The Pursuit of Happiness
Over time, many of us come to realize that we seek something beyond happiness in our lives. USC’s Varun Soni, dean of religious life, talks about the quest for meaning.
(Photo/Cintascotch/Room Collection/Getty Images)
The Pursuit of Happiness
Researchers across disciplines at USC turn a scientific eye on happiness and its complex connection to our health, relationships and economy.
Macki Alvarez-Mena,
Arjun Mehta, Nathan Wallace, Serene Boachie and Jared Bass, from left. (Photo/Cody Pickens)
Class of 2018
Innovators, thinkers, disruptors and problem solvers: The academy’s inaugural class heads into the world ready to tackle its challenges.
(Photo/Cody Pickens)
Citizen Architect
For solutions to inequality, marginalization and divisiveness, one of USC’s newest deans wants to tap an unexpected resource: architecture.
Chris Ah San (Illustration/Jacqui Oakley)
Policy of Change
To help the community’s most vulnerable, Chris Ah San learns to navigate the world of policymaking.
(Photo/Courtesy of the Los Angeles Police Department)
Street Smarts
Lessons from social work and public policy can help law enforcement officers build bridges with their communities.
(Photo Courtesy of Gina Clayton)
The Advocate
Essie Justice Group helps launch community leaders ready to advocate for and support other women.
Nakea Brown previously lived at the Rolland Curtis Gardens apartment complex, which is being redeveloped. She found affordable housing elsewhere with help from the USC Housing Law Clinic. (USC Photo/Ron Mackovich)
Good Neighbors
Renters living near the university’s campuses have a lifeline when they need help.
Share a Meal volunteers deliver food throughout L.A. twice a week. | PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
Street Smarts
Calling it a “moral imperative,” Trojans tackle homelessness across disciplines.
USC Price alumna Meg Barclay is Los Angeles' first coordinator on homelessness issues. (Illustration by Jacqui Oakley)
Street Smarts
A USC Price alumna searches for solutions to combat homelessness in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Photo by John McGillen/USC Athletics)
Field Goals
The Los Angeles Coliseum ranks as one of the country’s most sustainable stadiums.
Kinder2College student Bryan Merino reads a super hero book while Cesar Padillo chows on some pizza during the unveiling of a "Little Free Library" in the University Gardens housing complex. | PHOTO BY DAVID SPRAGUE
Ready to Read
A $1 million gift from Pamela Buffett boosts the afterschool reading program for children ages 5 and up.
Jung Kian Ng is one of 96 Rhodes Scholars chosen from around the world. (Photo/Nadila Nordin)
Traveling Trojan
Jung Kian Ng ’14, MS ’14 aims to bring new-found expertise back to Malaysia.
Alejandra Franco had college in her sights since childhood. | PHOTO BY NOÉ MONTES
The Way Up
About one of every five USC undergraduates has parents who didn’t go to college. And these first-generation Trojans are some of the university’s top students.
Oscar De Los Santos sits beside former President Obama. | PHOTO COURTESY OF OSCAR DE LOS SANTOS
The Way Up
First-generation college graduate Oscar De Los Santos ’15 heads to Oxford.
ILLUSTRATION BY DAN PAGE
Navigating the Divide
David Kuroda MSW ’72 has spent his career advocating for children—and healthy divorces.
ILLUSTRATION BY LAURINDO FELICIANO
Trojan Leaders
A USC Rossier doctoral student opens the first educational institute for women, by women.
ILLUSTRATION BY THE HEADS OF STATE
The Truth Squad
As the media industry copes with fake news, journalists still relish the chance to tell stories that matter.
Provost Quick's with military high-school students attending USC's pre-college summer program
School’s In
USC’s specialized summer classes make high schoolers’ and veterans’ transition to higher education a little easier.
Pillars of Strength
A $60 million naming gift from USC Trustee Suzanne Dworak-Peck supports USC’s drive to transform the profession of social work.
At Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, students tackle global challenges. | ILLUSTRATION BY JOE CARDELLO
Point of Impact
Students improve lives through sustainability and profitability at the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab.
Lesley Adams Williams | PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
Pillars of Strength
Lesley Adams Williams earns her master’s degree in the online degree program.
Barbara Solomon, left, and Dean Marilyn Flynn | PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
Pillars of Strength
Today an endowed scholarship in Solomon’s name supports minority students studying social work.
Eric Chastain | PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC CHASTAIN
Pillars of Strength
U.S. Army Battalion Sgt. Maj. Eric Chastain watched 22 of his friends die. Then came a death he wasn’t prepared for.
At Potter’s Lane, repurposed steel shipping containers were converted to energy-efficient, sustainable housing units on a formerly vacant lot. | RENDERING BY SVA ARCHITECTS
Home Front
A USC Rossier graduate student builds a community through her housing nonprofit.
With the help of USC Gould students, the Mashamba sisters have found safety and a new home in California. | PHOTO BY BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES
Against the Odds
USC’s Immigration Clinic wins asylum for two persecuted girls born with albinism.
Pillars of Strength
These are some of the new faces who will make a difference in the lives of others.
Jeanie Buss at the NAI gala | PHOTO BY SUSANICA TAM
Rewarding Reading
The USC trustee supports education initiatives in Los Angeles.
Our Town
USC alumni are woven throughout the fabric of Southern California civic life.
Photo by Susanica Tam
Healthy Smiles
Dentists travel to patients thanks to the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC’s mobile clinics.
PHOTO BY SARA LEE/EYEVINE/REDUX
Social Change
A USC Roski professor reflects on a lifetime spent at the intersection of community development and visual art.
USC COLLEGE PREP PHOTO BY MARGARET MOLLOY
Countdown to College
USC's newest prep school steers students towards college admission.
Chase Millsap and The Captain | Photo by Spencer Millsap
The Promise
Brothers in arms, they're now a world apart.
USC Trustee David C. Bohnett | PHOTO BY SUSANA CAPRA FOR MILLENNIAL MAGAZINE
Champion for Change
David Bohnett ’78 endows a living-learning space for students committed to social justice and service.
Jon Pynoos | ILLUSTRATION BY LAURINDO FELICIANO
Coming of Age
A decades-long friendship taught a gerontologist that independence and dignity are worth fighting for.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE HEADS OF STATE
The High Ground
Researchers look at the road to rudeness and chart a path to more respectful discourse.
Strong Support
The Cohen family partners with USC to serve families in Los Angeles.
Members of the USC Real Estate Network, accompanied by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, planted trees at Loren Miller Elementary School in South Los Angeles. | PHOTO COURTESY OF USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Volunteers at Work
Trojans volunteer and reach out worldwide.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN MORTON/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
Global Security
Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Cybercrime. USC researchers seek out threats to public safety in the Pacific Rim.
Jody Armour | PHOTO BY CODY PICKENS
Life Lessons
Meet four USC educators and researchers whose pasts motivate them to make a difference for others.
Photo by Matt Gainer
Street Smart
An award-winning paper authored at USC Price reveals that students favor busy streets over low-key locations.
Photo by Buck Lewis
Resourceful Resilience
A public policy expert gives people—and digital debris—a second chance at life.
Photo by Armando Brown
Power of Giving
The event taps into a network of 377,000 alumni — and the entire Trojan Family
Photo courtesy of the Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc.
Music That Moves
Evan Pensis aims to offer arts to the imprisoned.
Think Thanks
The testimonies of Holocaust survivors help scientists map the brain circuitry of their subjects.
Photo courtesy of the USC Freehand Project
Life in 3-D
USC students create hand prosthetics for children in war-torn areas.
The Next MacGyver
Which one the five finalists in ‘The Next MacGyver’ competition do you want to see on TV?
