes earned rave reviews from family and friends, he asked strangers to taste-test his culinary creations.

Bercovitz himself shies away from picking a preferred flavor, insisting, “I could never single out just one.”

Jumping into a crowded snack and gourmet food industry was daunting, but Bercovitz gave himself pep talks inspired by his days as a student manager for the USC football team. He credits a favorite mantra to former head coach Pete Carroll: “We’re going to do it better than it’s ever been done before.” trojanfamily.usc.edu

Matt Bercovitz

In 2013, Bercovitz opened the flagship Berco’s Popcorn retail store in Chicago’s trendy Lincoln Park neighborhood. From parents toting wide-eyed children to couples on first dates, customers lined up for his sweet and savory treats. He hosted in-store movie nights, celebrating that all-American pairing of film and popcorn, and took bulk orders for weddings, baby showers, hotels and corporate clients.

“Berco’s Popcorn was becoming a part of people’s lives, which was my dream in opening the business,” he says.

In 2016, Bercovitz received an unexpected call from a GQ-produced YouTube show called Most Expensivest Sh*t, hosted by rapper 2 Chainz. The next day, Bercovitz was in Los Angeles taping a segment with the eccentric entertainer and pro skateboarder Nyjah Huston. Talking to an audience far beyond his Chicago storefront, he introduced his Billion Dollar Popcorn—dubbed the “world’s most expensive popcorn” at $5 a kernel. After the five-minute segment aired in August 2016, sales took off.

“The show put Berco’s on the map, but I put the work in to be ready for that golden opportunity,” Bercovitz says.

Though the pandemic closed his retail store temporarily, Bercovitz continued filling online orders as people sought a comforting, cheery pick-me-up amid self-quarantined life.

“We’re delivering a positive shared experience through a premium popcorn,” he says.

“That’s a pretty nice thing to be giving the world today.” DANIEL P. SMITH

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family news

Three couples who met in the USC Trojan Marching Band reminisce about finding love amid the music.

BY CHRIS TIAN C AMOZ ZI

Ask former Trojan Marching Band members about their favorite experience in a cardinal-and-gold cape and they might describe the thrill of taking the field during halftime at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Or maybe it’s an exciting road game with the football team or being starstruck performing alongside celebrities.

For a special few, there is something else that made those early morning practices on Cromwell Field worth it: finding love.

▼ Alan ’84 and Dawn Kita ’86

Dawn and Alan Kita’s love story comes with a twist: They didn’t meet as bandmates. Instead, Alan joined the band as a junior—and even learned a new instrument—so he and Dawn could spend more time with each other.

“I was trying to teach him flute all summer,” Dawn recalls.

But in a sense, the band still brought them together. Dawn first noticed him at Songfest, when student organizations perform their best song and dance routines to raise money for Troy Camp.

As the Songfest publicity coordinator, Alan helped the band create its closing routine and impressed Dawn with his dance moves. They later found themselves in the same journalism class, where there was less of a collaborative spirit. “We were competing for the same A,” Dawn remembers with a laugh.

Luckily, the friendly competition brought them closer, and soon Alan followed Dawn to The Spirit of Troy. “When I joined the band, we were always together, so people knew us as one name,” Alan says.

“We were always ‘Dawn-n-Alan.’ Mashed up.”

The band ended up being one of their favorite USC experiences. They remember taking the stage at the Hollywood Bowl for a Fourth of July concert featuring guest star Big Bird. They also performed during the 1984 Olympics opening ceremony, joining 450-plus players on the Coliseum field.

But away from the thrill of cheering crowds, the band’s many

▲ Daniel ’08, MD ’12 and

Sarah Lichtmann ’10, MAcc ’10 A proud “band baby,” Daniel Lichtmann grew up hearing about how his parents, Martin ’76 and Donna Lichtmann, met in the band as undergraduates. Little did he know that he would be lucky in love just like them.

Daniel was smitten when he met Sarah at band camp, but he kept his feelings secret. “I had eyes for her without her knowledge,” he says. As drum major, Daniel was one of the most visible members of the band, but Sarah swears, “I was oblivious.”

More than a year passed before Daniel worked up the courage to approach the flute and piccolo player after Primal Scream, the biannual de-stressing event during finals. “I was very excited that the very cute Jewish drum major asked me

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autumn 2020

LICHTMANNS PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH AND DANIEL LICHTMANN; KITAS PHOTO COURTESY OF DAWN AND ALAN KITA

Playing

By Heart

out!” Sarah emailed her parents as soon as she got home— a message they still have saved.

Inseparable since, Sarah and Daniel married after graduation. The band played at their wedding, and the happy couple couldn’t resist borrowing instruments during the reception to join a few rounds of “Conquest.” They now have two daughters; the first, 2-year-old Riley, arrived just before the big game against UCLA. “She ruined my streak,” jokes Sarah, who hadn’t missed a home game since her first year at USC. “But I watched the game with her in my arms in the hospital.”

Do you have a Trojan love story?

Email us at magazines@usc.edu to share it with the Trojan Family.

