Ambrosia Viramontes Brody
Stories by Ambrosia Viramontes Brody:
From classroom to center stage

When USC student Jennifer Do gracefully crossed the stage of the Miss Vietnam of Southern California Pageant, her confidence and natural elegance suggested the qualities of a seasoned contestant.
Kaya Press moves to USC Dornsife

In her first book, Magnetic Refrain, Nicky Sa-Eun Schildkraut, a Ph.D. student in literature and creative writing at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, frames her poetry collection around themes of loss and waves of flight as a result of the Korean War.
Mark Benthien honored by White House

The 6.7-magnitude Northridge earthquake that shook Southern California in 1994 did more than rattle Mark Benthien out of his bed at UCLA. It reaffirmed his commitment to earthquake preparedness.
What lies beneath the asbestos crisis

When thousands of workers filed lawsuits against employers in search of asbestos injury compensation, Congress planned to create a national social insurance program for asbestos claims but failed.
USC Shoah Foundation Institute launches IWitness

More than 350 New York high school students had watched parts of Holocaust survivor Roman Kent’s video testimony about living in Lodz, Poland, when the Germans invaded during World War II.
In memoriam: Thomas C. Cox, 72

Thomas C. Cox, associate professor emeritus of history at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and a leading historian in African-American studies and American intellectual and social history, has died. He was 72.
Trojans explore the fantastic aspects of reality

Watching the film Godzilla with classmates, USC senior Elton Keung initially saw the scaly creature as nothing more than a monster stomping through the streets of Tokyo, Japan.
Perfecting a romantic language

Inside a Taper Hall classroom, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences senior Bridget McDonald chatted with classmates, effortlessly transitioning from English to Spanish.
A quantum leap in computing

When American physicist Richard Feynman in 1982 proposed creating a quantum computer that could solve complex problems, the idea was merely a theory scientists believed was in the distant future.
Racial identity is changing among Latinos

Some first-, second- and later-generation Latinos in the United States are not identifying themselves ethnically as Latino as they integrate into the fabric of American society, a recent study by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences found.
USC Mock Trial Team Dominates East Coast Foes

In a Philadelphia courtroom, USC mock trial team member Lauren Ige confidently stood before a judge and argued that a man who drove with a blood alcohol level higher than the legal limit of .08 and crashed his car, killing a passenger, should be charged with murder.
Sampling the sensations of Spain
Inside a Taper Hall classroom, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences senior Bridget McDonald chatted with classmates, effortlessly transitioning from English to Spanish.
Former Fulbright fellow views Brazil’s economy

On a humid August day in Rio de Janeiro, Dawn Powell ’10 boarded a bus bound for Luís Eduardo Magalhães, an agribusiness town in western Bahia. An hour into the trip, the Fulbright scholar stood on the roadside in heels and business casual attire, watching the bus driver patiently negotiate with a group of protesters blocking the road.
In Memoriam: John Marburger, 70

John H. Marburger III, former dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and science adviser to President George W. Bush, has died. He was 70.
Twin Study Offers Glimpse of Antisocial Behavior

There is good reason students and faculty walking the halls of the Seeley G. Mudd building think they are seeing double – they are.
Champion of change

David Horacio Hernandez, a junior at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, couldn’t believe what he was reading. Poor grammar and misplaced punctuation signaled a hastily written essay.
Fighting for freedom in North Korea

The United States’ turbulent relationship with North Korea spans decades, with points of contention historically centered on the communist state’s nuclear programs and missile development, said Robert King, U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights.
Looking Up to Director Michael Apted

For the past 47 years, director Michael Apted has navigated the rough waters of documenting real voices.
Leaders With Posse-bility

A few thousand miles from home, a dozen freshmen from New York City can’t picture themselves at USC without their posse.
In memoriam: André Pineda, 46
André Pineda, a Democratic pollster, mentor and lecturer at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, died on Sept. 27. He was 46.
In Memoriam: Carol Nagy, 72

Carol Nagy, the first female dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Communication at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and a major force in the creation of the university’s Gender Studies Program, has died. She was 72.
A Funny Thing Happened …

Everyone has them. Those moments of complete humiliation when blood rushes to your cheeks and you quickly look around hoping no one noticed.
The Global Impact of Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism – a religious movement that began in a warehouse on Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906 – has emerged as a fast-growing minority religion in the developing world, gaining popularity in the Southern hemisphere and becoming a competitor to traditional denominations.
In Memoriam: John Hospers, 93

John Hospers, professor emeritus of philosophy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Libertarian Party’s first presidential nominee, died in Los Angeles on June 12. He was 93.