Photo by Meiko Takechi Aquillos
Waste Not
The university takes big strides in sustainability across the campus.
Illustration by Carlo Giambarresi
Respect Our Elders
Meet the doctor who’s on a mission to change how Americans care for seniors.
Rick Caruso with C. L. Max Nikias. Photo by Gus Ruelas.
President's Page
USC takes a giant step toward finding answers for hearing loss.
Like his siblings, Jesus Jr. mentors students going through the Neighborhood Academic Initiative. (Garcia Photo by Gus Ruelas)
The Trojan Ticket
The Neighborhood Academic Initiative brings college-prep classes to kids and teens around USC’s campuses.
If your child screams, “I hate you,” this USC School of Social Work expert has an approach that may help.
The USC Alumni Club of Washington, D.C., sorted food at the Capital Area Food Bank. (Photos by Bill Denison; Joy Albritten; Nuttapon Kongkitimanon; Armando Brown)
Alumni Worldwide
A global network of Trojans pitched in to help communities around the world.
Photo by Ana Beatriz Cholo
Getting In
USC Rossier’s near-peer advising program puts first-generation high school seniors on track for college.
Photo by Gus Ruelas
Those Who Serve
From career contacts to making new friends, USCAA connects Trojan military members.
Vote of Confidence
USC Price grad uses quirky characters to educate voters on key issues.
Illustration by Wayne Brezinka
Legal Practice
The Post-Conviction Justice Project leads a nationwide movement for juveniles serving life sentences without parole.
Photo courtesy of Allie Harrison
Give and Go
A soccer career cut short opens doors to a creative life serving others.
Photo by Scot Obler
Sport Support
It’s all about building the complete student-athlete at USC.
Neighborhood Academic Initiative scholars Jessica Alcazar and Tristan Baizar talk with Thomas S. Sayles, senior vice president for University Relations during the NAI Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony on May 9. Photo by Gus Ruelas
Good Neighbors
USC’s Neighborhood Academic Initiative expands beyond South Los Angeles to include more than 100 sixth-graders in East Los Angeles.
Top Trojans
The USC Alumni Association recognizes volunteers who keep the Trojan spirit alive.
Photos by Gus Ruelas
Smiles for Success
Studies link oral health to school success, and USC dentists aim to keep children smiling.
Students in USC’s Social Innovation Design Lab are learning to use design thinking to solve challenges and find new opportunities. Photo by Alicia Di Rado
Business of Change
Creativity can combine with business principles to solve societal challenges—and turn a profit.
Piccolo Lewis promotes literacy the best way he knows how: Giving away thousands of books for children. Photo by Dietmar Quistorf
Read On
Piccolo Lewis donates more than nine tons of books to encourage young readers.
Jonathan ’02, left, and Jesse Ruiz ’12 hit the books in secondary school and at USC. Photo by Dietmar Quistorf
Good Neighbors
The Ruiz Brothers show hard work pays off.
The story behind Hortensia Amaro informed her lifelong dedication to the underserved. (Photo/Dietmar Quistorf)
Community Health
Hortensia Amaro’s immigrant experience spurs a devotion to solving public health problems of the disenfranchised.
USC experts are using data and findings from their research to press for action on disparities in health and well-being. (Illustration/Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images)
Fair Care
With racial and socioeconomic inequality come inequities in well-being.
The USC Arts in Action program helps students flex their creative skills to advance inclusivity. (Illustration/Antonio Rodriguez)
Arts in Action
USC students use podcasts, performances and workshops to open public platforms for kids and adults.
The changing climate’s effect on caribou comes to life in a unique student-led project. (Photo/Courtesy of Robert Hernandez)
Reality Check
Think caribou in the arctic tundra have nothing to do with you? USC students use immersive technology to explain their urgent message for us all.