The marching band's surprise appearance at Kathleen and Bob Campos' wedding reception had guests grooving to “Tusk.”

hours of practice and long bus trips gave the couple plenty of time to build a strong relationship. It’s something they credit for the longevity of Dawn-n-Alan.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHLEEN AND BOB CAMPOS

► Kathleen ’83 and Bob Campos ’91

Kathleen and Bob Campos met at band camp the summer before their freshman year. Bob, a trumpeter, wanted to join The Spirit of Troy since meeting longtime director Art Bartner in high school.

By sophomore year, they lived in Greek houses across from each other and walked with their fellow band members to practice.

“We were one big happy family,” Kathleen says.

After graduation, their paths diverged, but they reconnected after a fellow band member’s funeral. In 1996, they married, choosing a small church with just close family and friends, many of them Trojans. The marching band made a surprise appearance at the reception. “We were all doing the dance routine to ‘Tusk,’” says Kathleen, a clarinetist who later joined the flag girls—now known as the USC Silks. “My manager at the time was a Bruin, and the look on his face was priceless.”

Another fond moment came when she stood next to Stevie Nicks—who, besides being Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, was a baton twirler—before a halftime show. “She got stage fright in the tunnel,” Kathleen recalls. “The drum major quickly coached her: trojanfamily.usc.edu

‘Look, we’ve got 250 people behind you. We need to take the field!’”

“Once she was on the field,” Kathleen adds, “she was great.”

Kathleen and Bob’s son, Devon, is a trumpeter and senior at USC. Although he’s not in the band, Kathleen says he doesn’t escape Bartner’s attention when the two cross paths on campus. “Dr. Bartner reminds him, ‘You’re here because I introduced your parents.’” usc trojan family

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Scholarships change lives.

“Thanks to my scholarship, I feel free to follow my passions for emergency medicine, social justice and education when deciding on a medical specialty— rather than deciding based solely on earning potential so I can pay off loans. I believe this will help me to attain a much more satisfying career and to make a significantly greater contribution to society.”

Gabe Padilla Pierre Viole Endowed Scholarship Fund Keck School of Medicine of USC Class of 2021

Every gift counts. giveto.usc.edu

family class notes 1 9 5 0 s Michael Halperin ’55 (SCJ) published his first book, Fields of Poison: Migrant Farmworker to Crusading Physician.

George Reeves ’56 (LAS) is the director at the Armed Forces Service Center, the military lounge at Miami International Airport.

1 9 6 0 s John J. Gobbell ’60 (LAS) published Edge of Valor.

Ginger Reardon della-Santina ’62 (ART) is owner of Antonino Ajello House of Candles, a family business founded in 1885 that creates custom candles for social events and entertainment industry special effects.

George J. Gliaudys Jr. ’65 (LAS) is chair of the board of trustees for Westcliff University in Irvine, California.

Raymond M. Scurfield MSW ’67, DSW ’79 (SSW) published his seventh book, Faith-Based and Secular Meditation: Everyday and Posttraumatic Applications.

1 9 7 0 s Garry Kief ’70 (LAS) is a member of the board of trustees of the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California.

PHOTO BY STEVE COHN

John F. Shirey MPA ’73 (SPP) joined the USA Track and Field Officials Hall of Fame.

He has officiated track and field meets since 1973, including national championships, Olympic Team Trials and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Gary Asano ’74 (LAS) received two awards for his vision rehabilitation work: the Envision Oculus Award and the American Optometric Association Vision Rehabilitation Committee’s Low Vision Care Award.

James Tucker ’75 (ARC) retired after a 40-year career that spanned the private and public sector, including serving as a fire trojanfamily.usc.edu

and life safety engineer at Raytheon and an inspector and investigator for the Tucson Fire Department.

Gary Milliman MPA ’76 (SPP) received recognition for 45 years of service and is now a life member of the International City/ County Management Association. He is also a senior advisor with the Oregon City/ County Management Association.

Russell C. Elmayan ’77 (BUS) earned a doctoral degree from Duke Divinity School. He is chief financial officer and chief administrative officer at the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh.

Dean McCormick MBA ’77 (BUS) of Insight Wealth Strategies LP in Irvine, California, entered an alliance agreement with RSM US Wealth Management LLC.

Club, which tracks people who have visited all eight Channel Islands.

Lisa Kloppenberg ’84 (LAS/SCJ), JD ’87 (LAW) is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Santa Clara University, where she has served in an interim capacity since June 2019.

Dave Carothers JD ’85 (LAW) and Brent Giddens JD ’87 (LAW)—both partners at Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP— have been named to Super Lawyers’ list of top 2020 Southern California lawyers.

Chip Jacobs ’85 (LAS/SCJ) is the author of Arroyo, which was listed on the New York Times’ nonfiction paperback bestsellers list for five weeks.

Janis D. Perry ’77, MS ’81 (EDU) is a professor of education at Santiago Canyon College, director of the Orange County Teacher Pathway Partnership and president of the Association of California Community Colleges Teacher Education Programs.

Roy Wilson Copeland II ’79 (LAS) has a museum named in his honor: the Copeland African American Museum at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

1 9 8 0 s Barry Israel ’80 (LAS), DDS ’84 (DEN) was named a top clinician in the United States and Canada by Align Technology, which manufactures Invisalign.

