More than 125 people visited the San Francisco Exploratorium for interactive demonstrations and dialogue about digital learning, held during the annual meeting of the largest education research organization in the United States.

“It was a really engaging event,” said Zoe Corwin, research assistant professor at the USC Rossier School of Education, who organized the event. “One thing that came through was that it is not just about technology; it’s about how we engage with technology, and it’s the critical thinking and activities facilitated through the technologies.”

Digital media, new media literacy and online learning experts from a number of universities attended the gathering. Guests took part in game demonstrations by education technology startups, including Collegeology Games, which was developed by USC researchers. Other game demonstrations were provided by the Exploratorium, SRI, wiiscience, MaKey MaKey, Kidaptive, Newton’s Playground and Root-1.

Large poster boards throughout the space posed questions, and attendees were encouraged to respond by adding their thoughts on Post-it notes. Guests pondered such questions as “How are digital innovations best sustained?” and “What are the major barriers to tech-related adoption for low-income consumers?”

“We had a few people assigned as ‘instigators,’ who would interrupt the activity to offer their thoughts around one of the questions and prod others to contribute their ideas,” Corwin said.

Among those leading the informal discussions were Tracy Fullerton of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Brendesha Tynes of USC Rossier, James Paul Gee of Arizona State University, Milton Chen of Edutopia, Alan Louie of ImagineK12, Russell Almond of Florida State University, S. Craig Watkins of the University of Texas and Ken Weber of Zynga.org.

Corwin said that with the growth of educational games, it is critical that game designers work with education scholars to maximize the learning process.

“We wanted to bring people who don’t normally talk to each other in the same room to brainstorm, and share information and ideas,” she said.

USC researchers showcased Mission: Admission and Future Bound, the two newest online games in the Collegeology Games series. Mission: Admission, a Facebook game that takes players through the steps of getting into college, has attracted 2,000 users online. Future Bound is designed to show middle school students the pathways to success and how decisions they make before high school can impact college and career prospects.

Corwin and project collaborators Fullerton, chair of the Interactive Media Division at the School of Cinematic Arts, and University Professor William Tierney will use feedback from the “Players and Professors” event to plan an even longer and more targeted event for gamers, entrepreneurs and education technology experts this fall.

This cause and effect is a theme that runs throughout Therapy, a play written and directed by USC School of Social Work alumnus Jeff Bernhardt MSW ’94 that shows how the line between professional and personal issues can become blurry.

Other characters include Lance, a depressed man in his 20s who masks his pain with sarcasm and who meets with Steven for therapy just to spite his parents with the bill. Somewhat new to private practice, Steven struggles to connect with Lance and airs his grievances and childhood wounds to Moira, an earth mother who meditates in her free time. The last of the play’s therapists is Sandra, a “consummate professional” who seems to have mastered leaving her personal problems at the door.

Bernhardt said he wanted to humanize the counseling profession through his characters.

“It was very important for me to present it in a realistic way,” Bernhardt said. “Oftentimes, the only experience people have with therapy is through the media, which doesn’t show what it’s really like to be a therapist or what issues come up.”

Therapy had nine showings over three weekends in March at the Secret Rose Theatre in Los Angeles. Sitting in the audience on opening night was Robin Siegal, an adjunct lecturer at the School of Social Work. After seeing the play, Siegal decided to sponsor it through California Psych Resources, an organization that promotes creative and applicable training for professionals in continuing education

“This was the first time I saw a play where social workers were therapists in private practice. That usually isn’t how we’re portrayed in the media,” Siegal said. “Bernhardt’s play helps demonstrate to the public that we’re capable of more things than being foster care workers.”

Bernhardt, who has worked as a social worker serving families and college students, said the play stems from the questions and experiences he was challenged with after the suicide of one of his former clients. As he worked through his thoughts and unresolved feelings from the incident, he started writing Therapy.