Muralist Paul Botello’s imagery aims to increase vaccination rates among Latinos as part of the “Stay Connected Los Angeles” public health campaign supported by USC. (Illustration/Paul Botello)
An Equal Shot
When COVID-19 hit Southern California, Keck Medicine of USC mobilized to protect the hardest-hit, highest-risk communities.
Can virtual reality and interactive media help us find common ground and embrace healthy behaviors? (Painting/Sally Deng)
Walk in my Shoes
Meet the digital creators who are using tech to make us feel a little more human.
(Illustration/Mary Kate McDevitt)
Creative Climate
See how students use poetry, viola concertos and animated whales to try to wake the world up to climate change.
From left: USC alumni Angelo Reyes, Manuel Carmona, Kellee O'Rourke, Matthew Feaster and Adrienne Kung helped Pasadena achieve one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state.
Their Best Shot
Five Trojan public health experts share their personal stories about facing down a global health crisis.
USC's free community programs put Los Angeles students and residents on the path to health care careers.
Field Guide
USC offers workforce development programs to help kids, teens and adults find their future in the medical industry.
(Photograph/Darren Braun)
(Re)New and Improved
Waste salvaged from dumpsters and airplane graveyards finds a sustainable second life.
Mike Washington fell into a mental health crisis after the loss of his son, Michael T. Washington, who died in combat at the age of 20. (Photo/ Erika Schultz/The Seattle Times)
Call of Duty
Burdened by tragedy and pain, USC alumnus Michael Washington almost gave up on life. Now he helps other first responders find hope and healing.
Rev. Najuma Smith-Pollard, founding pastor of the Word of Encouragement Community Church in Los Angeles, has seen Black churches drive social change in the city.
Acts of Faith
Pastors advocate for their people from the pulpit and on the streets — and training at USC gives them the tools to take their work further.
At Keck Medicine of USC, keeping both organ transplant recipients and their donors healthy is all part of the plan. (Illustration/Simone Noronha)
Medical innovation
The shortage of organs for transplants is an issue for patients. Living donors are one key. Another: Helping them get healthier to ensure successful outcomes for the donor and the patient.
An individual's risk can be a combination of several things, and chemical pollution are high on that list. (Illustration/Jason Holley)
Think Clean
Research at USC is helping define the environment’s impact on the brain. Growing evidence links the long-term effects of dirty air to accelerated cognitive decline and dementia, and USC researchers hope to better understand environmental effects and gene-environment interactions on brain health.
In 2014, Peter Kuhn joined USC to become a founding member of the Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, a 190,000-square-foot interdisciplinary research facility wholly committed to exploring new frontiers in medicine and health. (Illustration/Curt Merlo)
Beating the Odds
USC researcher Peter Kuhn possesses an unrelenting mission to improve the lives of cancer patients.
USC’s connection to the White House's Cancer Moonshot is just one of the ways the university and the Keck School of Medicine are leading the charge to improve cancer treatment. (Illustration/Curt Merlo)
Above and Beyond
Powered by an energized cancer-fighting ecosystem at USC, Trojan researchers aim to help the nation achieve its Cancer Moonshot
Carpten's mission is to untangle the role of biology in cancer to improve treatment — particularly to help close the gaps where Black people and other understudied, underserved populations face a greater burden of disease. (Illustration/Curt Merlo)
Serving the Underserved
USC researcher John Carpten strives to decode how genes influence cancer — especially for groups hit hardest by the disease
Both Chloe and I had autistic friends in high school, and we thought that creating a product that could interpret emotions as vibrations could really help them,” Shannon Brownlee says. (Illustration/Weitong Mai)
Feeling the Vibes
Seniors Shannon Brownlee and Chloe Duckworth’s startup uses software that can detect emotions from speech patterns and translate them into vibrations.
More flexible work arrangements are a likely outcome of COVID-19. (Illustration/ Harry Campbell)
Future of Work
From the gig economy to remote offices, USC business and policy experts imagine the future of work.