Timothy B. Taylor ’81 (LAS) received the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego’s Judge of the Year Award.

Phyllis Tucker ’83 (LAS) is a strategic nuclear defense analyst at the Pentagon.

Corinne Adams Heyning Laverty MBA ’84 (BUS) published North America’s Galapagos: The Historic Channel Islands Biological Survey.

She is a research associate and fellow at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County, an associate of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation and a member of the All Eight

T R O J A N

T R I B U T E

Amy King Dundon-Berchtold A graduate of the USC Rossier School of Education, Amy Dundon-Berchtold ’72 had deep connections to the university. Her mother, Joyce King Stoops, and stepfather, Emery Stoops, were USC Rossier professors. She also met her first husband, Paul Edward Dundon PhD ’71, at USC. Her parents established the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Education Library, the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean’s Chair in Education, and 25 scholarships for USC Rossier students. After her first husband died in 2008, Dundon-Berchtold created the Paul Edward Dundon Endowed Scholarship for Doctor of Education students focusing on K-12 leadership.

In the following years, Dundon-Berchtold and her husband James “Jim” Joseph Berchtold supported USC Athletics and medical research.

They endowed USC Amy King Dundon-Berchtold University Club at King Stoops Hall in 2016.

Dundon-Berchtold, who had a successful career in real estate investment, also supported organizations like the University of Portland and the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove. She died March 16 at age 74 and is survived by her husband and numerous other relatives.

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Out of This World A microbiologist looks at the impact left by space travelers—both human and microscopic.

When Adriana Blachowicz PhD ’19 decided to go into strict isolation from the outside world, it wasn’t in response to a global pandemic. She was preparing for another planet altogether.

Blachowicz was part of the inaugural all-female Sensoria team, a privately funded program to simulate the experience of living in a Mars colony. In January, she and five other scientists and engineers isolated themselves for two weeks in a remote dome in Hawaii. The site perched 8,200 feet above sea level on the barren slope of Mauna Loa, an active volcano.

Along with experiments on vertical gardening, microbiology and regenerating plant material, the crew explored leadership and team cohesion, art and even how mortality and burial rituals might be addressed in space or on other planets.

“One of my scientific interests was to understand how the dome’s microbiome—that includes all bacteria and fungi— changed with human presence throughout the mission,” says Blachowicz, the crew’s science officer and a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “This helps us understand our environmental impact.”

Over the two weeks, the USC School of Pharmacy alumna periodically collected samples from tabletops and floors to assess changes. “The most exciting part of my research was that I was able to process all the samples in real time because I was also field testing an instrument for automated DNA extraction developed for the International Space Station,” she says.

Ten days of heavy fog kept them from some outdoor activities, but they kept their spirits up in their tight quarters with books, long discussions and occasional movie nights.

“After lockdown, I was just so excited to feel the wind on my skin again,” she says. “And it was nothing compared to a real Mars trip.”

So is Blachowicz ready for liftoff ? Not quite, she says with a laugh.

“I’m extremely excited to think of all the science and technological progress that will be coming as humans travel deeper into space," she says, “but I’m more comfortable doing it as the support team back home.” ELISA HUANG

Adriana Blachowicz took this photo of her Sensoria crewmates during a Mars colony simulation mission in Hawaii.

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autumn 2020

PHOTO BY ADRIANA BLACHOWICZ

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family class notes Julie Gidlow ’89 (LAS/SCJ), MA ’91 (SCJ), a full-time associate at Capital Group, is the first ice dancer to pass U.S. Figure Skating’s adult-track solo international dance test and earned her sixth gold-test medal.

Lisa Tognola MA ’89 (SCJ), MSW ’95 (SSW) published her debut novel, As Long As It’s Perfect.

1 9 9 0 s Steven Atlee JD ’90 (LAW) joined the Office of the General Counsel at Caltech as its new deputy general counsel, where he manages litigation and day-to-day operations at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Allison Brightman JD ’92 (LAW) is executive vice president of business affairs and operations at CBS Television Studios. She has been with CBS for nearly 14 years.

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William Lyon A decorated veteran and celebrated philanthropist, William Lyon was one of USC’s most stalwart supporters.

The Los Angeles native studied business at USC and began building houses in the postWorld War II boom. He then launched Newport Beach-based William Lyon Homes Inc., which grew into one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. He was also founding chairman of the board of Commercial Bank of California.

As a young man, Lyon served as a pilot during World War II and flew 75 combat missions during the Korean War. He was appointed chief of the Air Force Reserve until his retirement from the military in 1979. His military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Lyon served on the USC Board of Trustees for 34 years and was elected a Life Trustee.

He received the 1990 Asa V. Call Achievement Award, the school’s highest alumni honor. The General William Lyon University Center, the University Park Campus’ main student recreation facility, is named in his honor.

The devoted philanthropist and community leader was the founding chairman of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation and a founding board member of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, now the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Lyon is survived by his wife, Willa Dean; four children; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

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Romi Neustadt ’92 (LAS/SCJ) published her new book, You Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time!

Diana Roman-Bisson MS ’92 (GRN) is a reimbursement access manager at Novartis in Miami, her latest role after more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry.

her second book, Project Cost Recording and Reporting.