His emotional connection to the play can be seen in how his characters deal with abandonment, hopelessness and anger in a way the audience can relate to. Moira is a nurturing therapist in her office, but she struggles with the guilt of being unable to help her mother, who is suffering from dementia, because they live in different states. Just as the play isn’t only about therapy, Bernhardt’s characters aren’t only therapists — they are also people with their own concerns.

The National Association of Social Workers, which praised Therapy, chose to recognize Bernhardt with its Social Work Image Award. The honor is given to those who have advanced the profession through their work. Bernhardt said he was honored to receive the award because authentically representing social workers was important to him when creating the play.

“While I did not write Therapy with the goal of promoting a positive self-image of social workers, it was very important to me to portray the characters not as clichés or as stereotypes but as human beings with professional values and personal struggles,” Bernhardt said. “I got powerful reactions from people who never really understood what it was like to be a therapist, and the people who were therapists said they felt very validated by the way it was presented.”

Bernhardt currently works as a Jewish educator and communal professional but devotes most of his time to his writing career. He previously wrote the play Mixed Blessings and published the book On Sacred Ground: Jewish and Christian Clergy Reflect on Transformative Passages From the Five Books of Moses.

Bernhardt said his experience at USC greatly influenced Therapy.

“In writing and thinking about the play, I called upon my education, my internships and my work after I graduated,” he said. “Even though my schooling was 20 years ago, it was the foundation for everything that came later and everything that I’ve done since.”

It is almost impossible to overstate how monumental a development that would be and how it would answer the prayers of millions.

Though science isn’t there yet, a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience spearheaded by USC Davis School of Gerontology researchers offers a tantalizing glimpse of potential solutions.

“Our data suggests the possibility of drugs that can prevent and treat Alzheimer’s,” said lead author, professor and lab principal Christian Pike of USC Davis. “It’s just mouse data but extremely encouraging mouse data.”

The team studied the effects of a class of drugs called TSPO ligands on male mice that were genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s disease, known as 3xTg-AD mice. Because a key mechanism of TSPO ligands is to increase production of steroid hormones, it was important to ensure that the mice had low levels of testosterone and related hormones before treatment. Younger mice were castrated while, in older mice, the decrease occurred as a normal consequence of aging.

“We looked at the effects of TSPO ligands in young adult mice when pathology was at an early stage and in aged mice when pathology was quite severe,” Pike said. “TSPO ligands reduced measures of pathology and improved behavior at both ages.”

The most surprising finding for Pike and his team was the effect of TSPO ligands in the aged mice. Four treatments — one per week over four weeks — in aged 3xTg-AD mice resulted in significant lowering of Alzheimer’s-related pathology and improvements in memory behavior. This finding suggested the possibility that TSPO ligands can reverse components of Alzheimer’s and thus have the potential to be useful in treatment.

For humans, these findings may indeed be quite significant.

“TSPO ligands are currently used in humans in certain types of neuroimaging. Newer TSPO ligands are at the clinical trials stage of development for treatment of anxiety and other conditions,” Pike said. “There is a strong possibility that TSPO ligands similar to the ones used in our study could be evaluated for therapeutic efficacy in Alzheimer’s patients within the next few years.”

In light of the findings, the team will next focus on understanding how TSPO ligands reduce Alzheimer’s pathology. Building on the established knowledge that TSPO ligands can act protectively by reducing inflammation, shielding nerve cells from injury and increasing the production of neuroactive hormones in the brain, the team will study which of these actions is the most significant in fighting Alzheimer’s so it can develop newer TSPO ligands accordingly.

While Pike and his team acknowledged that the findings represent an exciting possibility, the researchers also stressed that it is by no means a given.

“From the optimistic perspective, our data provide very promising findings with tangible potential benefits for both the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s,” Pike said. “On the pessimistic side, research scientists have developed many interventions that cured Alzheimer’s in mice but have failed to show significant benefits in humans. A critical direction we are currently pursuing is successfully translating these findings into humans.”