Workers in critical industries like health care, logistics and agriculture should be rewarded with respect and better pay. (Illustration/Harry Campbell)
Future of Work
A sociology professor says the services of grocery store workers, agricultural laborers, caretakers and others need to be prioritized in America.
(Illustration/Hanna Barczyk)
Class Action
How we teach mathematics can discourage women from pursuing computation-heavy fields.
(Photo/Courtesy of Little Fir Foundation and Ding Qin)
Seeds of Change
USC Price graduate Jingying Wu started the Little Fir Foundation to help children pursue their dreams for college and beyond.
(Illustration/ Keith Negley)
Teaching Tolerance
Learning from eyewitnesses of some of history’s darkest moments, educators strive to teach the power of decency and respect.
Actor Danny Trejo, left, and USC alum Dimitri Colupaev strive to safely feed hundreds of health care workers during the pandemic. (Photo/Courtesy of Colony Cooks)
Comfort Food
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Trejo join USC alumni and friends to donate meals to health providers at Keck Medicine of USC and other L.A.-area hospitals.
Since 2019, Lauren Klein has been researching computer science and child development at the USC Interaction Lab. She is developing an automated system to model and support infant-caregiver interactions by detecting signs of toxic stress. (Illustration/Mikyung Lee)
Tech Talk
Doctoral student Lauren Klein is working with a local children’s hospital to help clinicians detect signs of toxic stress in infants
Matt Petersen (Photo/Ken Lee)
A Man with a Plan
The enthusiastic optimist sees opportunities for sustainability around every corner.
USC Dornsife student Ryan Melendez (Photo/Courtesy of Ryan Melendez)
Ride On
Ryan Melendez has raised more than $500,000 for pediatric cancer through Warrior Horses for Warrior Kids.
Bistra Dilkina (Illustration/Israel G. Vargas)
Math on a Mission
These everyday heroes use math and networks to make a difference in the world.
(Illustration/Edel Rodriguez)
Tales of Redemption
Released prisoners share their stories while USC students write their own in an unusual partnership that has changed lives.
Neftalie Williams with his skateboard (Photo/Kaveh Rezaei/VOA)
Skating Between the Lines
USC Annenberg alumnus and lecturer Neftalie Williams uses street culture to break social barriers.
(Photo/Gregg Segal)
Care Everywhere
These health care professionals treat some of L.A.’s most vulnerable on the streets they call home.
On the Safe Side
As elementary and secondary schools grapple with bullying and violence, USC experts help chart a path forward to make classrooms safer.
(Photo/ Michiko Tierney)
The Builders
When it comes to creating a more affordable, livable Southern California, Trojans are rising to the challenge.
(Photo / Kirk Mckoy/Los Angeles Times Via Getty Images)
Migration Patterns
An immigration law expert looks at the complex ties that connect citizens and noncitizens in America.
Susana Ruiz (Photo/Huy Truong/Take Action Games)
Screen Legends
Video games can influence society for the better, and these USC game creators are trying to do just that.
(Photo/Elias Marcou)
Lives, Not Grades
Students get creative with solutions as migrants flee regions in turmoil around the world.
(Photo/iStock)
Fueling Change
Is hydrogen the answer to our energy needs? An aerospace and mechanical engineer explains how to bring this fuel down to Earth.
(Photo/Damon Casarez)
The Givers
Far from the spotlight, members of the Trojan Family make a big difference in the lives of others.
Faisal Rashid (Courtesy of Faisal Rashid)
Trojan Voice
The LAPD reserve officer and USC radiation oncology specialist talks about combating racism as a society.
Lt. Justin Lee works in Palm Springs at a tactical operations center, where he oversees platoons on humanitarian missions throughout the region. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Proud to Serve
Whether on planes, trucks or ships, Trojans use their training and USC connections to help communities facing COVID-19.
(Illustration/Hanna Barczyk)
Class Action
Studies show that teachers and counselors often hold low expectations of boys from minority communities.