Mark Foster ’95 (LAS), JD ’98 (LAW) is a partner in the Orange County office of Snell & Wilmer.

Marc Johnson ’95 (SCA) is vice president of commercial development at the Washington, D.C., office of Skanska, a global development and construction firm.

David Judson ’96 (LAS) published Judson: Innovation in Stained Glass, about his family’s fourth-generation fine arts studio.

Fred Rosen MFA ’96 (SCA) published his 27th book, Bat Masterson, The First Dreamer.

Ali Sahabi MRED ’96 (SPP) is the chief operating officer of Optimum Seismic, a California-based earthquake retrofit company.

He received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Baldy View Chapter.

Scott Goldstein PhD ’97 (ENG), a major general in the U.S. Air Force, won the 2019 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Warren White Award for contributions to multidomain radar, electronic warfare and cyber systems.

Diane Tavenner ’92 (LAS) published Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life.

Christa Cole ’93 (LAS) is a member of the RevOZ board of advisors.

Michelle Inouye Schultz ’93 (LAS/SCJ) is senior vice president for legal at Warner Bros.

Entertainment, overseeing legal issues for unscripted television shows.

Laine Wagenseller JD ’93 (LAW) was ranked for the sixth consecutive year on the Super Lawyers list.

Lynne Marie Whately ’93 (SPP) is vice president and senior associate with TranSystems in Berkeley, California. She helped build TransSystems’ planning and environmental capabilities in Florida and Northern California.

Alexia Nalewaik MS ’94 (ENG) published

Timothy Smallwood ’98 (ARC), pictured above, is senior associate partner and director of institutional services for MVE + Partners, an architecture, planning, interiors and graphic design firm in Irvine, California.

Nadia Shpachenko MM ’99, DMA ’04 (MUS) won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium for her album The Poetry of Places, which includes a composition by USC Thornton School of Music faculty member Nina C. Young. autumn 2020

LYON PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LYON FAMILY

Susan Forwell MA ’89, PhD ’05 (OST) received the Muriel Driver Memorial Lectureship Award from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. She heads the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

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Course of Action Former USC roommates start an online guide to fighting racism.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYANNA WALLACE AND AUTUMN GUPTA

“Would you do nothing if I was the one killed simply for my existence? Would you do anything differently than what you’re doing right now?”

The words hit Autumn Gupta ’20 hard. As she listened to her friend Bryanna Wallace ’19 say those words in an Instagram video after George Floyd’s death, she knew she needed to step up. She wanted to be an active ally in the fight against systemic racism.

“That was my biggest light bulb moment, knowing I can’t just skate on by,” says Gupta, an eighth-grade science teacher in Missouri who earned degrees in environmental studies

and geodesign from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

A phone call between the two former USC roommates led to action: They created “Justice in June,” a shared online document that grew into a website listing steps people can take to become allies to the Black community. With links to resources and carefully curated study schedules, the site aims to be a resource for visitors seeking to be anti-racist.

“We didn’t expect for this to take off in the way it did, but we want to continue building tools and resources,” says Wallace, who works as a brand manager for a professional

hair products company and holds a business administration degree from the USC Marshall School of Business. “It’s what we call ‘capitalizing on that gap’ between good intentions and that lack of information and education that leads to action.”

BE THE CHANGE

Gupta, who is from a small town in Missouri, and Wallace, who grew up in Orange County, California, met as freshman roommates at USC. The close friends talked openly about many subjects, including their faith and politics. They’re both women of color—Gupta is half-Indian and half-white, and Wallace is half-Jamaican and half-African American—and they often Bryanna discussed their personal experiences with Wallace, left, racism, too. and Autumn When Gupta saw Wallace speaking out Gupta (photoabout her pain, she wanted to do more graphed before than listen and offer consolation. She social distancing began to build a list of resources with measures were Wallace’s input—books, podcasts, webrecommended) sites and TED talks, among many others— that could serve as a good starting point for self-education about racism.

The shared document quickly gained more than 190,000 views. Its popularity prompted Gupta and Wallace to create a website, justiceinjune.org, devoted to anti-racism education.

The first step for many is realizing that privilege exists. That can often trigger a defensive reaction, including in white people who don’t view themselves as racist or contributors to systemic racism.

“You have to embrace being uncomfortable,” Gupta says. “It’s not easy.”

After understanding systemic racism, people need to speak up and take action when they see it occur. And just as talking about racism needs to become normalized, so does the idea that people can learn and grow, they say.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the story; everyone needs to be part of the narrative,” Wallace says. “That’s how we make a cultural shift. We need everyone else to say, ‘I’m going to stand with you and fight alongside you so we can get to a better place.’” MEREDITH MCGROAR T Y

Learn about Justice in June at justiceinjune.org.

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family class notes

2 0 0 0 s Brien R. Kelley JD ’00 (LAW) is a partner in Sklar Kirsh’s real estate practice and was named by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the top minority lawyers in L.A. Megan Chang MA ’01 (OST), MS ’06 (MED), PhD ’09 (OST) was inducted this year to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows. She is a faculty member at San Jose State University’s Department of Occupational Therapy.