Co-authors of the study were Anna Barron (former USC Davis postdoctoral student and Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Japan); Luis Garcia Segura (Instituto Cajal, Spain); Donatella Caruso and Roberto Melcangi (Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Centre of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan); and Anusha Jayaraman and Joo Lee (USC Davis).

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health in support of the USC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, directed by Helena Chui, professor of neurology and gerontology at USC.

But as the USC School of Social Work class project grew bigger and gained national attention — MAP was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House last year — Kavanaugh realized that she could use her advocacy skills to achieve something on a larger scale.

That’s when she decided to join the Truman National Security Project, an organization that prepares the leaders of tomorrow to advocate for progressive national security policy. Kavanaugh is now one of fewer than 50 in the United States chosen to become part of the project’s 2013 Defense Council, a competitive leadership development program for those who honorably served in the military and defense communities and who understand what it means to serve at home and abroad.

Defense Council members, who are selected based on their desire and ability to influence policy, politics and public opinion, must demonstrate potential for ongoing public leadership and the desire to engage in the community throughout their professional lives.

“I feel honored to bring a social work perspective to the Truman National Security Project,” said Kavanaugh, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former Marine Corps captain. “The organization makes the connection that social policies affect people, and that can affect national security.”

R. Paul Maiden, vice dean of the School of Social Work, assisted Kavanaugh during the application process and commended the 2012 National Association of Social Workers’ Up and Coming Student of the Year for her accomplishment.

“Kristen demonstrated exceptional leadership when she was an MSW student and continued to do so after her graduation from USC,” Maiden said. “Her military experience, advocacy in the LGBT community and advancement of LGBT acceptance in the military make her an exceptional Defense Council member.”

Kavanaugh recently attended an orientation where she was taught the values of the organization, communication skills, writing formulas and other tools that will be essential during her year with the Defense Council. As a member, Kavanaugh will focus on how social policy impacts national security and will promote social justice issues through the media and community involvement.

“It’s all about people and the importance of empowering them,” Kavanaugh said. “Having a social work background that has already developed that perspective has been a blessing.”

Kavanaugh is already preparing ways she can use her new position to make a difference in the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court rulings on California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, both of which, if upheld, would affect the marriage rights of same-sex couples. Advancing policies that support equality complements Kavanaugh’s past in the military, present work with MAP and future goal of becoming a political figure.

“This allows me to take what I learned in the military and what I’ve learned at the School of Social Work and make it into another opportunity to serve,” Kavanaugh said.

The graduates gathered with their family members, friends and professors in the library’s Weingart Reading Room, surrounded by the names of past honorees. USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Libraries Dean Catherine Quinlan, and Skull and Dagger Society President Jerry Papazian joined the crowd in congratulating the students.

Nikias hailed the students’ inclusion on the wall as “a wonderful tribute to their exceptional intellectual gifts, and to their remarkable devotion to the pursuit of knowledge.”

The president invited the graduating students to return as alumni to the library.

“When you do, you can proudly show your friends and your families and even your own children or your own grandchildren that you have a special place in the history of the University of Southern California,” he said.

Noting that many of the graduates had spent long hours studying there, Quinlan highlighted the essential role of the USC Libraries in the students’ academic success.

“These walls represent the tremendous accomplishments that are possible when we bring together dedicated students, accomplished USC faculty and researchers, and the research resources of our great libraries,” she said. “It is impossible to have a great university without a great library, and I am proud that within our great libraries at USC we have created this monument to your scholarship and creativity.”

The Skull and Dagger Society, USC’s oldest honor society, created the Wall of Scholars in 1995. Each spring, the names of students who have been awarded a national or international scholarship, or who have earned certain USC academic accolades, are etched on glass panels in the library’s first-floor reading room.