(Illustration/Harry Campbell)
Bruins and Trojans can all get along when it comes to creating a livable urban future.
(Illustration/Hanna Barczyk)
Class Action
Poverty is not a learning disability. It’s a barrier to education that we can overcome together.
(Illustration/Hanna Barczyk)
Class Action
In an age of disinformation and disaffection, how do we teach the next generation of informed, active citizens?
About 12% of all U.S. parents with children under 18 also care for an adult. (Illustration/Keith Negley)
Labor of Love
The pandemic kept kids home from school and upended the workplace, placing Americans who care for aging family members under even more pressure.
As a college student, Jose Miguel Ruiz dreamed of bringing his passion for gardening into urban life through a community-building model. (Photo/Courtesy of Jose Ruiz)
Seeding Change
Jose Miguel Ruiz inspires sustainable renewal through onions, celery and Swiss chard — and it’s happening one empty lot at a time.
David Bohnett prioritizes community building in his career and philanthropic work. (Photo/Michael Bulbenko)
Stronger Together
Whether he was building one of the internet’s earliest social networks or championing equal rights, David Bohnett has made community a priority.
Physician Parveen Parmar studies health and human rights violations among refugees and displaced people. (Photo/Courtesy of Physicians for Human Rights)
Right to Thrive
They advocate for safety, human rights and well-being across the globe, and they’ll come back tomorrow to do it all over again.
La Mer Walker launched a startup to connect tech firms with diverse talent. (Photo/Justin Officer)
Hire Power
USC architecture grad La Mer Walker bolsters the hiring of Blacks and people of color in tech by bringing qualified professionals and employers together.
Martin Luther King Jr. speaks during a religious rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1964. (Photo/Bob Miller, Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library)
Legacy in L.A.
The civil rights leader visited USC and its surrounding neighborhoods throughout the late ’50s and ’60s in his quest to improve the lives of Black Americans.
(Illustration/David Plunkert)
Votes of Confidence
To encourage civic engagement among young adults and minorities, USC’s Mindy Romero aims to make it easier to cast a ballot.
The Héroe team's health facilities include spaces for critical services like surgeries. (Photo/Courtesy of HLW and Project Héroe)
Ready Room
Alum David Swartz explains how building modular, pandemic-proof health care sites might isolate future outbreaks.
Charles found purpose in healing traumatized dogs and preparing them for adoption. (Photo/Courtesy of Post-Conviction Justice Project)
Road to Redemption
Twenty-two years into a life sentence for a crime committed as a teen, a former gang member found hope with the help of USC legal advocates.
Adam Leventhal (Photo/Gregg Segal)
Double Jeopardy
The coronavirus outbreak could worsen America’s substance use crisis. USC addiction expert Adam Leventhal explains why it matters to all of us.
A deputy election registrar registers voters in front of USC’s Student Union in 1960. (Photo/Courtesy of USC University Archives)
Vote of Confidence
Trojans remember casting their first ballot — and the hope and civic pride that still inspires them, even decades later.
Cambria Estrada (right) and Soraya Levy (second from right) co-founded Bloom Boutique. (Photo/Samantha Hardy)
Community in Action
In a time of great upheaval and need, USC students lead efforts to strengthen and support their communities.
Ivan Garcia was a student at El Sereno Middle School when he joined NAI. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
First Class
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.
Bovard Scholars Osvaldo Cabrales, Kevin Gomez, Sabrina Pierre and Paola Ruiz, clockwise from top left. (Photos/Courtesy of Osvaldo Cabrales, Kevin Gomez, Sabrina Pierre, Paola Ruiz)
Access Granted
USC Bovard Scholars get academic coaching, financial aid guidance and other resources through the yearlong college-prep initiative.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic and has been the subject of scientific research since the 1970s. (Illustrations by Matt Twombly)
Plastic? Fantastic!
At USC, researchers are turning plastic waste into materials we can use as medicine in the future.