Chris Mayeda DDS ’01 (DEN) retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel after 11 years of active duty and nine years in the reserves. He is an assistant professor with the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. Meredith Delia ’02 (LAS) is the human resources manager at GI Partners, a private equity firm based in San Francisco.

Sean D. Muntz JD ’02 (LAW) is co-managing partner of probate and trust estate litigation law firm RMO Lawyers LLP, where he serves as chair of practice management.

Jim Brenner ’03 (SCJ) is a partner at Perkins Coie LLP in Palo Alto, California.

Landon Derentz ’04 (SCJ) joined the U.S. Department of Energy as director for Middle Eastern and African affairs.

Kathryn Eberle ’04 (MUS) is the concertmaster of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. A soloist and chamber musician, she is also the associate concertmaster for the Utah Symphony.

Alan Kang JD ’04 (LAW) is the plaintiff ’s attorney in a lawsuit against Rancho Palos Verdes’ Terranea Resort and was quoted in the Daily Breeze about the case.

Sarah Martin ’04 (ENG) is senior director of programs at HealthCorps, a national nonprofit that delivers health and physical education programming in high-need high schools across the country.

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Jared Blank ’05, MCM ’07 (SCJ) published Running the Distance, a memoir about being a marathon runner who was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 5 years old.

Jedidiah Jenkins ’05 (LAS) is the author of To Shake the Sleeping Self, which was listed on the Los Angeles Times’ hardcover fiction bestseller list for five weeks.

Eve Weston MFA ’05 (SCA) won DreamlandXR’s Best Project for Television at CES for her show The BizNest, the world’s first virtual reality sitcom. She also helped write and produce The Look Club, a platform that aggregates and catalogs immersive narrative experiences.

ranked higher on the Billboard charts than any original score in gaming history.

Cassio Goldschmidt MBA ’07 (BUS) received a 2019 (ISC)2 Information Security Leadership Americas Award in the senior information security professional category.

William Morris ’07 (LAS) joined the pediatric orthopedic surgical staff of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

Tyler Menzel ’06 (SCA) is editor-in-chief of GIPHY, a meme content platform for GIFs. He joined the company in 2013 as its fourth hire; it now has more than 150 employees.

John Storie ’06 (MUS) performed and arranged music for I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, an album by Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.

Alison Rose Jefferson MHC ’07 (ARC) published Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era, which examines stories of African Americans who fought for equal access in California.

Michael Younger ’07 (SPP) is deputy secretary for strategic planning and equity at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, an executive branch agency in the governor’s cabinet.

Christina Gagnier MPA ’07 (SPP) is vice president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board in California. She is a shareholder in the law firm Carlton Fields and teaches privacy law at the UC Irvine School of Law. Joy Mitchell ’07 (SCJ) is a Berlin-based TV writer for the Netflix drama series The Letter for the King and the second season of Deutschland 83, an Emmy award-winning international TV drama series.

Austin Wintory ’07 (MUS) composed the score for the video game Journey, which

T R O J A N

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Irene Hirano Inouye Celebrated civic leader Irene Hirano Inouye ’70, MPA ’73 dedicated her life to building a more inclusive community through public service.

A third-generation Japanese American, Inouye bridged cultures by spearheading the founding of two institutions: the American Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles and the U.S.-Japan Council, which she led as president. She began her distinguished career in public administration as executive director at T.H.E. Clinic, which offered affordable health care to uninsured women in south Los Angeles.

Inouye served on the boards of the Ford Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other prominent organizations. She was also appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under President Bill Clinton. The Anti-Defamation League, National Education Association, Asian Justice Center and other groups honored her for her many years of civic leadership.

At USC, the USC Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy launched the Irene Hirano Inouye Philanthropic Leadership Fund in 2016 to support research and programs that explore shared governance between foundation boards and executives.

Inouye died April 7 at age 71. She was predeceased by her husband, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, who died in 2012. She is survived by her mother, two sisters and a brother, and numerous other relatives.

autumn 2020

PHOTO BY TOM QUEALLY

Andrew Stein JD ’99 (LAW) is a partner at Hersh Mannis LLP.

Do you have news to share? Send it along with your name, school and class year to classnotes@ usc.edu and it may appear in a future issue.

Xuan Juliana Wang ’07 (LAS) wrote Home Remedies, which won the John C. Zacharis First Book Award for best debut book by a Ploughshares writer.

Justin Lubliner ’12 (MUS) is founder of Darkroom Records and released Billie Eilish’s Grammy Award-winning album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Dyrell Foster EdD ’08 (EDU) is president of Las Positas College in Livermore, California.

Daniel Weidlein ’12 (MUS) produced, arranged and orchestrated From Here, the debut album by vocal artist Julie Craig.

Kelly Caleb MSW ’16 (SSW) published her children’s book, Now Cow Helps Drama Llama: A Mindful Tale for Coping with Anxiety.

Jessica Louie ’09 (LAS), PharmD (PHM) is a certified KonMari consultant and declutter coach and hosts the Burnout Doctor podcast.

Daniel Kadin ’13 (LAS) joined Lathrop GPM’s Los Angeles office as a patent litigator.