This year’s Wall of Scholars honorees are:

Andrew W. Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship: Ashley Harlow, Evelyn Larios, Rikiesha Pierce, Daniel Rios, Jayme Tsutsuse, Monica Valencia, Charnan Williams

Arnold S. Dunn Renaissance Scholarship for the Sciences, Arts and Humanities: Mackenzie Postel

Boren Scholar: Jason Finkelstein

Dean Joan Metcalf Schaefer Scholarship: Kelly Belter, Megan Bernstein, Samantha Coxe, Fan Fan, Samuel Fein, Kathryn McVay, Rosalie Murphy, Daniella Newman, Andrew Novak, Andres Park, Sara Worth

Discovery Scholar: Troy Armstrong, Jasneet Aulakh, Alexander Fullman, Christopher Hanke, Devon Mott, Julian Pegram, Roza Petrosyan, Abhinav Prem, Russell Stewart, Ka Ming Margaret To

Emma Josephine Bradley Bovard Award: Shelby Bachman, Katherine Fu, Olivia Lassoff, Julia Mangione, Sara Meghji, Aadrita Mukerji

Fulbright Graduate Study and Research Abroad Grant: Jasneet Aulakh, Juan Espinoza, Travis Glynn, Andrew Ju, Ana Lee, Molly Levine, Megan Rilkoff, Joshua Rivkin, Jonathan Truong

Global Scholar: Sarah Choi, W. Scott Fairbanks, Jenny Ham, Janet Lee, Myles Lock, Julia Mangione, Meaghan Pohl, Anu Ramachandran, Jayme Tsutsuse, Eve White

J. Wesley Robb Endowed Scholarship in Human Values: Josephine Lim

Luce Scholar: Tamara Shogaolu

Marshall Scholar: Alexander Fullman

Rockwell Dennis Hunt Scholastic Award: Kenisha Strong

Salutatorian: Alexander Fullman, Julia Mangione

Steven and Kathryn Sample Renaissance Scholar: Christie Amrein, Marguerite Bowen, Karen Fang, Arielle Gillman, Janice Kitchen, William McGarey, Sara Meghji, Aadrita Mukerji, Robert Rosencrans, Brandon Wolfe

Truman Scholar: Travis Glynn

University Trustees Award: Alexander Fullman, Walker Hollrah, Jeffrey Sakamoto

Valedictorian: Katherine Fu

The names have also been added to the USC Libraries’ virtual Wall of Scholars. The site provides the physical location for all the names on the wall.

“You have pursued your studies with passion and diligence, you have given generously of your time in service to others, and you have made a lasting impact on our campuses and in our community by upholding the qualities of the ideal Trojan,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias during the May 17 ceremony in Bovard Auditorium.

The 2013 award winners included founding members of student organizations, captains of Trojan athletics teams and students who maintained 4.0 grade point averages during their entire course of undergraduate studies.

The Emma Josephine Bradley Bovard Award was given to Shelby Bachman, Katherine Fu, Olivia Lassoff, Julia Mangione, Sara Meghji and Aadrita Mukerji. The University Trustees Award went to Alexander Fullman, Walker Hollrah and Jeffrey Sakamoto. The USC Provost’s Award, given to students who have attained the highest scholarship average of all undergraduate transfer students, was awarded to Andrew Alonzo and Paris Jami-Tehrani.

Marshall Scholar Alexander Fullman, Luce Scholar Tamara Shogaolu, Truman and Fulbright Scholar Travis Glynn, and Fulbright scholars Jasneet Aulakh, Juan Espinoza, Andrew Ju, Ana Lee, Molly Levine, Megan Rilkoff, Joshua Rivkin and Jonathan Truong received nationally competitive fellowships to study internationally after graduation.

The Order of the Laurel and the Palm, the highest honor bestowed on graduating seniors for exemplary leadership and excellent scholarship, was awarded to 22 seniors: Alana Barden, Eric Burse, Juan Espinoza, Alexander Fullman, Travis Glynn, David Hernandez, Dana Horowitz, Lauren Jung, Megan Lambert, Janet Lee, Julia Mangione, Erica Patel, Rikiesha Pierce, Georg Ristock, Angela Ross, Gabrielle Sharaga, Abby Stork, Zach Timm, Jayme Tsutsuse, Tyler Tyburski, Monica Valencia and Steven Wolfshohn.