Peter Devlin MSW ’16 (SSW) published his first book, Malignant Narcissism and Power: A Psychodynamic Exploration of Madness and Leadership.

Dallas Woodburn ’09 (LAS) launched the podcast Overflowing Bookshelves.

Genevieve Kaplan PhD ’13 (LAS) published a new book of poetry, (aviary).

Eli Goodstein ’17 (SCJ) is an associate producer for the CNN Digital Video team.

2 0 1 0 s

Nikki Levy ’14, MPA ’15 (SPP) is a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

Carol Haywood PhD ’18 (OST) received the 2019 Nedra Gillette Endowed Research Fellowship from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. She is a postdoctoral fellow in health services and outcomes research at Northwestern University in Chicago.

David Clark JD ’10 (LAW) is a partner in the Orange County office of Haynes and Boone LLP. He is a trial attorney with a focus on licensing disputes and patent litigation.

Abbey Marterella PhD ’10 (OST) is president of the Center for Innovative OT Solutions, a Colorado-based clinical resource center.

Stephanie Ward JD ’10 (LAW) is vice president of business and legal affairs at Starz.

Sunny Yang MM ’10 (MUS) performed on the Grammy Award-winning album Terry Riley: Sun Rings.

U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST SEAMAN JONATHAN BERLIER

of South Florida Financial Technologies Program and Citigroup Investment Banking.

Roye Zur JD ’10 (LAW) is a partner at Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP and leads the firm’s new bankruptcy and restructuring practice group.

Melanie Ziebart ’14 (ENG) is the first U.S. Air Force pilot to deploy with the U.S. Marines Corps on an amphibious warship in the Pacific.

She flies with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, also known as the Green Knights.

Nathan Hardy JD ’15 (LAW) co-authored an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times on court-packing by the Trump administration.

He is a co-chair of the Los Angeles Lawyer chapter of the American Constitution Society.

Kathleen Siswanto ’15 (BUS) is in the MBA program at the University of Chicago and served on the advisory board at the University

Waverly Middleton ’18 (LAS) placed second in the fourth annual Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund competition.

Melody Ector ’19 (MUS) made her Saturday Night Live debut as keyboardist for singer Mikaela Straus, whose stage name is King Princess. Will Ferrell ’90 (SCJ) was the show’s host.

Molly McClary ’19 (SCJ) is an analytics and insights specialist for The Walt Disney

Matthew Fox-Amato MA ’11, PhD ’13 (LAS) published a book, Exposing Slavery: Photography, Human Bondage, and the Birth of Modern Visual Politics in America.

Christine Harding Hart JD ’11 (LAW) is a partner at Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC, where her practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on higher education and constitutional law matters.

Brandon Kennedy JD ’12 (LAW) joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Trade Field Office as a trial attorney representing the government at the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. trojanfamily.usc.edu

Capt. Melanie Ziebart, a 2014 engineering graduate, flies for the U.S. Air Force. usc trojan family

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@USCAlumni autumn 2020

Obituaries of members of the Trojan Family appear online at news.usc.edu/tributes. Please submit obituaries to classnotes@usc.edu.

Company’s Parks, Experiences and Products division.

Chase Millsap MPP ’16 (SPP) and Maile Millsap, a daughter, Luna Leiko.

Robert K. Matheison ’55 (SCJ) of Clyde, North Carolina; Jan. 5, 2020, at the age of 86.

Justin F. Mello JD ’19 (LAW) is an associate for the commercial litigation group at the Orange County office of Snell & Wilmer.

Kristin (Geiling) Walje EdD ’16 (EDU) and John Walje IV EdD ’16 (EDU), a daughter, Willow Grace.

Richard Moorehouse DDS ’55 (DEN) of Abilene, Texas; June 24, 2019, at the age of 88.

Teresa Naff MBA ’19 (BUS) is associate director of sports brand marketing at Ticketmaster.

Business Insider recently interviewed her about MBA grads’ paths after business school.

Carlota Rodriguez-Benito ’19 (LAS) published Beauty As It Is, a book about the power of feeling beautiful.

M E M O R I A M

ALUMNI Arthur Alfio Silveri ’40 (BUS), LLB ’49 (LAW) of Northridge, California; Oct. 23, 2019, at age 101.

M A R R I A G E S

Stuart M. Ketchum ’46 (LAS) of Beverly Hills, California; Feb. 15, 2020, at the age of 93.

Torrey A. Fishman ’09 (LAS) and Amy Melser.

Annabelle Pond ’47, MA ’62 (LAS) of Lancaster, California; Jan. 16, 2020, at the age of 99.

Ariel Gonzalez ’11 (SCA) and Harlen (Joe) Shasteen ’11 (BUS).

Ally Donnelly ’17 (SCJ) and Greg Salvage.

Jessica Aguirre MS ’19 (BVD) and Christopher Hernandez.

B I R T H S Stephanie (Celosia) Louie ’96, MBA ’05 (BUS) and Dennis Louie, a son, Devin Kai Dennis.

He joins brother Bryson Windsor Carlo.

Jodi Hart ’01 (LAS) and Greg Hart, a daughter, Kinley.

Angela Beck Hassan ’03 (BUS) and Tijani Hassan, a son, Kingston Amari.

PHOTO COURTESY OF USC UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

I N

Richard Harwald Brody MA ’56 (LAS) of Santa Barbara, California; Nov. 3, 2019, at age 89.

Edward Allen Mainland ’56 (LAS) of Novato, California; Dec. 31, 2019, at the age of 84.

Sorrell Trope ’47 (LAS), JD ’49 (LAW) of Los Angeles; May 23, 2020, at the age of 93.

Kathleen Marie Cook Gray ’48 (LAS) of Reno, Nevada; Jan. 4, 2020, at the age of 95.

Clyde E. Sorensen MA ’47 (MUS) of University Place, Washington; June 2019, at the age of 97.

William Johnston ’49 (LAS), MS ’51 (EDU) of Redondo Beach, California; Feb. 21, 2019, at the age of 93.

Malcom H. Stilson ’49 (LAS) of Olympia, Washington; Feb. 5, 2020, at the age of 96.

William H. Butz ’50 (LAS) of San Luis Obispo, California; Jan. 10, 2020, at the age of 91.

Huy Luong ’04 (ARC) and Bin Xiao, a son, Elijah.

William I. Kott ’51 (LAS), DDS ’52 (DEN) of Anaheim, California, Jan. 8, 2020, at the age of 97.

Rebekah Olkowski ’09 (LAS) and Gary Olkowsi, twin daughters, Elena Bernadette and Gwendolyn Michelle.

William L. Todd Jr. ’52 (LAS), LLB ’57 (LAW) of La Jolla, California; Jan. 30, 2020, at the age of 91.

Luisa Barnes MSW ’15 (SSW) and Darin Barnes, a daughter, Giuseppa Cait. She joins sister Dolores DeNicola and brother Nino Leone.

Donald Joseph Smyth ’53 (LAS) of Sonora, California; Nov. 2, 2019, at the age of 89.

trojanfamily.usc.edu

Stanley E. Weiner ’55 (LAS) of Torrance, California; Jan. 28, 2020, at the age of 88.

Herman Clark Curtis PharmD ’54 (PHM); June 19, 2020, at the age of 72.

T R O J A N

T R I B U T E

Roger Jelliffe Roger Woodham Jelliffe was a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC whose career spanned 60 years.

Acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of pharmacokinetics, Jelliffe is known for developing the earliest computer software for customizing drug dosage to patients. He aimed to create regimens that safely and precisely delivered drugs that might otherwise be toxic to patients. He founded the USC Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics in 1973.

An author and collaborator on hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, he mentored more than 100 visiting scientific scholars from around the world. The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists granted him its Research Achievement Award in 1997. He also was honored in 2019 by the American Academy of Clinical Pharmacology, which established an award in recognition of his lifetime achievement.

Jelliffe played classical and folk guitar and was an accomplished pianist. He earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from Columbia University. He died June 22 at age 91 and is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joyce Evelyn Miller Jelliffe, as well as four children and five grandchildren.

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family class notes James Harlan Myers PhD ’56 (LAS) of Peachtree City, Georgia; Nov. 11, 2019, at the age of 94.

Nancy Hayes Zubair ’71 (LAS), MS ’74 (GRD) of Redmond, Washington; Feb. 6, 2020, at the age of 71.

Lowell Eugene Berge ’57 (LAS) of San Jose, California; Jan. 21, 2020, at the age of 87.

Dennis Keith Watson ’72 (LAS) of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Jan. 29, 2020, at the age of 70.

Anthony Joseph Rossi ’57 (LAS), LLB ’60 (LAW) of Los Angeles; Dec. 8, 2019, at the age of 87.

George Howard Baechtold LLB ’59 (LAW) of Laguna Beach, California; Dec. 7, 2019, at the age of 91.

Carol Ann Miller ’61 (OST), MA ’62 (GRD) of Auburn, Washington; Oct. 2019, at the age of 80.

Roger W. Borrell ’60 (BUS), LLM ’63 (LAW) of Yuba City, California; Feb. 19, 2020, at the age 81.

John Bitzer Jr. ’61 (LAS), MBA ’62 (BUS) of Fort Worth, Texas; March 18, 2020, at the age of 83.

Cyrus Addison Johnson LLM ’61 (LAW) of Palm Desert, California.

Joseph Peter D’Arelli ’64 (LAS) of Lompoc, California; Jan. 30, 2019, at the age of 78.

Richard Jay Evans ’64 (LAS) of Perrysburg, Ohio; Jan. 4, 2020, at the age of 77.

John “Steven” Hartwell ’62 (LAS), LLB ’64 (LAW) of San Diego; Oct. 19, 2019, at the age of 81.

Gordon Lee Waterous MBA ’75 (BUS) of Manhattan Beach, California; Feb. 2, 2019, at the age of 75.

Kathryn Mc Vann Balale ’78 (SCJ) of Torrance, California; Jan. 23, 2020, at the age of 66.

Steven John Perez MD ’78 (MED) of Annandale, Virginia; May 7, 2020, at the age of 68.

Carolyn Cooper Heine of Los Angeles; Feb. 15, 2020.

David Eggenschwiler of Pasadena, California; June 17, 2020, at the age of 83.