One hundred and seventy-nine seniors received the Order of the Troy award for their extraordinary service and commitment to the campus community, and 72 graduate students received the Order of Areté, the highest honor for demonstrating significant depth and scope of responsibility in a campus or community leadership role.

In addition, 316 seniors were honored as USC Renaissance Scholars, students graduating in two or more widely separate fields of study with both a major and a minor or a double major or two baccalaureate degrees. Of these, the following 10 won $10,000 each for post-baccalaureate study: Christie Amrein, Marguerite Bowen, Karen Fang, Arielle Gillman, Janice Kitchen, William McGarey, Sara Meghji, Aadrita Mukerji, Robert Rosencrans and Brandon Wolfe.

Of the 57 Global Scholars, students who spent at least 10 weeks outside the United States as part of their undergraduate experience, the following 10 were selected to receive $10,000 each to pursue graduate studies: Sarah Choi, William (Scott) Fairbanks, Jenny Ham, Janet Lee, Myles Lock, Julia Mangione, Meaghan Pohl, Anu Ramachandran, Jayme Tsutsuse and Eve White.

Eighty-two students were named Discovery Scholars for producing original scholarship or creative work while compiling a distinguished overall academic record, and 10 won $10,000 prizes for post-baccalaureate studies: Troy Armstrong, Jasneet Aulakh, Alexander Fullman, Christopher Hanke, Devon Mott, Julian (Jules) Pegram, Roza Petrosyan, Abhinav Prem, Russell Stewart and Ka Ming Margaret To.

“This is one stop in your destination of accomplishment and achievement,” said Michael L. Jackson, vice president for Student Affairs, at the conclusion of the program. “There are so many complex problems in the world: eliminating poverty, promoting peace, engendering respect for all no matter their backgrounds or socioeconomic statuses, helping others who are less fortunate lead lives of purpose, and spreading love and hope in those corners of the world where freedom is a dream.

“Students, you are our present and our future, and the faculty, staff, the alumni and the trustees of the University of Southern California wish you all the best in your future endeavors,” he continued. “Thank you for choosing USC, and thank you for leaving lasting legacies that will carry on for decades to come.”

“This is an important new program to prepare students to address one of the grand engineering challenges of the coming decades,” said John O’Brien, executive vice dean for engineering at USC Viterbi.

The cybersecurity degree will focus on the fundamentals of developing, engineering and operating secure information systems. The aim of the program is to provide students the necessary tools to administer environments that require high levels of information security. Students will take courses in secure operating systems and applications, secure networking, digital forensics, cryptography and key management. In addition, the curriculum is designed to give students an understanding of the security policy development.

“The launch of the Master of Cybersecurity program is very timely, as there is a rapidly growing demand for professionals in this area,” said Herb Schorr, vice dean for engineering and director emeritus of USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute. “Graduates of this program will have the ability to apply their knowledge in a variety of industry sectors, including defense, finance, oil and gas, entertainment, medicine and any other business which has information they value in the digital world.”

According to a recent report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it is projected that by 2015, the United States will need 700,000 new cybersecurity professionals. In addition, the publication Network World called cybersecurity the hottest job in information technology.

“The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is in a strong position to offer this program, as USC is a National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence in Research,” Schorr said. “Through interaction with public and private stakeholders, we believe we have developed a curriculum that will prepare students to compete for high-paying jobs with anyone in the nation and to contribute to the field immediately after graduation.”

Students who do not live in the Los Angeles area will have the opportunity to take the same courses in cybersecurity online. DEN@Viterbi, ranked as the top online engineering delivery program by U.S. News & World Report, delivers campus courses via webcast, using the latest technology to provide students a seamless experience.

The study, which appeared in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that mice lost 85 percent of their hair if they received radiation therapy in the morning, compared to a 17-percent loss when treatment occurred in the evening.

Researchers from USC, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, Irvine (UCI), worked out the precise timing of the hair circadian clock as well as uncovered the biology behind the clockwork — the molecules that tell hair when to grow and when to repair damage. The researchers then tested the clock using radiotherapy.

“These findings are particularly exciting because they present a significant step toward developing new radiation therapy protocols that include minimizing negative side effects on normal tissues, such as hair or bone marrow, while maintaining the desired effects on cancer cells,” said the study’s first author Maksim Plikus, formerly a postdoctoral fellow at USC and now an assistant professor of developmental and cell biology at UCI. “We will now apply our findings to design novel circadian rhythm-based approaches to cancer therapy.”

The scientists can’t say their findings will directly translate to human cancer therapy because they haven’t yet studied that possibility. But they say it is becoming increasingly clear that body organs and tissues have their own circadian clocks that, when understood, could be used to time drug therapy for maximum benefit.

“This suggests that delivering a drug to an organ while it is largely inactive is not a good idea. You could do more damage to the organ than when it is awake, repairing and restoring itself,” said the study’s co-lead investigator, Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk’s Regulatory Biology Laboratory and an expert on circadian rhythm. “If you know when an organ is mending itself, you might be able to deliver more potent doses of a drug or therapy. That might offer a better outcome while minimizing side effects.”

Cheng-Ming Chuong, professor of pathology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the study’s co-lead investigator, and Plikus are experts on hair regeneration. Panda uses genetic, genomics and biochemical approaches to identify genes under circadian regulation in different organs and to understand the mechanism of such regulation. They teamed together to find and then take apart the mouse hair circadian clock. It was a long and difficult study, according to Chuong.

“Hair is a very complicated organ, featuring different types of cells going through different stages in the life cycle in a very tiny space,” he said. “We found that hair in mice grows fast in the morning and slows down at night, engaging a very powerful clock.”

Every time hair cells divide, they pick up DNA damage that needs to be repaired. The scientists discovered that mice hair cells repair the damage primarily in the evening.

Radiotherapy damages DNA in cells that divide rapidly, which is why it is used against growing cancer cells. That means DNA damage to hair cells from radiotherapy delivered in the morning is not repaired until the evening, leading to hair loss. Damage from radiotherapy at night, however, is minimized because hair cells, already in the process of repairing DNA, can quickly heal.

“While we don’t yet know if human hair follows that same clock we found in mice hair, it is true that facial hair in men grows during the day, resulting in the proverbial 5 o’clock shadow. There is no 5 a.m. shadow if you shave at night,” Panda said.

Scientists know for certain that other organs, such as the liver, use a circadian clock, and they suspect that all human tissue is similarly regulated, though the clocks may be timed differently. According to Chuong and colleagues, the clinical implications for these various internal clocks may go beyond timing of drug therapy.

“For example, some researchers suspect that obesity and diabetes occur when an organ or organs — perhaps the liver or stomach or pancreas — should be sleeping, but is awoken by food that needs to be processed,” Panda said.

Other contributing authors on the study were Damon de la Cruz from USC, Christopher Vollmers and Amandine Chaix from Salk, and Raul Ramos from UCI.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers AR42177, AR47364, DK091618 and P30 CA014195), The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, The Charles A. Dana Foundation, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation.

The emergence of “41” as an offensive term dates back to 1901, when police in Mexico City arrested 41 men, some dressed as women, at a private party. Since then, calling people “41” in Spanish has been a derogatory way to label them as homosexual.

Alberto Mendoza wanted to put a new, positive spin on the number — to reclaim it as a label of respect. In March, he established Honor 41 to highlight prominent role models within the LGBT Latino community and increase visibility of LGBT people of color in the media.

“It was to take away the negative association with ‘41,’ to help heal people from that experience and — for those people who didn’t know anything about it — to provide a little education about that historical moment,” he said. “I wanted to demonstrate and celebrate 41 role models in our community as a response to that.”