Edward Kleinbard of Los Angeles; June 29, 2020, at the age of 68.

Brett Richard Nelson ’80 (LAS) of Issaquah, Washington; Sept. 25, 2019, at the age of 61.

LAS

David H. Ross JD ’86 (LAW) of Santa Cruz, California; Jan. 22, 2020, at the age of 79.

Andrew Stevens Kierstead JD ’87 (LAW) of Plymouth, Massachusetts; Feb. 4, 2020, at the age of 57.

Kevin Layseca ’87, MBA ’91 (BUS) of Reno, Nevada; Dec. 10, 2019, at the age of 54.

Kent Kornmeyer MM ’88 (MUS), Beverly Hills, California; Feb. 10, 2020, at the age of 62.

Sammy Kwan ’90 (LAS) of Phoenix, Arizona; Feb. 5, 2019, at the age of 51.

Bradley T. Mandler ’65 (BUS) of Chester, New Jersey; May 22, 2019.

Courtney Everts Mykytyn MA ’98, PhD ’07 (LAS) of Los Angeles; Dec. 30, 2019, at the age of 46.

trojanfamily.usc.edu

Richard Cone of San Gabriel, California; April 3, 2020, at the age of 77.

L E G E N D

Kenneth C. Ryken JD ’91 (LAW) of Pleasanton, California; Jan. 5, 2020, at the age of 54.

Edwin Marvin Todd III ’70 (LAS) of Boulder, Colorado; July 6, 2019, at the age of 71.

Dona Christianson of Los Angeles; March 4, 2020, at the age 69.

Linda “Lee” Talbert PhD ’79 (LAS) of Boulder, Colorado; Feb. 13, 2019, at the age of 68.

Fred R. Thomas MS ’64 (ENG) of Irvine, California; April 3, 2019, at the age of 84.

Richard A. Barnicki ’68, MBA ’73 (BUS) of Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Feb. 20, 2018.

FA C U LT Y A N D F R I E N D S

Richard Gollance MSW ’02 (SSW) of Palm Springs, California; Nov. 3, 2019, at the age of 69.

Matthew Gasparich ’04 (LAS) of Seattle; Feb. 23, 2019, at the age of 36.

ACC ARC BVD BUS SCA SCJ DNC DEN DRA EDU ENG ART GRN GRD LAW MED MUS OST PHM SPP SSW

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences USC Leventhal School of Accounting USC School of Architecture USC Bovard College USC Marshall School of Business USC School of Cinematic Arts USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism USC Kaufman School of Dance Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC USC School of Dramatic Arts USC Rossier School of Education USC Viterbi School of Engineering USC Roski School of Art and Design USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology USC Graduate School USC Gould School of Law Keck School of Medicine of USC USC Thornton School of Music USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy USC School of Pharmacy USC Price School of Public Policy USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Amanda Decker, Matt DeGrushe, Edmundo Diaz, Leticia Lozoya, Kristy Ly, Jane Ong, Alex Rast, Stacey Wang Rizzo, Nicole Stark, Julie Tilsner and Deann Webb contributed to this section. usc trojan family

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back in time

Paper Trail USC alumni publications date back at least 100 years. As USC Trojan Family Magazine turns into a semiannual publication, take a journey into its past.

This issue of USC Trojan Family Magazine marks its transition from printing quarterly to publishing twice a year, so what better time for a nostalgic look back? Click through USC alumni magazines and newspapers in the USC Digital Library online, found at digitallibrary.usc.edu, and you’ll take a trip through history.

First published in 1920, USC’s Southern California Alumni News started as a monthly whose words reflected contemporary attitudes about men and women. One issue from 1923 called out the success of Campus Frolics, a student event known for its chorus lines, “which bid to rival the ‘fair

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femmes’ of Zeigfeld in pulchritude. These are to be supported, figuratively speaking, by the handsomest of USC athletes.”

Over the decades, the publication turned into the Alumni Review, then USC Trojan Family and finally USC Trojan Family Magazine. As the university matured, the publication’s articles increasingly highlighted the perspectives and contributions of Trojan Family members—and dropped the commentary about their looks.

Editors in the early 1940s honored Trojan alumni who enlisted in the armed forces and acknowledged the sacrifices of those at home. USC’s alumni association

curtailed its activities to help the university focus on its core mission, a decision that “gives all of our alumni an added opportunity to expend more energy in the winning of the war,” according to one writer.

Fast forward 40 years and you’ll find USC Trojan Family reflecting the nation’s excitement about the 1984 Olympics in L.A. and the school’s longtime reputation as a sports powerhouse. Swimmer and five-time Olympic medalist John Naber ’77 splashed out of the pool and onto the cover waving a victory sign.

The publications’ articles and format remain a testament to their times. Black ink on newsprint gave way to glossy color photos. Monthly issues turned into quarterlies. Stories and photos were once uploaded to the internet as an afterthought, but now digital content comes first. What will the future bring? Go to trojanfamily.usc.edu to see what develops. ALICA DI RADO autumn 2020

PHOTOS COURTESY OF USC UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

Have an idea for a story on USC history?

Email it to magazines@usc.edu.

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