Vigil was a prime candidate for the distinction. Nominated by anonymous peers, he earned the number seven spot among selected role models due to his outstanding work with the LGBT community at USC.

When Vigil came to USC as a graduate student at the USC Rossier School of Education in 2002, he noticed the lack of cohesion between LGBT organizations on campus. After completing in-depth research with the student population, and analyzing their needs and concerns, he successfully submitted a proposal to create an LGBT center. With the support of Student Affairs, Vigil became the new LGBT Resource Center’s founding director, a position he has held since 2005.

“When there was finally a home, that’s where we were able to work together and create a synergy and get participation to where it is now,” said Vigil, who also teaches at USC Rossier.

Indeed, the services available to LGBT students have expanded exponentially. By overseeing the Rainbow Floor residential community, peer-mentoring programs, social events and programming, the LGBT Resource Center provides students with support and leadership opportunities.

In addition to recognizing Vigil’s achievements within the USC community, Mendoza acknowledged the personal journey that Vigil took to become the leader he is today.

“Here was this young man who was raised by a single mother, who really used education as his ticket out,” Mendoza said. “Through his own inquisitive nature and his desire to bring about change, he proposed an idea and had it become a reality. That was a story worth sharing.”

Vigil is delighted and humbled that the organization has selected him, and he hopes that Honor 41’s honorees will inspire the next generation of LGBT leaders.

“It is very important that there are faces out there that are people of color and LGBT so that a lot of young people can see that there are leaders out there like them,” he said. “So I hope that I can help other people, just by being me.”

The gift creates the Steven and Kathryn Sample Endowment for Ecumenism, named for the university’s 10th president and his wife. Funds will be used to support critical research centered on the foundational beliefs that all Christians share, and to help address the differences that still exist.

“Through the initiative that will be created by this generous endowment gift, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies will continue to move forward an important scholarly dialogue rooted in many of the influential disciplines that are common to religious traditions, such as theology, philosophy, human rights and politics,” said Elizabeth Garrett, USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “It also honors two great Trojans, President Emeritus Steven Sample and his wife, Kathryn, who are dedicated to institutions that facilitate interfaith discussions designed to further tolerance and understanding.”

Upon learning about the endowment, Kathryn Sample said, “Steve and I are both grateful and honored by this wonderful act of generosity.”

Housed at USC since 2006 and linked to the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the IACS is primarily a research enterprise dedicated to advancing a deeper understanding of theology, philosophy, international political and economic institutions, and a wide range of ethical questions that confront modern society in a global age.

While rooted in the Catholic tradition, the institute has created an international community of scholars from diverse fields and religious backgrounds. Its research is conducted in an ecumenical and interreligious way, and secular thinkers are welcome. Since the beginning, the institute has cultivated interfaith dialogue among Christians, Jews and Muslims. More recently, it has extended that dialogue to Asian religions.

This new gift will enable the institute to launch another important initiative — dialogue among Christians.

“In the United States, people of many different Christian churches mix with each other every day,” said Father James Heft, Alton M. Brooks Professor of Religion at USC and president of the institute. “Conversation among people of the same faith and even different faiths needs to be strengthened. We have much to learn from each other. This endowment supports that effort, especially among Christians.”

By generating funds for fellowships, seminars and conferences, the Endowment for Ecumenism will enable the institute to invite scholars from around the world to dedicate their research and talents to strengthening the work of Christian unity. Although separated by some doctrines, history and practice, all Christian denominations and churches hold a common belief in the Trinity and Jesus Christ. The goal of this new initiative is to bring them together to promote deeper mutual understanding and strengthen unity among Christian churches — and through these efforts make an even richer contribution to the global community.

“The discussions made possible by this initiative will enliven and deepen intellectual inquiry, critical thinking and open exchange about shared truths,” said Donald Miller, Leonard K. Firestone Professor of Religion and executive director of the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. “Such dialogue will enrich the life of the university overall — and is essential in a world in which societies are increasingly global and religion is increasingly polarized.”